Could Beto O'Rourke Become the First Hacker President?

If Beto O'Rourke becomes the Democratic Party nominee for president and then wins the election, he could become the first president of the United States with a background in the hacker community, according to a new Reuters report.

It turns out that O'Rourke was a member of Cult of the Dead Cow, one of the US's early hacker groups. According to the report, he engaged in some typical teenage online shenanigans (grabbing games with no DRM and a bit of light-weight phone-phreaking), leaving the group's activities by the time he was 18.

Why did his hacker-related history now come to light? According to Reuters, "Members of the group have protected O'Rourke's secret for decades, reluctant to compromise his political viability. Now, in a series of interviews, CDC members have acknowledged O'Rourke as one of their own."

Along with his time playing in a punk band and his current tendency to recharge by skateboarding, the hacker background is part of a resume that marks O'Rourke as an uncommon candidate for the presidential nomination.

According to legal experts Reuters contacted, it seems likely that O'Rourke's activities would be considered misdemeanors, the statute of limitations on which would have expired years ago.

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