[comp.org.eff.talk] Safety Precautions

al@crucible.UUCP (Al Evans) (09/12/90)

In article <BZS.90Sep11150242@world.std.com> bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein) writes:

[with regard to a public-access unix system from which he derives his
livelihood...]

>Right now I don't know if a competitor or malicious person can create
>an account, put some credit card numbers in a private file in that
>account (or even just mail them to himself or perhaps to an account
>that hasn't logged in recently, from some other phony account) and
>call the SS to put me out of business (I assure you, carting my
>systems away would send me downtown in one hour to just file Chapter
>11 and throw in the towel, I can't imagine how I'd begin to cover
>overhead in such a situation.)

>Basically, the current situation sucks. And believe me, potential
>investors are well aware of these risks from the government. Swell.

You and I, and others in the same type of situation, probably should
adopt the policy of keeping two full backups, one of which is stored
quietly in a remote location. Replacement hardware is a lot easier
to procure than replacement data:-)

					--Al Evans--
-- 

Al Evans -- uunet!execu!sequoia!crucible!al
Though pride may be the most dangerous of sins,
self-righteousness is surely the most obnoxious.

bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein) (09/13/90)

From: al@crucible.UUCP (Al Evans)
>You and I, and others in the same type of situation, probably should
>adopt the policy of keeping two full backups, one of which is stored
>quietly in a remote location. Replacement hardware is a lot easier
>to procure than replacement data:-)

Yes, maybe, I understand (and correct me if I'm wrong) that SJG was
required to produce all backups etc and those were carted away also, I
believe they drove people to their homes to fetch floppies etc during
the raid.

If this is the case then showing up on the air again is de facto
admission of having withheld evidence material to the search! Another
(felony) charge.

You could be exonerated on the other charges, declared innnocent, and
still do time. Heck, they could probably slap contempt charges on top
of that just for fun, and innocence would not be a defense! (tho it
might cause them to drop all the charges, but that's merely a
practical consideration, one judge with a bad case of heartburn and
you'd be on the inside "just to teach ya some respect for da law".)

It's an evil web.

Personally I think this is all one of those wonderful ploys to get the
little guys outta the business. It's cheap, it's easy*, so let's make
it (legally) dangerous...I can't help but wonder how much support
folks like compuserve, at&t and prodigy have given to EFF, or is all
this FUD playing into their hands?

* not entirely true, but relative to the high-rollers' budgets.
-- 
        -Barry Shein

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