Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!usc!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Gummit Paranoia Message-ID: <11642@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 2 Sep 90 21:31:40 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Lines: 43 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 615, Message 8 of 9 Robert Savery writes: > [ Los Gatos Police story deleted to save space ] > You could be in real trouble if the officer's brother-in-law happens > to work for GTE !! ;-) Chuckle, chuckle. But unfortunately there is more truth to this than most people realize. With the government naivete being what it is, all it takes these days is to get some agency with clout and a security force pissed off at you and you will shortly find Federal agents at your door with a search warrant. I have seen the sworn affidavits for search warrents in association with some current cases of alleged Federal "felonies and misdemeanors" and they are downright laughable. Using language that is reminiscent of that used by "Kingfish" in "Amos 'n Andy", a telco "special agent" will flim-flam reasons why the warrant should be granted. To make it sound more impressive and sinister, buttsets are described as "telephone eavesdropping and monitoring equipment" and PCs are described as "equipment that can receive, transmit, and modify data". A judge takes one look at this and immediatly grants the warrant. While it is unlikely that any of this would stand up in court (a la Neidorf), the "aggrieved" agency will have accomplished its revenge through the search and siezure and indictment alone. By the time this has happened, a person's livelyhood is damaged or destroyed, his financial resources are exhausted (through defense of the charges), and his reputation has been made questionable. Trust me; this is not "hacker paranoia". I have now seen how this works for myself (fortunately from the sidelines) and have what can best be described as some well-founded concerns. > [Moderator's Note: Not only GTE. I hear Sprint also has a warrant out > for his capture, dead or alive. :) PAT] Yeah? Well, I don't remember cutting Pac*Bell any slack, either. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@bovine.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !