Former computer hacker Gary McKinnon has put a notorious extradition case behind him to reinvent his life as a search expert that charges £40-an-hour to help companies increase visibility.
Related: Home Secretary blocks Gary McKinnon hacking extradition
McKinnon, who successfully battled for 10 years against extradition to the US, has started a firm called Small SEO that aims to assist companies that want to rank higher on search engines, and the proprietor claims to have 20 years experience in the IT service industry.
“My aim is to provide high-quality SEO to small businesses and individuals. All of my clients have so far reached the first page of Google search results for their primary keywords,” read a statement describing the new service on his website.
The BBC reports that McKinnon already has a number of clients including the Kaim Todner law firm, GMAT Tutor London, and Jamm, which describes itself as the “home of the egg roller and the child-safety door stop”.
His case first shot to the headlines back in 2002 after the US tried to extradite the Asperger’s syndrome sufferer to the US after it was claimed that he hacked into government computers in the country.
t took until October 2012 for Home Secretary Theresa May to intervene and prevent the extradition on human rights grounds in the wake of medical reports that indicated he would to try to commit suicide if extradited.
Shortly after this, May also confirmed that the UK wouldn’t be charging McKinnon and he was free to start working with computers again under no restrictions whatsoever.
McKinnon still can’t travel outside the UK as an extradition warrant remains in place that claims he caused $800,000 [£471,000] worth of damage to military computers, which carries a prison sentence of up to 60 years.
