[free-sklyarov] He's free.... (fwd)

[Sonia Arana]

Dan is now less clueless. 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 24 Jul 2001 22:28:10 -0000
From: dan at reed.nu
To: spider at sneakybastard.com
Subject: Re: [free-sklyarov] He's free.... (fwd)

Thanks Sonia for your prompt reply.

I guess the idea that there are tools in my home that can be used for legal and 
illegal uses makes the most sense in understanding the arguments here. 
Everything from cd burners to bongs are sold legally with the express intent 
being legal uses.

If I were an eBook author, I would not want to learn the security I presumed 
would protect my copywrite-protected material was flawed. 

However..I also don't respect the argument of the lowest common denominator 
being the law when it comes to borderless commerce through the internet. Being 
legal in Russia means little to me. His customers are in the US from what I 
have read, as are many of the authors.

To play along with the home analogy, if someone pointed out to me how my home 
security was flawed, I would thank them and demand attention from the security 
company that sold me the flawed system (which, I assume, was the first thing 
Mr. Sklyarov did upon making his discovery). Had he told others of my flawed 
home security, how to get into my home and then helped someone else manufacture 
and sell a master key to anyone wanting to enter my home, then I would want him 
held accountable for damages. (I think) :)  Pointing out is different from 
acting upon. 

The fact that anybody with a basic understanding of cryptography can break it 
is different than actually having many different people break the product's 
security. However, I do say shout it from the rooftops if you discover a flaw, 
yet don't undercut commerce, don't steal, have a conscious. I don't like people 
who steal (in case you hadn't noticed). Its a Jungian shadow thing from 
childhood. 

It's difficult to seperate the man from the company for me with this scenario. 
It's difficult to discern intentions. 

While you may want to scream it's irrelevant, I can't help but 
ask, "Aren't 'denial of service' attacks or e-mail viruses other forms of 
letting people know there are security flaws?" 

Anyway, thanks for your input. I appreciate your using the term prosecute 
instead of persecute. And I hope you can rally the support you have harnessed 
for some other 'good deeds' too. (or at least deeds I think are good!)

Dan 
Seattle
   


On Tue, 24 Jul 2001 14:19:21 -0700 (PDT) Sonia Arana <spider at sneakybastard.com> 
wrote:
>
>
>Hi Dan,
>
>All books have copywrite protection. If you copy them without permission,
>you are breaking the law. Adobe sells a product to authors of e-books
>claiming that it will protect their work from unauthorized copying. Dmitry
>showed that their product is quite primitive - anybody with a basic
>understanding of cryptography can break it. Dmitry came to the US to speak
>about these flaws.
>
>Ask yourself - if you bought a security system for your house, and someone
>spoke up about how easy it was to break into your house anyway, would you
>want him to go to jail? Or would you want the company that made the flawed
>security system to fix it?
>
>It is true that Dmitry's company makes a product that circuvments
>the encryption on ebooks - however, it is not sold as a
>circumvention device. It is sold to ebook owners who want to add features
>to their ebook, such as using text-to-speech readers, saving a copy for
>themselves, or highlighting important passages. The product must
>circumvent encryption to do so. Does this mean that people can make
>unauthorized copies with this tool? Probably. But think of all your
>household items that have legimate uses, and illegal uses. 
>
>Furthermore, this product is not illegal in Russia. Why should we imprison
>people for what they legally do in their own countries? He is accused of
>importing the device, but he did not. Some people in the US have the tool,
>but it is not Dmitry who should be prosecuted because of this. 
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Sonia
>
>> ---------- Forwarded Message ----------
>> Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2001 9:01 PM +0000
>> From: "dan at reed.nu" <dan at reed.nu>
>> To: "circularfile at boycottadobe.com" <circularfile at boycottadobe.com>
>> Subject: He's free....
>> 
>> I don't get it. The way I read the news articles is that this guy found the
>> 
>> loophole in Adobe's secure eBook program and the company he works for was
>> 
>> selling the services to circumvent the flawed security. (<-read as 'steal')
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Isn't it wrong to steal?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> If I don't keep my doors locked at my house and a .357 magnum loaded and
>> within
>> 
>> reach, it's ok for someone to steal my things or the things of others that
>> are
>> 
>> in my home?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Please direct me to some good reading so I can shake this ignorance.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Dan
>> 
>> Seattle
>> 
>> 
>
>
>


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