covert@COVERT.DEC.COM.UUCP (07/15/86)
>The Cat can generate all the tones phreaks love, 2600Hz, KP, MF tones. Almost any computer with any sort of audio output (even just a driver on a register bit) can be programmed to do this. >I think that the POSSESSION of a Blue Box or any device that can be used >as a blue box is illegal. I am really not sure if its POSSESSION or USE, >or perhaps even use with intent to defraud. As usual, it depends on the state. In some states, even the PLANS for a blue box (such as were published in the ham magazine 73 some years ago) are illegal to possess. If there's any truth to the stories that Novation was successfully sued, I would hope someone would post the details here. Was it a criminal or a civil suit? My guess is that Novation was simply unfortunate. I suspect some phone phreak wrote the program to generate the tones and got it widely distributed, leaving no trace as to his own identity. Someone could probably deliberately shaft a competitor (maybe anyone smaller than AT&T; that leaves out IBM even though they have hardware that will do this) by the right phone calls to AT&T security. /john
larry@kitty.UUCP.UUCP (07/24/86)
In article <8607142300.AA01181@decwrl.DEC.COM>, covert@COVERT.DEC.COM (John R. Covert) writes: > >I think that the POSSESSION of a Blue Box or any device that can be used > >as a blue box is illegal. I am really not sure if its POSSESSION or USE, > >or perhaps even use with intent to defraud. > > As usual, it depends on the state. In some states, even the PLANS for a > blue box (such as were published in the ham magazine 73 some years ago) > are illegal to possess. In New York State, possession of a ``blue box'' is only a crime if the device is actually used for toll fraud, or attempted toll fraud. The possession of a blue box is no different from other criminal possession laws, such as "possession of burglar tools", "possession of a deadly weapon", "possession of eavesdropping devices", etc. A common screwdriver can be considered a "burglar tool" or even a "deadly weapon", provided that it WAS USED AS SUCH. Possession of a screwdriver per se, is of course, not illegal. A blue box is merely an electronic device which generates tones, and is no different from a number of pieces of test equipment sold to the electronics or telecommunications industry. In New York State, anyone can possess such devices PROVIDED they are not used for unlawful purposes; i.e., unlawful possession can ONLY be charged IN CONJUNCTION WITH a charge for unlawful use (or attempted unlawful use). I would be awfully suprised if possession of "plans" for a blue box were unlawful in any state, since such a situation would impinge on freedom of speech issues. On the other hand, DISSEMINATION of "plans" for blue boxes for the specific INTENT (with intent being clearly proven) of being used to defraud may be unlawful in some states. However, neither possession (per se) nor dissemination of plans for blue boxes are unlawful in New York State. > If there's any truth to the stories that Novation was successfully sued, > a civil suit? My guess is that Novation was simply unfortunate. I would be awfully surprised if Novation were actually sued unless they openly advertised the device for fraudulent purposes (which I find improbable to believe). MF signaling has clearly entered the private sector, as it has been available for several years in many areas from a telephone company CO on DID trunks to customer-owned PABX's equipped with direct inward dialing. Clearly customers owning and companies maintaining such PABX's have a need to possess MF senders for test purposes. Northeast Electronics (divsion of Northern Telcom) will be glad to sell anyone a TTS-59C MF sender for about $ 1.5 K; this device will certainly make a "first class" blue box. :-) ==> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York ==> UUCP: {allegra|decvax|rocksanne|rocksvax|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry ==> VOICE: 716/688-1231 {hplabs|ihnp4|seismo}!/ ==> FAX: 716/741-9635 {G1,G2,G3} "Have you hugged your cat today?"