[olug] OT: Freedom Downtime review

[William Haisch]

Hey everyone!

I received my copy of "Freedom Downtime" from 2600 on Thursday. This video
mainly chronicles the Kevin Mitnick case but touches on the stories of
Bernie S, XAIL, and Phiber Optik. I thought I knew the facts surrounding the
Kevin Mitnick trial and his incarceration, but I only knew the mass media's
misguided accounts. It was interesting to watch rumor and lies convert
themselves into fact through the repetition inherent in mass media. It is
offensively shocking to see the judicial system wrangled like a cowering
bitch when paranoid corporations and overzealous government agencies seek a
scapegoat to sacrifice in the public arena, all in the name of national
security and corporate greed. Novell, Sun, and others claimed multi-millions
in damage (but of course did not provide an itemized list, just outlandish
numbers.) I believe that hackers are the new catch-all for patching all the
corporate losses that cannot be explained. If you're not pissed about the
hacker witch hunt that is currently going on, then you're not paying
attention and someday your rights will be violated. The reasons for Bernie's
imprisonment and abuse are cold and ludicris. This is a must-see for anyone,
regardless of your feelings about security, hackers, or the government. If
people would like a copy, let me know and we'll work something out (maybe a
mass dubbing, but I'd have to borrow another VCR, the back says to copy and
distribute the unaltered video freely). When I finish Kevin's book, "The Art
of Deception", I'll give another review. Oh, and here's some keywords for
whatever stupid hyper-paranoid government search engines and databases this
will be filed into: hacking, anti-patriotism, communism, DMCA, TCA, CIA,
FBI, 2600, 1984.


-Wm.
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William Haisch
Authorized Apple Service Technician
CompTIA A+ Service Professional