At what point did you begin to recognize that the world is much more complex than you think and that humans are even more complex than that? Eric Butler shows a kind of youthful ignorance that would be admirable if it weren’t destructive. To say, “I reject the notion that something like Firesheep turns otherwise innocent people evil” is such an oversimplification it doesn’t leave much to argue with. I mean people are either innocent or evil. That’s simple. Of course, since nobody is innocent, that makes us all… well, you get the picture.

What that statement really is, is a copout. As if he believes the 500+ thousand people downloading Firesheep are all innocent. It is recognition of the power of the tool without assumption of the responsibility that goes along with it. I mean, of course he rejects the notion because it interferes with his image of himself as some sort of savior. He should recognize that, regardless of his beef with the online companies, he has increased the risk for hundreds of millions of people by making the tool available.

To be honest, none of this is a real big deal. It is just stuff we have to live with on the Internet. But if he is going to release a tool like this, he should at least own it.

While I reject the notion that Eric Butler is evil, he sure ain’t innocent.