19.617 Google

               Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 19, No. 617.
       Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
                   www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/
                        www.princeton.edu/humanist/
                     Submit to: humanist_at_princeton.edu

         Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 08:24:27 +0000
         From: Dimitar Iliev <d_iliev_at_abv.bg>
         Subject: Re: 19.612 Google

>Speaking as someone who most definitely posesses the skills to take
>down a Chinese firewall . . .
>
>Let's be careful here.
>
>It's astonishing how many U.S. laws I need to break in order to do
>this. In fact, the minute I start, I've already broken the terms of
>service of my internet provider (possibly exposing myself to a
>lawsuit). Since I'm obviously not going to launch an attack that's
>traceable to me, I'm going to need to go "own" someone else's server
>as a dodge. Am I to understand that your organization, Patrick, has
>no trouble with me illegally gaining access to their servers?
>Because otherwise, I'm probably going to install a rootkit on your
>machine and destroy your logs. It's for a good cause, after all.
>
>Of course, there are other good causes. Maybe you want to fight
>globalization or corporate America. Maybe you don't like people who
>patent software. Maybe you don't like organized religion. Or
>the war in Iraq. Or Danish newspapers.
>
>One thing is for sure. You better believe in your cause, because
>hacking can land you in jail, whether your hat is white or black.
>There are plenty of people in federal prison right now who went to
>jail despite having caused no damage to anyone's systems or data --
>they just gained "unlawful access." And many of them went to jail
>before there was a Department of Homeland Security declaring
>"hacking" to be one of the top five greatest threats to national
>security in the US.
>
>Am I appalled by what's going on in China? Yes I am. And I do
>believe in action -- even the kind that can land you in jail. But
>everyone should be clear about the enormous risks involved with
>doing this kind of thing. It's about far more than knowing how to
>do it. You also have to understand thoroughly the dire consequences
>that can result from your actions.
>
>Steve

with the risk of being accused that I am too naive, too radical or
two enthusiastic, I'd say that current legislation concerning access
to data should be fought. including by breaking it.

as long as damage isn't caused to any particular individual (a real
entity, and not an abstract one as a country or an institution), the
good cause justifies the means.

the right to oppose unjust rules and regulations and choose not
follow them is the foundation stone of modern democracy.

technically, people that fought against segregation and racial laws
also took illegal actions.
Received on Mon Feb 20 2006 - 03:47:57 EST