Amega42 🇩🇪 (1B&1M)

When I was in high school (1998-2002) my judgement was just about as bad as yours is now. I hacked tons of people (mostly AOL AIM account takeovers), used several different trojans (Sub7 being my favorite), ran a small botnet, wrote a keylogger, and wrote a Windows winlogon GINA hook which I installed on my high school's Windows Active Directory Domain Controller. Ultimately I told the wrong kid, he told on me, and I got suspended for 7 days for the AD hack. I'm very glad I got this out of my system 22 years ago, before law enforcement caught up. When I got suspended for hacking the AD server, nobody thought to call the police. If they had, the police in 2002 wouldn't even have known what hacking was. As someone that works professionally in computer security now, I assure you that you're not as smart, talented, or careful as you think you are. It took me about 10 minutes to find your high school 🤡 Since you're a California high school student, you probably have no idea what the steps are between now and police knocking on your door. As someone that does computer security investigations and handles subpoenas all the time, let me briefly give you one plausible scenario: ✅ It starts with Niantic deciding you've caused financial damages and that they want to press charges. They could easily claim the PR disaster you've given them has impacted them financially. Legal investigation fees alone could run into the millions which all get added to the damages. ✅ Niantic hires a law firm. The law firm identifies several laws you've broken like the US Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, California Penal Code § 502 (Unauthorized Computer Access and Fraud), and California PC § 529 (false impersonation). The law firm hires a computer fraud investigation company that employ people like me. Those investigators quickly identify your high school, and based on your video, they tell the lawyers they believe that at least some of the crime occurred using the high school's network. ✅ The firm files a lawsuit in California seeking approval from a judge to subpoena your high school for network records. They probably also subpoena Twitter and Google (gmail) too. ✅ Since subpoenas take a long time (and your high school is likely inept at handling technical subpoenas), a lawyer will drive to Fremont and chat with Principal Barrington in person. They'll explain they represent Niantic and have filed serious charges against one of AHS's students and believe the student used AHS's network to commit serious crimes. They'll show the principle your nice AR photos of you sitting next to Dell #8 and will ask if they can be escorted through various classrooms starting with Geometry class looking for the location where the crime took place. ✅ Once they have the location they'll start interviewing teachers and students asking if anyone knows of a student that brags about "hacking". They'll narrow it down to you within minutes. ✅ From there it could go a lot of ways. Since you're a minor they could add your parents to the lawsuit instead, or try to convince a judge to try you as an adult. Most likely they'd want to avoid actually going to trial and would instead seek a settlement deal with you and your parents. Depending on your parent's assets that could vary from tens of thousands of dollars to maybe as much as a million. Most homes in the Bay Area are worth millions after all. In all likelihood though, Niantic already knows you're a kid and they just don't think they could get enough money out of your parents to make hiring a law firm worth it. Don't commit crimes like you're in the Czech Republic when you're actually subject to California & US law, and shit at covering your identity.