DnA 2-3: Why Everyone Should Hate Feds/Big Business
Why I Hate Feds, Cops, Etc.
Written by Pazuzu for DnA
May 13, 1993
Almost everyone out there in the Scene says "I hate the feds!", but when asked why, most will reply "Well, because they hate us..." or "Because EVERYONE hates the feds". In this article, I will shed much light on WHY EVERYONE, not just hackers, should HATE and seek to DESTROY feds.
Now, the word "fed" as I'm using is an abstract term I'm using to refer to: FBI Agents, the SS, Police, telephone company security forces, software company piracy investigators, and of course the SPA. "FED" just seemed easier.
The Constitution of this country is supposed to protect all of us from abuse by law enforcement agencies. This assumes that the law enforcement agency in question is bound by said Constitution though. Officially, the FBI & the SS are bound by the Constitution but in practice they (ESPECIALLY the SS) operate above and outside of the law. There are many examples of this in action. The most common I've seen is the hacker that gets busted, his computer confiscated, then no charges are ever filed (i.e., they found NOTHING on his coomputer), but his computer is never given back. They're supposed to give back everything they took if they can't prove you comitted any crime. This applies to EVERYONE - i.e., if the DEA thinks you're a drug dealer, and they grab your car to search it for drugs, then they find nothing, but auction off your car anyway - THEY ARE IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW!!! However, there's no one watching over them to stop this kind of abuse.
There's also the question of fairness. The feds ALWAYS go tooooooooo far. Case in point: Rusty & Edie's BBS. While I've never been a fan of that pervert haven, I definitely sympathize with them. They had well over 64 lines, 19 gigabytes of disk, most of their modems were 14.4 duals, etc, etc. They had $750,000 invested in their system. Yes, that's SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS! THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION BUCKS!!! Someone found some pirated software uploaded, called da cops, and BINGO, 750k down the tubes. Now, those poor fools WORK all day long, and if some idiot user uploads a copy of Windows (for example), they're not going to know about it to do anything about at least until they get home from work. There's also the legend that Rusty & Edie's was a pirate haven, but I dispute the truth in that. Rusty was on my BBS at one time, and he had full h/p/etc access. HE KNEW I WASN'T A COP, yet I never had access to any pirate stuff on the board. And then the fairness issue... Let's say some guy uploaded Borland C++, that's an $850 ware. Rusty comes home from work, notices it, and deletes it. Let's say 3 people had leeched it since it was uploaded. That's 850*3=2550. Big deal. Maybe take one of their 2 gig drives, and that's it. I don't see where they get off taking $750,000 worth of stuff for the insignifcant amount of money lost. And this Borland C++ example is an extreme one - I'm sure the ware they found of R&E's was worth much less than Borland C++. Make the punishment fit the crime guys. I've heard that Rusty and Edie recovered all their stuff and are back on line, but I'm sure it cost them plenty to pull it off, not to mention the lost time at work, stress, etc, etc. It was just a very unfair bust.
Then there's the issue of the abuses by private companies, especially former Bell System entities. They're not governmental agencies, they're not watched over by anyone, and can basically do whatever the fuck they please. One especially horrible company is a small Southern California long distance provider by the name of ThriftyTel. Their policy when they suspect fraud is to call the alleged hacker up on the phone and hurl all kinds of threats and legal mumbo-jumbo at him...
TheftyTel Slime: "Hello, Mr. Hacker. This is Rebecca Bitchley at ThriftyTel. We know you're stealing our service, and we're going to take you down. We'll be right over to arrest your ass and throw you in the slammer. I don't have to tell you what they DO to little computer nerds like you in jail."
Poor Hacker: "Huh? Who is this?"
TheftyTel Slime: "Don't play dumb with me, little boy. This is ThriftyTel, the long distance company you've been ripping off. You're in big trouble, mister. However, if you agree to give us all your computer stuff, and $10,000 is cash, we'll drop the charges. You also have to agree to NEVER touch a computer again."
Poor Hacker: "I have no idea what you're talking about, ma'am."
TheftyTel Slime: "STOP TRYING TO PLAY DUMB! WE KNOW YOU'RE HACKER SCUM! GIVE IT UP! Section 4378478-4844848-4848489/78278.2233 subsection 4879498489/48499848.444 paragraph 984980238323/3244432432.34378 subparagraph 873287128739/7832187912.23323 of the California Penal Code states clearly that it is illegal to post the word "Phreak" on any Computer Bulletin Board System. We SAW you post that word, therefore you must be stealing our service. You're busted... Do you agree to my terms or not?"
Poor Hacker: "What terms?"
TheftyTel Slime: "1. You give us ANY and ALL computers and computer-related items you own. 2. You give us the sum of $10,000 in cash. 3. You agree to never touch a computer again. "
Poor Hacker: "Ok, ok... Pleeeeeaaasseee don't put me in jail. I don't want to be ass fucked."
Now remember that TheftyTel is a private company, not a law enforcement agency... They have NO arrest or any other legal authority. All they are trying to do is get what they want simply by threatening you and hoping you'll be so scared, you'll do whatever they want. This is how you should really handle this:
TheftyTel Slime: "Hello, Mr. Hacker. This is Rebecca Bitchley at ThriftyTel. We know you're stealing our service, and we're going to take you down. We'll be right over to arrest your ass and throw you in the slammer. I don't have to tell you what they DO to little computer nerds like you in jail."
Wise Hacker: "What service was stolen? When? Who was called? From what number?"
TheftyTel Slime: "You don't need that information. We know you're guilty, and so do you. Now just admit it and take your punishment. Because we're such a nice company, we're letting you off easy. If you just give us all your computer stuff and $10,000, we'll drop charges."
Wise Hacker: "Listen, snatch, I want to know WHEN this alleged service was allegedly stolen, WHAT number was called, and WHERE the calls were placed FROM. Until then, you haven't got a fucking case. Now kindly go to hell."
TheftyTel Slime: "You've not heard the last of us!"
Wise Hacker: "Fuck you." <click...daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa>
Of course, for the small amount of money involved, the chances of them getting a search warrant from the pigs is basically nil, and you've heard the last of them. That's what I did when US Sprint called me three years ago, and I haven't heard from them since.
If they DO, by some act of God, get a search warrant, the unprepared hacker is basically FUCKED. However, with some careful preparation, you can even defeat this attack on your Constitutional Rights. First off, NEVER, EVER keep backups or hardcopies of your hack/phreak shit at your house. Keep them at the house of a non-hacking friend, at your place of employment, or on the hard drive of some system you've hacked out. Second, Radio Shack sells a device that can save your ass should they come a-knockin' on your door. It's called a Bulk Tape Eraser. What it is is a strong electromagnet. It's used for erasing audio and video cassettes. They sell two models: One for like $15 and one for around $30 - you should get the $30 one. This is a very strong magnet and will easily wipe out any data on your hard disk. It doesn't put out any magnetism until you nail the trigger, so you just keep it plugged in, near your computer, and when the fascist piggies come a-knockin, you zap zap zap your hard disk clean, and answer the door a-smilin.
Fear no one! It is a proven fact that when someone is threatening you with arrest and incarceration, they haven't got a case, else why wouldn't they just arrest you without wasting their time?
I hope this sheds a little light on just how bad things are here. If you are in Canada, I dunno if the situation up there is any better, but it sure as hell can't be any worse.
Just remember - The Government, no matter what is claimed, is never on your side - it is always on its own side. Beware. And private corporations are even worse.
