108 DEAR HACKER

108 DEAR HACKER

Dear 2600:

I am sick of seeing tangled cords at payphones. This is probably the result of people switching sides during their conversation, thus making the receiver do a 360-degree revolution. If people would put back the receiver the same way they found it, things would be a whole lot easier.

Stickman All it takes is one to ruin it for the rest of us.

Dear 2600:

I was reading your article on Ed Cummings in the Autumn 1995 issue and I stumbled on a fact that I personally was not aware of, and frank- ly find appalling.... This is Title 18, USC Section 1029: “possession of

a technology which can be used in a fraudulent manner...” What’s next? In a year, will carrying a pencil in your pocket be considered concealing a deadly weapon? It’s amazing that the people supposedly representing us in Congress could pass such an anti-citizen law. How in the world can they make it illegal to distribute information of any type? How can they make it illegal to own a device that maybe, if someone feels like it, could possibly, if they wanted to break the law,

be used in a fraudulent manner? Is it actually true now that having a copy of BlueBeep zipped up on my hard drive makes me a felon? This is unbelievable. However, it seems like a law that will disgustingly stay on the books. Is there anything we can do about this? I don’t think so!

I have already written to my congressman. Is the constitutionality of this law being challenged by anyone yet? Please, give me a minute—I have to recover from shock, and then go and clean off my hard drive and hide my red box that has been lying in a desk drawer for a year.

I never thought I’d see the day where I’d have to fear arrest for talking or writing about something. I’m nauseated. TcP

THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE AS A HACKER

We’re getting letters like yours every day. People are realizing the implications of this law and it’s well worth getting upset about. So far, one person is challenging the constitutionality of this law: Bernie S. The problem is that it’s very difficult to do this when the Secret Service keeps throwing him into prison. It’s a fair bet they’re aware of this fact.

Dear 2600: There was quite an interesting letter in the Winter 95-96 issue from

J.R. A lot of what he wrote is fact and is going on as you read this.

I hope 2600 does take the time to investigate what he says. It would truly be a public service.

I, too, have heard from reliable ex-military sources that the CIA (among other agencies) is implementing such measures to track U.S. citizens. Of course, when it comes time to make the public aware of this bit of tech- nology it will be, perhaps, said to make life easier for us in terms of keep- ing one’s medical records “on file” to expedite treatment. Or to make it easier to renew your driver’s license, or to register to vote, or whatever. They will surely try to have us think that our government has its citizens’ welfare at heart. Even as J.R. states, we’ll be told (perhaps initially) that the chip is to keep track of child molesters and drug dealers.

There are idiots out there who refuse to see past their noses and will readily accept the given reason(s). Perhaps it won’t even occur to them that their privacy is in jeopardy. The behavioral science people doubt- less know the type of people who are most likely to accept the “reasons” for the chip. The initial “advertising” will target this group.

How about 2600 actually getting involved in (1) doing whatever it can to investigate our claims, and (2) actively joining the actual fight against these aims?

D.Q. Stamford, CT

By printing your letters, we’ve become involved. And you can bet that whatever we find out we’ll share.