estate@abnjh.UUCP (D.R.Pierce) (07/27/84)
Does anyone have any information on how subscription cable TV stations are scrambled and if it is possible to build a circuit to unscramble them (as illegal as it may be) ?
smb@ulysses.UUCP (Steven Bellovin) (07/29/84)
Can we please have some agreement that use of the net for illegal purposes is unwise, unethical, and endangers the continued existence of USENET? Tell me -- suppose you're caught using answers you get from the net, and the cable company decides to sue ATT? How many ATT sites would be allowed to stay on the net after that? Remember that case in California, where the apparently- innocent owner of a bulletin board system had his machine impounded, because of illegal information posted to it by others. To my knowledge, no one has ever presented any evidence that he even knew of what was going on. Never- theless, he was held responsible. I see no reason why the same thing would not apply to USENET.
estate@abnjh.UUCP (D.R.Pierce) (07/30/84)
The information I requested in my posting is NOT illegal, the act is. Since my neighborhood has yet to be linked with cable TV it is not a very crucial question. I was just curious as to how the subscription channels were scrambled, and how they can be unscrambled. Incidently, I did mention the fact in my previous posting that actually doing so would be illegal. I appreciate your concern, I think it would be interesting to carry on a discussion as to the posting of *tempting* information (perhaps on net.news). Perhaps the Subject should be changed to "responsibility in reporting".