Photo: Lamo-Mitnick-Poulsen.png: Photo by Matthew Griffiths; rights assigned to Adrian Lamo, subsequently freely released to the public domain by same. First published by Wired News in 2002, without assignment of rights. No rights reserved, but please credit photographer (Matthew Griffiths) in subsequent use. derivative work: Beao / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Adrian Lamo is one of those figures I find genuinely hard to sit with, and I think that's the honest reaction. The early hacks of the New York Times, Yahoo and Microsoft made him a kind of folk anti-hero, the 'homeless hacker' who seemed to do it for curiosity as much as anything. But what cemented his name was reporting Chelsea Manning to authorities, and that decision split people sharply. I can hold both ideas at once: real technical talent and a choice that still divides opinion. Dying at just 37 in 2018 only deepened how unresolved his legacy feels to me.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Adrian Lamo
- Name (Japanese)
- エイドリアン・ラモ
- Reading
- えいどりあん・らも
- Born
- February 20, 1981 – March 14, 2018
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Rooster
- Origin
- Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Occupation
- security hacker / journalist / computer scientist / programmer / hacker
2. Background
- University
- American River College
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Adrian Lamo born?
February 20, 1981 – March 14, 2018.
Where is Adrian Lamo from?
Adrian Lamo is from Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
What does Adrian Lamo do?
Adrian Lamo works as security hacker, journalist, computer scientist, programmer, hacker.
Journalist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.