TI-H: Demolition Calc

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TI-H: Demolition Calc


From: IGGYBIG@aol.com <IGGYBIG@aol.com>
>damn. next thing we know someone is going to want to know how to
>make C4 from bleach.

About 10 mins after I sent that my VP came up and fired me.
Any body need a pretty decent Delphi programmer?

I just want to make sure that nobody is actually considering
causing damage with bomb of any sort, as I noted at the end
of my message, isn't cool, and can potentially get you into 
some serious trouble (as in my case).

Building the stuff and testing it is fine (IMO), intending to do
harm (property damage, etc) isn't, I had no intention of giving
that impression, however, I was in a hurry and and neglected
to say anything about that.

Heck, I got canned for just telling someone where the could
find information on making a wireless telegraph circuit, and
a suggestion on how they might make a simple ignitor.
The company laptop I was using has been confiscated by the
police, no doubt they are going to go over it with a fine-tooth
comb, looking for any thing that could have to do with making
bombs and etc.  They are going to love the three or four
unlicensed programs and the PGP encrypted zip file called
"pics" (containing some extreme stuff of which I don't know 
the legal status, and could certainly be construed that way.
Since it is on company property, they can probably order
me to decrypt it.  ).

What kind of legal trouble I have gotten myself into remains to
be seen, hopefully not much, given that I have no priors and
theres not any bomb related material on any of my computers 
or around my house.

In retrospect I should have worded my message differently,
or not replied at all, certainly I should not have replied across
a connection I knew to be monitored, particularly since any
messages will be taken out of context.  For instance, unless
I bring it to them, they will never see any message describing
what the info was to be used for, which I assumed would be
non-malicious (bad decision on my part, as any netizen knows,
you can never trust someone you meet online).


My position on this is that I was not wrong to provide the info, 
however, I should not have used company equipment to do it, 
since they set policy on what is acceptable use of their equipment.
However when they set me up on their LAN they provided
no acceptable use guidelines, only one comment about
not downloading pornography was made.  Granted I didn't
ask what the acceptable use agreement was, but I don't
think that a 'usage constitutes agreement' clause in a
document one doesn't even know exists should be legal.

I could have asked what the poster intending to do with the
info, but even then the poster could have been planning some
kind of anti-personel device and lied about it.  For that matter
he could have asked for a simple device to trigger his garage 
door opener from his car, the same circuit would perform equally
well in either service.  I provided the information, it is not my
responsibility to control what will be done with it (although
resonable precautions are in order, I wouldn't have responded
if he had said he was planning on blowing up somone car
or something similarly malicious).

I believe in freedom of information, I don't believe that there
is any device or action that is so heinous that simply discussing
it should be illegal.  Such laws would amount to nothing more
than censure of information somebody considers wrong, and
I find this to be a violation of my freedom.  I believe that only
those things which result in direct physical or financial harm
to someone else ought to be illegal (naturally this excludes
business rules).

Clear planning to commit a crime should be illegal.  For 
instance, building a small bomb at home, and testing it in an
appropriate location I don't believe should be illegal, however,
such a device found in your posession with other items
indicating that you were going to plant the bomb somewhere
where it could potentially damage property or harm someone
would be, as would begin caught in the act of planting a device
somwhere it could do damage.

IIRC, it is federal law that posession of explosives is not illegal
(probably 21 and over), but storage and manufacture without
a license is.
My interpretation of this is that purchasing a stick of dynamite
and attaching an initiator of your own design is perfectly legal
(as long as you aren't violating any local laws of course).
Thus, information about building such an initiator would also
not be illegal.


Some questions relating to this

Question 1.
Do you believe that any data stored on company equipment 
is property of the company, including personal data created 
or downloaded by the employee using that equipment?

Question 2a.
Do you believe that any data you cause to be transmitted
across any computing device on a network is legally inspectable
by the owner or that device? (this includes the internet, every
machine this data goes across is owned either by the govenrment
or a corporation).

Question 2b.
If said data is encrypted, should the owner of a device the
data passes through have the right to either decrypt 
the data, or legally order decryption by the transmitter?

Question 2c.
If the answer to 2b was no, should law enforcement agencies
be able to legally order the decryption of data when they believe
that it pertains directly to a crime?

Question 3.
Do you belive that law enforcement agencies should be
able to conduct searches of your personaly computer and
storage devices (including encrypted data) if they believe
that information pertaining to an ongoing investigation may
be stored there?


Question 4.
Do you believe that posession of information that could be
used to create a device that could harm someone should
be illegal?

Question 5.
Do you believe that posession of a homebuilt explosive
device (that does not violate the federal law against
manufacturing your own explosives, ie, a device that
uses commercial dynamite, purchased legally, but
fitted with a homebuilt initator) should be illegal?

Question 6.
Do you believe that testing a device as described in
question 5 on your own property, in such a manner
that it would be unreasonable that it could cause
damange to someone elses person or property
should be illegal.  Note that detonating commercial
explosives such as dynamite is acceptable under
federal law.

If you are inclined to, please provide reasons for your
answers.

I think that pretty much covers my position on the
subject, thoughts, comments or questions?

DK
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