Frenchman convicted for hacking Twitter

A court in central France has convicted a young Frenchman accused of infiltrating Twitter and peeping at the account of President Barack Obama, and given him a five-month suspended prison sentence.

The lawyer for Francois Cousteix, whose online name was Hacker Croll, says his client was happy with Thursday evening's decision by the Clermont-Ferrand court. He risked up to two years in prison for breaking into a data system.

Attorney Jean-Francois Canis said Friday by telephone that "the verdict is satisfying, given all the media pressure that built up."

Cousteix, in his early 20s, infiltrated Twitter, and the accounts of Obama and singers Britney Spears and Lily Allen but maintained his motives were good — to warn Internet users about data security.

Frenchman convicted for hacking Twitter