The day that Kevin Mitnick goes back on the Internet, the New York Times appropriately decides to write a story on how courts across the country are deeply split over the issue of Internet and computer bans as punishment or as a condition of probation.
On the one hand, people argue that such bans are necessary in order to prevent cyber-criminals from striking again (like keeping a gun out of the hands of a convicted felon). On the other hand are issues of administrative convenience and enforcement, as well as the recognition that Internet and computer usage are so pervasive and important that banning such use may be an impermissible burden on even a guilty defendant.
The story is here.