Forbidden Knowledge (Banned Research, Part II)

[Ray Dillinger]

On Thu, 5 Jul 2001, Sampo Syreeni wrote:

  Tim May writes:
>>Why not restrict computer virus research?
>
>Hasn't it been, already? If I'm not mistaken, people already go to prison
>for writing viruses. Ditto for hacking tools, TPM circumvention software,
>and soon probably spamming tools as well.

Not quite yet.  People have gone to prison for *releasing* viruses, 
not for *writing* them.  Heck, I've written a dozen viruses myself, 
and not one has ever been run on a machine I didn't reformat within 
the week.  An amusing pastime - not a crime.

				Bear