The Net's underworld

Hacks, email death threats, and an ugly battle surrounding an online casino show that as the Net evolves into a more widely used medium, it also becomes increasingly susceptible to the less savory elements of the offline world.

Political hackers hit 300 sites More than 300 Web sites fall victim to a politically motivated hack with a strong antinuclear message. Webmasters slam Net casino Thousands of small-time Web site operators are deprived of payment and accused of cheating by a Net casino they claim is crooked. Email death threat spreads A death threat spam that frightened America Online members now has spread to Yahoo Mail. Japan police nab Net porn ring Thirteen people in Japan are arrested for allegedly trafficking Internet pornography.