gwilliam@crc.ac.uk (Gary Williams x3294) (03/11/91)
Those of you who remember 18 months ago when medical institutes around Europe were sent copies of a disk purporting to contain an AIDS program, but which wiped their disks, may be interested in the following from the Independent newspaper on Saturday 9 March. Computer blackmail charge Bow Street magistrates have committed an American, Dr Joseph Lewis Popp, for trial at Southwark Crown court on 11 counts of blackmail. The charges arise in connection with the distribution, just before Christmas 1989, of more than 10,000 copies of a computer diskette containing information about AIDS. It was alleged that the program on the diskette caused messages requesting a usage fee to come up on computer screens. Some recipients are alleged to have suffered damage to their computer systems. Dr Popp appeared at Bow Street on Thursday following extradition from the United States. Gary Williams Computing Services Section, Janet: G.Williams@UK.AC.CRC MRC-CRC & Human Genome Mapping Centre, Internet: G.Williams@CRC.AC.UK Watford Rd, HARROW, Middx, HA1 3UJ, UK EARN/Bitnet: G.Williams%CRC@UKACRL Tel 081-869 3294 Fax 081-423 1275 Usenet: ...!mcsun!ukc!mrccrc!G.Williams