[free-sklyarov] Sklyarov's Whereabouts and L.A. Rally Coverage.

[hackhawk]

I searched all my eamils, and I don't recall this going through the main 
distribution list.  Look at paragraph three where someone with the 
organization spoke with Dmitry's colleague Vladimir Katalov today.

So it looks like Dmitry's still in Las Vegas according to this.  Still 
can't talk to his family.

And of course I was quoted in the article too.  ;-)

- hh

>Reply-To: <xeni.jardin at siliconalleyreporter.com>
>From: "Xeni Jardin" <xeni.jardin at siliconalleyreporter.com>
>To: "John Parres" <johnparres at yahoo.com>, <LGORKIN at mobius.com>,
>    <freesk at hackhawk.net>, <zen at fish.com>, <alansmitheee at hotmail.com>,
>    <tomsong at earthlink.net>
>Subject: SADaily: Sklyarov, LA protest, updates on location, communication...
>
>Text-only copy follows. From today's West Coast (late) edition,
><Digital Coast Daily, www.digitalcoastdaily.com>. The story will also
>appear in tomorrow's New York (early) edition, <Silicon Alley Daily,
>www.siliconalleydaily.com>. -- XJ
>================================================
>
>Tech-Activists Unite in L.A, N.Y. and Around the U.S. to Protest
>Sklyarov Arrest next
>Full story: http://www.digitalcoastdaily.com/issues/dcw07242001.html
>
>by Xeni Jardin
>
>Carrying signs that read, "Know too much, go to jail" and
>"Programming=Speech, DMCA=Censorship," a group of
>programmers-turned-activists gathered outside the Los Angeles Federal
>Building Monday to protest the imprisonment of 27-year-old Russian
>security expert Dmitry Sklyarov.
>
>An employee of Moscow-based software company Elcomsoft, Sklyarov is
>being held without bail under charges that he violated the
>controversial Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) by
>developing and distributing an application that unlocks e-book
>encryption technology from Adobe Systems (Nasdaq: ADBE). FBI agents
>arrested Sklyarov in Las Vegas on July 16 at the DEF CON Internet
>security conference, after Adobe brought his planned U.S. appearance
>to the authorities' attention.
>
>Vladimir Katalov, Sklyarov's Elcomsoft colleague who also attended the
>conference at which the arrest took place, told the Daily today that
>Sklyarov remains in Las Vegas, awaiting extradition to California.
>According to Katalov, Sklyarov has been able to speak with the Russian
>embassy, and with legal representatives--but, apparently, not with his
>family. "Unfortunately, right now he can make calls only to the
>Russian Consulate, and to his attorneys," Katalov explained in an
>e-mail to the Daily. "On Sunday, he was able to exchange just a few
>words with Alexander Katalov, the president of ElcomSoft Co. Ltd., who
>is also [currently] in [the] U.S. As far as I know, in California the
>situation with the calls will be much better." Katalov declined to
>provide further details.
>
>Sklyarov denies wrongdoing. "I wrote the program to demonstrate
>security flaws, not to violate copyright law," he told a Las Vegas TV
>station on July 18, adding, "It's not illegal in Russia."
>
>"His only crime is understanding the Adobe product's flaws, and
>demonstrating those flaws in a program," said "Hackhawk," one of the
>L.A. rally organizers. "The arrest is scary to me, because part of
>what I do as a computer programmer is to try and uncover flaws in
>similar products. Am I going to be jailed next?"
>
>The detainment quickly sparked a wave of "Free Dmitry" web sites,
>listservs mailing campaigns, boycotts and, on Monday, street
>demonstrations in over ten cities--including New York, where around 30
>protesters gathered in front of the New York Public Library.
>
>Yesterday's largest protest took place in San Jose, where over 100
>people gathered outside of Adobe's headquarters while, inside, company
>executives held talks with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF),
>an online civil liberties organization that supports Sklyarov.
>
>The dozen or so sysadmins, IT engineers and self-described hackers
>outside of the FBI's Los Angeles headquarters--at the intersection of
>Wilshire Boulevard and the 405 Freeway--received honks of support and
>thumbs-ups from many passing cars, as well as perplexed gazes from
>others. The demonstrators were, no doubt, pleased when late Monday
>afternoon, Adobe abruptly reversed its position on the case and issued
>a statement calling for the release of the jailed programmer.
>
>"We strongly support the DMCA and the enforcement of copyright
>protection of digital content," said Adobe General Counsel Colleen
>Pouliot in the statement. "However, the prosecution of this individual
>in this particular case is not conducive to the best interests of any
>of the parties involved or the industry."
>
>
>Since the case is a criminal matter, not a civil one, Adobe's
>about-face doesn't free Sklyarov. Regardless of whether or not the
>company supports prosecution, Adobe is not a party in the legal
>action, so the programmer's fate is now in the hands of federal law
>enforcement agents.
>
>The DMCA outlaws the creation and distribution of technologies that
>bypass copyright protections. The law's detractors argue that it
>unconstitutionally restricts fair use and freedom of speech.
>
>"It's like they arrested him for the Adobe software's shortcomings,"
>said L.A.-based technical writer Mark Bilbo at the L.A. demonstration.
>"I've made my living writing about software. If Sklyarov's prosecution
>goes through, I can imagine a future where people who do the kind of
>work I do would feel nervous about writing critical analyses of
>products for fear they'd be violating the DMCA or some other obscure
>license restriction they may never have heard of."
>
>"This takes away our right to do research and talk about it, and
>education shouldn't be a crime," agreed L.A. protester Bob Smart, a
>computer programmer. "The way law enforcement is approaching
>Sklyarov's case reminds me a lot of the Kevin Mitnick case--whenever
>the alleged violator you're talking about is perceived as a 'hacker,'
>it seems like they operate with a completely different set of rules."
>
>If the continued heavy traffic on the "Free Dmitry" listserv is any
>indication, Sklyarov's online supporters know their fight isn't over,
>and plan to direct their next campaign to the attention of the FBI and
>the Department of Justice. "Thank[s] for [your] support," read one
>Tuesday morning post on the list, from an organizer of supporter site
>freesklyarov.org. "Please be patient while we get our act together for
>Round Two."
>
>The Daily made several attempts to contact the Russian Embassy and the
>FBI for further information on Sklyarov's status. Neither organization
>offered comment.
>
>Xeni Jardin is Rising Tide Studios' VP of Conferences and a Senior
>Writer.
>
>
>Feedback: letters at digitalcoastdaily.com