[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\ [\ Hackers and the Authorities: [\ [\ A question of harassment, as seen in an article from a recent [\ [\ newspaper on 11/15/92 [\ [\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\[\ .. There were about 20 of them, computer hackers mostly in their late teens and early 20s. They met in the Food Court at a suburban Virginian shopping mall, where they pushed a few tables together, munched on junk food and began to discuss thier hobby: Infiltrating private computer networks. Suddenly, in a scene that resembled something from a spy novel, they were surrounded by a few mall security guards and at least one agent from the Secret Service. The guards demanded indentification and wrote down the computer hacker's names, authorities said later.. Several bags containing computer books and printouts were confiscated, and the group was booted out of the mall. Arlington County, Va., police, who described the incident as a Secret Service matter, were on the scene but arrested no one. The incident Friday, 11/13/92 offered a glimpse into a cat-and-mouse game being played out in malls and train stations and on computer networks across the nation by hackers and federal agents who track them as part of an effort to crack down on computer and telephone fraud. It's a game in which computer hackers, many of whom take pride in their ability to snoop through private records , are complaining that their privacy rights are being violated by law enforcement officers who track them. The Secret Service, which Congress has directed to go after computer hackers who use telephone lines to break into computer systems for free LD phone service or information, acknowledges that its agents often track groups of young hackers who gather to discuss their passion. Special Agent David Adams, an agency spokesman, would neither confirm nor deny agency involvement in the mall incident, which involved a group called the 2600 meeting. "We don't make any comment on ongoing investigations," said Adamns, who said the agency believes that hackers across the country are responsible for computer and telephone fraud costing more than $1 billion annually. "We're not targeting any group," said Adams, who said that in addition to following suspected hackers, the agency searches for them by working computer networks. In general, he said, "We're targeting people who have committed violations under the (federal) statute." The current issue of 2600 magazine contains articles on such topics as creating computer viruses, using long-distance phones lines without paying for them and other high-technology tricks. The term "hackers" is used to desribe a variety of computer users , from whizzes who test their skills by scanning private networks, to those who use computer networks illegally and phone lines for profit. Most fall somewhere in between. They use sophisticated software to search telephone systems for on-line computers, collect data as proof of their exploits and consider hacking a game. Michael Minnich, a 17-year-old Arlington, Va resident who organized the local group, said its members "explore things in technological sociery that have not been explored very well." <<< Welp as you probably have noticed, alot of articles simular to this one have been appearing in newspapers everywhere across this country. The media and Hollywood are getting into us 'hackers' more and more these days. What is kind of ironic about this though is that most of it is a bunch of god damn fucking propaganda.. Nothing beats misinforming a nation of people, eh? Actually, this article I transcribed wasn't that bad, a little cheezy, and simplistic. Then again, the media presumes the nation is dumb.. o'well This and the derogatory comments were typed by : Thrasher on 11-16-92 (1992) URN Underground Ripoff Network .