410 DEAR HACKER

410 DEAR HACKER

We had our share of the criminally-minded who sent us letters, imagining them- selves to be hackers. When they wrote to the letters column, we had no problem cor- recting them in no uncertain terms. I hope we managed to set such people straight or, at the very least, get them to stop thinking of themselves as hackers.

There was also no shortage of childish rants and tales of odd adventures, which we had great fun with and our readers loved. Sure, we were relentless in our mocking at times, but sometimes it was necessary. We never set out to make anyone actually feel bad. Well, not unless they really deserved it.

Overall, we felt that people were defined by their intent. Merely breaking a law wasn’t enough to brand someone a criminal. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the prevailing mood of society, which led to a constant sense of apprehension in the community. We turned into the sounding board for that bit of frustration.

I think the battle was worthwhile because things changed over time, often as a direct result of some of what we were going through. As BBSes were lost to raids, we knew that the only response was to create more BBSes. We started a 2600 BBS network and insisted that software be utilized that kept user email private. This was not only good for the user but also for the owner of the bulletin board. By not being technically capable of reading a user’s email, the system operator could not be held accountable for whatever the authorities believed might be going on. We also fervently pushed for the same protections afforded a magazine like 2600 to be extended to the electronic world.

As word of the various injustices was spread via the magazine, we noticed some- thing surprising. Other people were paying attention. Even the mass media occasion- ally gave us positive press. When a series of particularly unjust raids hit in 1990, we engaged in a massive publicity blitz that wound up getting a lot of attention and led to the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Having a voice through the magazine for this rebellious group of individuals was key to becoming more visible and less prone to victimization. In the late ‘80s, after we started having a monthly 2600 gathering in New York City, a simple remark in one of our replies to a letter (“It would be nice if people all over the world had meet- ings/get-togethers on the first Friday of the month.”) led to a global rush of hacker meetings that continues to grow to this day, and has had such a positive effect on so many lives. There were, however, some setbacks in that arena, specifically a Secret Service–led raid on one of our meetings in a mall in Washington DC in 1992. What’s interesting here is that a letter printed in 2600 prior to that incident reveals that they were scoping out the location in the months before this ultimately unsuccessful attempt to shut down our gatherings.

A C U LT U R E O F R E B E L S

Technology, of course, also changed so dramatically over the decades that a lot of what put hackers in the crosshairs simply became unnecessary. We often pondered in the letters column as to whether or not there would be so much telephone fraud if calls were simply more affordable. As that began to become a reality, our focus shifted away from merely making free phone calls and toward hacking the functionality of whatever systems we were using. The tools changed, but the spirit never did.

I think one of the most touching remarks contained here is from one of the letter writers who recognizes how 2600 affected them in their formulative years: “I owe you people more than I can pay. You saved me from a life of mediocrity.” Obviously, we can’t take the credit for such things. But we can recognize that we’re a link in a chain that helps to make us all stronger, so long as we support each other and recognize our collective value. Going through these writings from some of the most spirited individuals around, I believe we lent a hand to precisely the right people.

Dear 2600: In reply to October’s article “Getting Caught: Hacker’s View,” I was

in the reverse situation. I had turned in a close friend last spring. I was faced with a situation of turning him in or being an accomplice to fraud. Being in a spot like that, no one can make a decision to do that without always doubting yourself. Choosing between being an accomplice or keeping a friendship is a place I wouldn’t wish for my worst enemy. In dealing with the feds, you can’t take everything as truth — they tell the guy who’s busted one story (in hopes of making him crack) and tell the “informer” another story (in hopes of scaring him into saying things he wouldn’t normally say). The people who read that in the October issue probably thought the person who turned this guy in was a rat, a fink, or a fed. What they may not realize is the other side of the story, the part where the “informer” gets cornered into telling what he knows, or sacrificing his freedom (ending up in jail) if he doesn’t tell. In my case, that’s what happened. I was cornered and had to tell and provide evidence to keep my ass clean. The guy I turned in had fouled up the job and would’ve been caught without my telling, although him and his friends still think I’m a rat. What they may not realize is what they would’ve done if they were me. Would