September 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Another Cypherpunks Investigation?
by Jim Choate 13 Sep '03

13 Sep '03

Hi, I had an interesting experience yesterday. I got to talk to a person claiming to be with the DoJ in Philly (if memory serves). Apparently they are investigating one or more posts in the Aug. time frame for something. They were interested in a subpeona regarding technical information about the list. The person didn't make it clear exactly who they were investigating. The questions were focused on how the mailing list worked and where there was editorial opportunity. They were also interested in mail and network logs for that time frame (which I don't normally keep past 3-4 days). I was very carefull to explain that IP spoofing was easy to do so that the veracity or reliability of the logs was in question. I'm deciding not to provide the persons name and contact info since I'm not sure what the effect would be. I requested they talk with my lawyer in regards to future information and that I wasn't interested in getting involved. That's about all I have on the topic at this time. -- -- ravage(a)ssz.com jchoate(a)open-forge.com www.ssz.com www.open-forge.com

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Always check the lug nuts !!
by Neil Johnson 13 Sep '03

13 Sep '03

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=10299 Evidently, they were trying to move the satelite from a horizontal to vertical position. However, engineers from a another project had removed the 24 bolts needed to secure the plate to the movement mechanism, and nobody thought to check for the bolts before attempting to moving the satelite. -- Neil Johnson http://www.njohnsn.com PGP key available on request.

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Re: Another Cypherpunks Investigation?
by Tyler Durden 13 Sep '03

13 Sep '03

Tim May wrote... "The questions being asked of Jim may have to do with the Feds making the only prosecution they can make: that those passing on such threats via mailing lists are somehow guilty of some crime. This is just speculation on my part." I thought the Feds questions to Jim Choate had more to do with anti-spam enforcement.... -TD >From: Tim May <timcmay(a)got.net> >To: cypherpunks(a)lne.com >Subject: Re: Another Cypherpunks Investigation? >Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2003 14:55:07 -0700 > >On Friday, September 12, 2003, at 06:32 AM, Jim Choate wrote: > >>Hi, >> >>I had an interesting experience yesterday. I got to talk to a person >>claiming to be with the DoJ in Philly (if memory serves). Apparently they >>are investigating one or more posts in the Aug. time frame for something. >>They were interested in a subpeona regarding technical information about >>the >>list. >> >>The person didn't make it clear exactly who they were investigating. The >>questions were focused on how the mailing list worked and where there was >>editorial opportunity. They were also interested in mail and network logs >>for that time frame (which I don't normally keep past 3-4 days). I was >>very carefull to explain that IP spoofing was easy to do so that the >>veracity or reliability of the logs was in question. >> >>I'm deciding not to provide the persons name and contact info since I'm >>not sure what the effect would be. I requested they talk with my lawyer in >>regards to future information and that I wasn't interested in getting >>involved. >> >>That's about all I have on the topic at this time. >> > >I was curious about which messages in August could be of interest. Seeing >none (via the lne.com feed I am subscribed to), I searched via Google for >various articles mentioning "cypherpunks" and variations on "philadelphia," >"pittsburgh," and "pennsylvania." And I narrowed the search to posts in >July and August. > >I got some almost immediate hits (no pun intended). I've made it easy for >anyone to find them via Google. Search on this search string: > > >pittsburgh "professor rat" > >Search also on some of the names in the first article which pops up, i.e., >on: > >"Mary Beth Buchanan" > > > >My comment is that this "Professor Rat," whose posts I have not seen for as >long as lne.com has been my feed, is probably in some real difficulty. His >posts are very direct threats, not veiled in any of the vague, political >"politicians ought to be given a fair trial and then hanged" or even the "I >hope Washington is nuked" sorts. > >(One rule of thumb I use is to never, ever use actual names of burrowcrats. >Except for a few at the top, I don't even make any effort to remember the >names. It's hard to be charged with making a direct, credible threat when >no specific person is either named or alluded to.) > >Were he in the U.S., I'd expect he'd face serious charges. Being that he's >in Australia, as far as I know, I doubt extradition will occur. And even if >he were prosecuted, by Oz or by the U.S., his various articles indicate >"mental disturbance" could be a winning defense, with him ordered to get >back on his Prozac or Zoloft or whatever. > >The questions being asked of Jim may have to do with the Feds making the >only prosecution they can make: that those passing on such threats via >mailing lists are somehow guilty of some crime. This is just speculation on >my part. > >If so, the case may hinge on issues of "common carrier" status. Also, I >believe Congress passed a bill explicitly saying that sysops are not liable >for the e-mail passing through their systems...Declan will likely have the >latest on this. > >Anyway, I'll bet good money this is the series of messages in question. >Nothing else I have seen either rises to this level or seems to involve >Pennsylvania in any significant way. > >--Tim May _________________________________________________________________ Compare Cable, DSL or Satellite plans: As low as $29.95. https://broadband.msn.com

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Mary Beth Buchanan, raping the constitution
by Major Variola (ret.) 13 Sep '03

13 Sep '03

"Obscenities have always been a priority of the attorney general," said Mary Beth Buchanan, U.S. attorney for western Pennsylvania. "[A]nd he has asked each U.S. attorney to make that our priority as well." Buchanan is the lead prosecutor on the case against Zacari http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/US/porno030828.html Seems she's in bed with Ashcroft, with no compunction about raping the 1st. (Which may or may not have to do with Prof. R's fascination with her; we don't follow that). Or she may be reviled as a domestic terrorist for her role in the persecution of a glasswares vendor http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:Q2lzFGs63RMJ:marijuana.newstrove.com/+… Perhaps life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is too much for her. Or perhaps she merely enjoys initiating violence against those involved in mutually consensual transactions she disapproves of. Perhaps Prof R for all his too precise meanderings is at least bringing someone deserving into the public light. ---- "Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed? . . . We want them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts that you're up against - and then you'll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. . . . . There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of lawbreakers - and then you cash in on the guilt. Now that's the system, . . . that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with." From Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.

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[SDBUG] cypherpunk wargames (local) (fwd)
by Jim Choate 13 Sep '03

13 Sep '03

I ran across this while doing some tactical wargame research ;) http://www.sdbug.org/pipermail/sdbug/2002-October/002336.html -- -- ravage(a)ssz.com jchoate(a)open-forge.com www.ssz.com www.open-forge.com

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Schneier favoring drivers licenses for info superhighway?
by Major Variola (ret.) 13 Sep '03

13 Sep '03

http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=56662&section=BUSINESS&… So why not institute mandatory education before people can go online? After all, motorists must obtain licenses before they can legally hit the road, and computers are much more complicated. "It could be a four-year college degree, a one-month course. It might be a good idea," said Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer for Counterpane Internet Security Inc. Or it might be a bad idea. "The downside is everybody you know won't be able to have a computer anymore, and I like being able to send e-mail to friends," Schneier said.

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[discuss] TV ALERT: TechTV Music Wars (fwd)
by Jim Choate 12 Sep '03

12 Sep '03

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2003 18:59:31 -0500 From: David Nunez <david(a)davidnunez.com> To: discuss(a)effaustin.org Subject: [discuss] TV ALERT: TechTV Music Wars Hey kids, TechTV (Austin Digital Cable 239) is hosting a 2.5 hour special tonight at 7:00 on file sharing issues, RIAA legal activities, etc. They are replaying it tomorrow night at 5:00PM and again Monday at 12:00P and 5:00PM. I'll be taping it and will figure out the "right way" to share. Via TechTV.com (techtv.com/musicwars) Musicians, industry experts, and file traders break down the complicated issues surrounding digital music. Watch today at 8 p.m., tomorrow at 6 p.m., and Monday 9/15 at 1 p.m. Eastern. By Steve Enders Admit it: You're freaked out. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is suing music downloaders as young as 12 years old. The organization has already busted college students for downloading. Subpoenas have been served seeking information on grandparents, mothers, and fathers. No one is safe, and many don't even know they've done anything wrong. Friday, TechTV brings you "Music Wars," a special that gets you up to speed on how we arrived at this point -- and where digital music is headed. Don't miss this exclusive look at the state of music as only TechTV can explain it. "Music Wars" also sets the stage for "Music Wars: Open Mike," TechTV's live, town hall forum featuring industry executives, legal experts, and artists. If you're a music fan, or if you're just interested in the groundbreaking legal issues surrounding the download debate, this is a night of television you won't want to miss. You'll meet the ultimate music fans, people who have shaped their lives around the prevalence of digital music. You'll meet artists including Liz Phair, Michelle Branch, and others who have put everything at stake by making their music so readily available online. You'll be surprised by their varying opinions and openness with TechTV. We'll take you behind the scenes of the major legal music services available online, the services trying to fill the vacuum left by the glut of P2P software, and the trade of illegal, copyright music. Finally, you'll meet the queen of KaZaA, Nikki Hemming. "Tech Live" reporter Jim Goldman sat down with Hemming in her Australian headquarters to discuss the ramifications of what she's helped create, and the industry she's helped inflame. Featured 'Music Wars' Segments Celebrities Sing, Squawk, Swap >From Ben Affleck to Sonic Youth, celebrities and music artists sound off on file-swapping, and others just sound good. Check out our recent interviews and in-studio performances. Peer-to-Peer Explained Amazing what some computer code can do. It's the software that nearly brought the music industry to its knees. It's also the software that has prompted the industry to come back fighting -- gloves off -- and file hundreds of lawsuits. The software known as Napster, written by a 17 year old, has evolved since 1999. See where it's been and where it's going, and find out why the music industry would like to see it stopped. Download 101 Incoming students normally start college with a tour around campus. At the University of California, Berkeley, incoming freshmen are getting a lesson in downloading music from P2P networks. The message: Do it at your own risk. We visit orientation to see what the program is all about. The Artists Speak Liz Phair, Michelle Branch, Charlie Daniels, The Samples. They're musicians with a diverse range of sounds, styles, and songs. They're loved by millions around the world. They've also seen millions of their songs downloaded from the Internet. But their opinions on file sharing are as different as their music. The Legal Alternative When the RIAA began filing lawsuits against song swappers this week, it also encouraged music fans to get their music the legal way using services provided by Apple, BuyMusic.com, and Rhapsody. The services offer thousands of good-quality songs, but are they the solution music fans really want? Posted September 9, 2003 David Nunez david(a)davidnunez.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: discuss-unsubscribe(a)effaustin.org For additional commands, e-mail: discuss-help(a)effaustin.org

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[Brinworld] UK firms tout camera phone blinding tech
by Major Variola (ret.) 12 Sep '03

12 Sep '03

Safe Haven works by transmitting a signal in a localised environment such as a school, swimming pool, office facility or factory, which "disables the camera functionality of devices in the nearby environment", the companies claim. The snag is that Safe Haven technology needs to be integrated at the time of manufacture into new devices or installed as a Java download update to suitable equipment already in the market. "You need to have an approved camera," Blagden admitted, adding that the incorporation of Sade Haven technology is unlikely to affect handset prices. http://www.theregister.com/content/68/32783.html ---- "Can you hear me now?" --UBL

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What's up with the Cypherpunks archive?
by Jim Choate 12 Sep '03

12 Sep '03

Hi, Is it really so that there are no up to date archives? Venona seems to have stopped a while back. Just curious. -- -- ravage(a)ssz.com jchoate(a)open-forge.com www.ssz.com www.open-forge.com

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MIME-encrustations.
by Anonymous via the Cypherpunks Tonga Remailer 12 Sep '03

12 Sep '03

Regarding the use of the mutt-specific MIME-encrusted PGP message format on mailing lists, I think Jon Callas (author of the OpenPGP RFC) sums up the issues best: http://www.imc.org/ietf-openpgp/mail-archive/msg03786.html

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