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- Path: sparky!uunet!news.mtholyoke.edu!jbotz
- From: jbotz@mtholyoke.edu (Jurgen Botz)
- Subject: Re: Contraband data on the Net (again)
- Message-ID: <BxKztt.MBA@mtholyoke.edu>
- Sender: news@mtholyoke.edu (USENET News System)
- Organization: Mount Holyoke College
- References: <BxIDzq.Jrz@mtholyoke.edu> <1992Nov10.192754.847@netcom.com>
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 02:20:16 GMT
- Lines: 77
-
- In article <1992Nov10.192754.847@netcom.com> nagle@netcom.com (John Nagle) writes:
- >jbotz@mtholyoke.edu (Jurgen Botz) writes:
- >>And that being the case, under
- >>current precedent, certain federal law enforcement agencies can come
- >>to every single Net site and seize every piece of electronic
- >>equipment there. [...]
- >
- > This is a gross exaggeration. For a while back in 1990, there
- >were indeed problems like this. But after much legal and political
- >effort, they have been mostly resolved. [...]
-
- If this is so, then how is it that the USSS recently raided a "2600"
- convention, confiscating equipment? (Reported in a newsbyte (clarinet)
- article today... it is as yet not proven that the USSS was behind the
- incident, but there can be little doubt given the circumstances, and
- the CPSR has made the necessary FOI-Act requests, so we should know
- soon.) Here's the reference...
-
- From: newsbytes@clarinet.com
- Subject: ****Conflicting Stories in 2600 Raid 11/11/92
- Message-ID: <NB921111.17@clarinet.com>
- Date: 11 Nov 92 20:52:29 GMT
-
- [...] In the actual incident, a group attending the informal
- meeting was disbanded and, according to attendees, had
- property confiscated. They also contend that security guards
- took film from someone photographing the confiscation as well
- as a list that someone was making of the guard's names. [...]
- (Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19921111)
-
- Yes, groups such as the EFF and CPSR have scored several major victories
- in this area, but the battle isn't over yet.
-
- >The two prosecutors most active in such activities (Cook and
- >Thackary) lost their jobs.
-
- Thackeray lost her job because the administration in Phoenix changed...
- it probably had nothing to do with the Crackdown. Cook just left,
- probably out of frustration, but I'm not aware of any evidence that
- he was under preassure to leave.
-
- >The Secret Service agents involved are being sued in Federal court.
- >(Steve Jackson Games vs various persons).
-
- Sure, but has Steve Jackson got his machines back yet?
-
- >Read "The Hacker Crackdown" and get up to date.
-
- I did! ;-)
-
- >We may see seizures incident to felony arrests, but I don't think
- >that at least Federal law enforcement will do any more BBS seizures
- >unless they have a good chance of a felony conviction.
-
- While I would be overjoyed if you're right, I wouldn't count on it.
- Right now the climate may seem to be in favor of "electronic civil
- liberties", but that could change again very fast following an outbreak
- of large-scale negative publicity. (And while publicity about
- Unversity machines being used to distribute child pornography might
- not be enough, it certainly would help to chip away at any public
- support we might otherwise get.)
-
- My point wasn't to imply that we live in a fascist society in which
- the lawenforcement agencies can do what they want... that would be
- paranoid fantasy. Rather, I'm saying that laws are still very vague
- and combined with the general public ignorance of the issues that
- means that we're still at risk. If we rest on the meager victories
- that electronic civil libertarians have scored so far we may yet
- find ourselves staring in dumbfounded disbelief at some federal
- agents carrying our livelihood out the door.
-
- --
- Jurgen Botz | Internet: JBotz@mtholyoke.edu
- Academic Systems Consultant | Bitnet: JBotz@mhc.bitnet
- Mount Holyoke College | Voice: (US) 413-538-2375 (daytime)
- South Hadley, MA, USA | Snail Mail: J. Botz, 01075-0629
-
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