Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["David R. Matusiak" <matusiak AT speakeasy.net>]

okay, i have millions of thoughts on this issue, but for your sake, i will 
limit 
it to just a few:

1. while i truly believe we must fight this type of ignorant legislation, i 
do 
wonder why the onus is always upon the "techie-geek-hacker" types to do all 
the 
work? if these horrific laws are going to effect everyone equally, then why 
are 
only geeks responsible for protecting everyones rights? is it because most 
citizens are too stupid to understand what is going on? or too busy to care? 
additionally, this is the ONE group that the square community isn't going to 
ever listen to - so they are forever treading water without any assistance.

2. just how far does the congress/mpaa/riaa triumvirate think they can push 
the 
american public? it seems to me that there is this giant slip-n-slide 
directly 
from their potties to our mouths and that we just keep taking it -- over and 
over again -- year after year. eating sh*t, that is. frankly, i'm tired of 
the 
taste. but i don't have a movie/recording studio in my house...

3. okay, now wrap your mind around THIS: these people want to be given the 
"right" to protect their "property" by technological means. do you have any 
recollection of their past "technological means?" [1] macrovision filters on 
VHS 
tapes - workaround devices were released within weeks for copying. [2] the 
brilliant encryption written by DVD-CCA (CSS or Content Scrambling System) - 
reverse engineered by a bunch of teens in europe with code (DeCSS) released 
on 
the internet. [3] also outstanding was the adobe e-book protection "sceme" - 
broken by elcomsoft and Dmitry. had he not gone to jail (under the DMCA) we 
would be seeing that code now.

where am i going with this? well, these idiots haven't done anything 
spectacular 
yet, so how well do you think they will fare in "hacking" P2P networks? i 
don't 
think any self-respecting hacker would go to work for these bastards and that 
fools they currently employ can't seem to protect their lunch money from the 
playground bullies (or wimpy geeks).

do you really think they will have the knowledge or skill to actually DO a 
damn 
thing? i don't.

here is the only 'gotcha' - if the law (or any like it) passes, then these 
entities will have the full wrath of U.S. Law behind them -- which makes it 
oh 
so easy to abuse the smaller factions. by having the authority to close down 
an 
entire network segment and/or block IP addresses and/or search and seize 
houses/equipment/etc then surely the techies will be fuXored.

thankfully, i don't participate in such P2P non-sense, but still the legal 
ensnarements trouble me. however, at the end of the day, i don't fear for the 
sanctity of my systems. i don't think they could get in if i gave them a 
login. 
drm
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m a h t o o z e e a c k  a t  s p e e k e e z e e  d o t  n e t
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On Thu, 25 Jul 2002, H. Wade Minter wrote:

> Howard Coble's bill to allow computer hacking if you're a
> multibilliondollar corporation with plenty of campaign donations has hit
> the US House today.  Congress is about to recess, so I don't know if the
> bill will get dealt with this year, but it may be good for TriLUG'ers to
> make a pre-emptive strike by calling or writing your US Rep
> (http://www.house.gov/).
> 
> Summary link: http://www.politechbot.com/p-03795.html
> 
> http://news.com.com/2100-1023-946316.html?tag=politech
> 
>     Hollywood hacking bill hits House
>     By Declan McCullagh
>     July 25, 2002, 10:25 AM PT
> 
>     WASHINGTON--Copyright owners would be able to legally hack into
>     peer-to-peer networks, according to a bill introduced in the House of
>     Representatives on Thursday.
> 
>     As previously reported by CNET News.com, the measure would
>     dramatically rewrite federal law to permit nearly unchecked electronic
>     disruptions if a copyright holder has a "reasonable basis" to believe
>     that piracy is occurring.
> 
>     [...]
> 
> --Wade
> 
> -- 
> If you have a VCR or MP3 player, you need to read these links:
> 
> http://www.digitalconsumer.org/
> http://digitalspeech.org/
> http://www.libertyboard.org/