From: ddt@lsd.com (Dave Del Torto)
Date: Fri, 27 May 94 06:28:12 PDT
To: Jim choate <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: (fwd) FBI infiltrates Connected.com
Message-ID: <199405271327.GAA02518@netcom.netcom.com>
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At  1:15 pm 5/24/94 -0500, Jim choate wrote:
>Recently the staff at connected. has admitted that they have "invited"
>two FBI agents to roan that system. According to connected.staff these
>FBI agents are looking for "hackers phreaks" and people having copywritten
>programs. [...] This seems a reflection on the state of America today.
>This used to be a free country, but now there is a pig or FBI agent
>watching EVERYTHING you do. This is NOT the America described in the
>constitution. It's not a society of free, independent people. It is a
>dictatorship that must spy on it's own people in order to survive.

Personally, I'm very, very distressed by reports like this.

As far as I'm concerned, no FBI agent will _ever_ be "invited" to "roam"
around MY systems.  In fact, they'll have to tie me down, beat me with
rubber hoses and put electrodes on my private parts to get anything out of
me beyond my name, job title and PGP fingerprint (and that's WITH a very
specific warrant and clear explanation of what they intend to do).

FYI, I post the following message prominently on my systems when they boot:

>> Govt Agents: All HD files are encrypted.
>> Permission to monitor is denied by Title 18 USC 2511 & 2703.

I'm not sure *exactly* what legal protection this entitles me to, but I
(perhaps foolishly) at least _feel_ better when I see that screen come up
before a system asks for the password to continue booting/mounting volumes.

If one of us has the text of those particular passages in the USC, or the
ftp site where they reside, I would be interested in fetching and reading
the specific text and posting it for all my users to read.

I wonder if:
[1] connected.com users have been made aware of this "invitation"
[2] they intend to remain after the staff has done this
[3] anything illegal was in fact discovered and WHERE
[4] the FBI has followed up on anything they discovered

I hope you keep us informed about this, Jim...

   dave

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   dave

--- Dave Del Torto ----------- "drag me, drop me, treat me like an object" ---
    Level Seven Design                                 +1.415.334.5533 vox
    80 Alviso Street/San Francisco CA 94127-2841 USA   +1.415.334.0700 fax
--- <ddt@lsd.com> ------------------------------------------------------------

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