elric@csustan.UUCP (Elric of Imrryr) (12/04/86)
[] In article <12256@watnot.UUCP> Colin Plumb writes: > >P.P.S. Probably the scheme involves some modifications to an existing >Videocipher box - in which case instructions for making the modification >shouldn't be any more illegal than posting diffs for copyrighted source - >probably less, since the box doesn't come with any sort of licensing agreement! I think in some states there are laws against the transmission of plans to illegally recieve a satellite service. I think Mass. might be one of the states that has such a law. I remember such a thing coming up once in net.video. Anyone in misc.legal know? brad Lunatic Labs @ Csustan {lll-crg,lll-lcc,seismo}!csustan!elric cryptography, terrorist, DES, drugs, cipher, secret, decode, NSA, CIA, NRO, Libayan Hit Squad, assassination. The above is food for the NSA line eater.
die@frog.UUCP (Dave Emery, Software) (12/06/86)
In article <313@csustan.UUCP> elric@csustan.UUCP (Elric of Imrryr) writes: >I think in some states there are laws against the transmission of plans >to illegally recieve a satellite service. I think Mass. might be one >of the states that has such a law. I remember such a thing coming up >once in net.video. Anyone in misc.legal know? > brad There is a new federal law that goes into effect Jan 2 that provides 5 years in jail and a $250,000 fine for anyone who intercepts and recovers the contents of a radio transmission which is "scrambled or encrypted". It seems clear that the VC II scrambled cable feeds are clearly radio transmissions protected under this new law. This law also makes manufacture, sale and possession of "serreptitious communications intercepting devices" illegal, something that the congressional staff has said was meant to apply to devices for descrambling enciphered radio signals such as cable TV feeds. In addition to that law (the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986), there is already a federal law (part 705 of the Communications Act of 1934) that governs interception and use of cable TV feeds. This law forbids interception and use of scrambled satellite TV signals. I think the penalty for this is 2 years and $50,000 dollars but I am not sure. It may be obvious that to date these laws (and section 705 proper which governs interception and use of private radio communications in general) have not been vigorously applied. There have been very, very few prosecutions. Nobody knows, however, whether some future administration (the current one has announced it doesn't intent to seriously enforce the new law) might set up a "radio police" and start to go after the legions of hams, swls, satellite dish owners, scanner buffs, and technically sophisticated hackers (like those who broke VideoCipher II) who routinely intercept radio communications forbidden by the new and old laws. I am sure that like so many other amusing and technically challenging projects for the clever and knowlagable hacker, the art of breaking security on scrambled communications will rapidly change in the minds of the authorities from a harmless game played by the bright and knowlageable to a potentially serious threat to major economic interests and even the security of society itself. And inevitably this will change the response of law enforcement from non-involvement to throw-the-book make-an-example this-is-a-very-serious-offense-indeed. I am afraid that the passage of the ECPA is a bellweather telling of tough times ahead for those who want to use their minds to break society's locks and solve the riddles left for them by other bright minds. I always thought that the modern generation of hackers and hangers-on had missed the point - you discreetly solve the riddle, celebrate a bit and move on rather than publicizing the whole thing and making a circus out of it. Obviously there is no such a thing as a free lunch, and those whose locks have been penetrated will inevitably respond - they have no choice. And the response is often mean. Tis better to leave the hole for future explorers to discover for themselves or discreetly remind the keeper of the lock of the error than to try to make a business out of exploiting the weakness for profit. -- David I. Emery Charles River Data Systems 983 Concord St., Framingham, MA 01701 (617) 626-1102 uucp: decvax!frog!die