Pakistan Declares Death Penalty for 'Cyber Terror'

American officials can have some pretty over-the-top reactions to hackers and so-called cyber terrorists. Once, I saw a briefing comparing our own Kevin Poulsen to Osama bin Laden and Pablo Escobar -- seriously. But the U.S. has nothing on Pakistan, when it comes to cyber terror paranoia. Yesterday, Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari signed a law making cyber terror a crime "punishable with death."

In contrast, the maximum penalty for a hacking crime under U.S. law is 20 years in prison. Although, as we've seen in recent years, Washington seems to give itself a little, um, leeway when it comes to perceived terror threats.