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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: "Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject: Turing Cops
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 16:42:04 -0600
Uh, if you want an idea of Turing Police on the Internet, take a look at
CERT.

Now, imagine if CERT had judicial powers like the FBI or the like.

Now, once you imagine that, be very afraid.

____ Robert A. Hayden <=> hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu
\ /__ -=-=-=-=- <=> -=-=-=-=-
\/ / Finger for Geek Code Info <=> In the United States, they
\/ Finger for PGP 2.3a Public Key <=> first came for us in Colorado...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
(GEEK CODE 1.0.1) GAT d- -p+(---) c++(++++) l++ u++ e+/* m++(*)@ s-/++
n-(---) h+(*) f+ g+ w++ t++ r++ y+(*)
Message no. 2
From: Mark Imbriaco <mark@*************.CS.ODU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Turing Cops
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 11:25:44 -0500
On Thu, 17 Feb 1994, Robert A. Hayden wrote:

> Uh, if you want an idea of Turing Police on the Internet, take a look at
> CERT.
>
> Now, imagine if CERT had judicial powers like the FBI or the like.
>
> Now, once you imagine that, be very afraid.

No, the Turning Police might actually be useful. CERT
CERTainly isn't.

Mark
Message no. 3
From: The Powerhouse <P.C.Steele@*********.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Turing Cops
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 16:14:53 +0000
In reply to Robert A. Hayden .....

> Uh, if you want an idea of Turing Police on the Internet, take a look at
> CERT.
> Now, imagine if CERT had judicial powers like the FBI or the like.
> Now, once you imagine that, be very afraid.

You bet, but this is the world of shadowrun where big brother is a reality
and it's up the sinless and shadowrunners to try and slip between the walls
of corporate and goverment society, to do the jobs that no one else will do ...

Phill.
--
Phillip Steele - Email address P.C.Steele@***.ac.uk | Fighting against
Department Of Electrical & Electronic Engineering | Political Correctness !
University Of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England |
Land of the mad Geordies | The Powerhouse
Message no. 4
From: "Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject: Re: Turing Cops
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 17:28:37 -0600
On Fri, 18 Feb 1994, Mark Imbriaco wrote:

> No, the Turning Police might actually be useful. CERT
> CERTainly isn't.

There's this saying tha goes something like:
Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Giving someone total POWER over information will lead to a rationing of
information. This is simply a given.

____ Robert A. Hayden <=> hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu
\ /__ -=-=-=-=- <=> -=-=-=-=-
\/ / Finger for Geek Code Info <=> In the United States, they
\/ Finger for PGP 2.3a Public Key <=> first came for us in Colorado...
- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
(GEEK CODE 1.0.1) GAT d- -p+(---) c++(++++) l++ u++ e+/* m++(*)@ s-/++
n-(---) h+(*) f+ g+ w++ t++ r++ y+(*)


-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: 2.3a

iQCVAgUBLWVOxZ3BsrEqkf9NAQH3HwP/dC8Nyx7aqtF2mmwvYJ7FJmtWTyfPqXIE
LanGWFVfkSo832iJBkJd/FSUG8V0GSP0pbCg1ZRt274C8cvuIYBrvksiLKMd5V6x
XdOk9nFigXWZqaG2MTcLWwJPb96FUq8Cr0chY/BCWrLw1RbcVu5so5VDdc1vLJ4J
Fn+SZJ/5Al4=
¬sm
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Message no. 5
From: Gian-Paolo Musumeci <musumeci@***.LIS.UIUC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Turing Cops
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 18:22:59 -0600
What the hell does CERT do that could potentially affect us? I have no inter-
actions with them, and never had.

And I've done my share of...extralegal activities. No further elaboration.
Message no. 6
From: Mark Imbriaco <mark@**.ODU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Turing Cops
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 1994 13:30:52 -0500
On Fri, 18 Feb 1994, Robert A. Hayden wrote:

> On Fri, 18 Feb 1994, Mark Imbriaco wrote:
>
> > No, the Turning Police might actually be useful. CERT
> > CERTainly isn't.
>
> There's this saying tha goes something like:
> Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely.
>
> Giving someone total POWER over information will lead to a rationing of
> information. This is simply a given.

Well, the main thing about CERT that cheezes me off is the
cryptic advisories. The advisories are next to useless, and
as a sysadmin, I would kinda like to know if there is a big
whole in my system so I can go about fixing it. Like you said
though, it's a good thing they don't really have any power.

---
Mark Imbriaco
mark@**.odu.edu
Message no. 7
From: "Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject: Re: Turing Cops
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 1994 13:45:13 -0600
In this weeks Newsweek, there is an article on CERT. They are labled as
the SWAT team of Cyberspace.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

____ Robert A. Hayden <=> hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu
\ /__ -=-=-=-=- <=> -=-=-=-=-
\/ / Finger for Geek Code Info <=> In the United States, they
\/ Finger for PGP 2.3a Public Key <=> first came for us in Colorado...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
(GEEK CODE 1.0.1) GAT d- -p+(---) c++(++++) l++ u++ e+/* m++(*)@ s-/++
n-(---) h+(*) f+ g+ w++ t++ r++ y+(*)
Message no. 8
From: Gian-Paolo Musumeci <musumeci@***.LIS.UIUC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Turing Cops
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 1994 14:03:19 -0600
You know, about CERT...who funds these guys? The Internet is an international
organization, would, say, the *.de machines even let CERT near them?
Message no. 9
From: "Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject: Re: Turing Cops
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 1994 14:48:46 -0600
On Sat, 19 Feb 1994, Gian-Paolo Musumeci wrote:

> You know, about CERT...who funds these guys? The Internet is an international
> organization, would, say, the *.de machines even let CERT near them?

According to thw Newsweek article:

"CERT won't disclose its budget, but clearly a lot of help comes from
volunteers interested in preserving the integrity of the net."

I say:
"CERT won't disclose its budget, because they are funded by the NSA and
FBI, and don't want to tip off the public about what kind of things they
really do and who funds it."

____ Robert A. Hayden <=> hayden@*******.mankato.msus.edu
\ /__ -=-=-=-=- <=> -=-=-=-=-
\/ / Finger for Geek Code Info <=> In the United States, they
\/ Finger for PGP 2.3a Public Key <=> first came for us in Colorado...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
(GEEK CODE 1.0.1) GAT d- -p+(---) c++(++++) l++ u++ e+/* m++(*)@ s-/++
n-(---) h+(*) f+ g+ w++ t++ r++ y+(*)
Message no. 10
From: Gian-Paolo Musumeci <musumeci@***.LIS.UIUC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Turing Cops
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 1994 17:26:19 -0600
[TFL (The Fearless Leader) says that CERT is probably NSA-funded]

That's why I autoencrypt all my data with a 1024-bit PGP key...=-)

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Turing Cops, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.