🚀 go-pugleaf

My article about the PC Cyborg AIDS Copy Protection System has
caused quite a bit of discussion, and I would like to publicly
reply to many issues that were raised.

1)   FREE MARKET

Many writers pointed out that the program itself was garbage, and
justified their position (that it was a Trojan) with the argument
that the money for the program was far too much and thus the
program was an extortion racket.

Being an Australia, I am used to being charged extortionate
prices for software by both amateurs and professional companies.
The point that must be made, however, is that in a free market
economy the supplier can charge what they like.  The idea is that
supply and demand will weed out the excessively priced garbage
from the reasonably priced quality items.

Using this principle, PC Cyborg can charge what they like.  This
is not an effective argument either way.

2)   THE ABSENCE OF THE REGISTRATION DISKS

It is presumed that PC Cyborg would have sent the defuser program
on receipt of the registration fee.  Many people have pointed out
that this did not happen.  I imagine that the US Military rolling
into Panama may have had something to do with that.

3)   THE DEFINITION OF COPY PROTECTION

Copy protection, by my definition, is a device, system or
technique whereby the copyright holder can guarantee that the
terms of the license are followed.

Let us take the example of the color-bar system.  The color bar
is a small sheet or sheets of pages containing a series of codes
that are matched to colors.  The program, when started, asks the
user what color is found on page 2, row 4 column 19.  If the user
answers correctly, then the program proceeds.  If not, the
program usually asks a couple of times more, then takes action.

By the definitions of many of the writers, this would not be a
copy protection system (because it allows you to copy the disk).
However, it maintains the license agreements as only the person
in possession of the color-bar sheet can run the program, and it
is hard to cheaply copy a colored sheet.

The AIDS CP System was simply an extension of this.  It allowed
copying of the distribution disk, and it allowed backing up of
the hard disk.  All it did was to ensure that people who were
unregistered (and which were, I hasten to add, involved in a
criminal activity) would have a lot of trouble.

As for the concept of the user having legal control over what was
deleted from his/her hard disk, I cannot see this as a problem.
Multi-user systems have traditionally provided mechanisms for the
superuser to control the user's files with far more privileges
than the users themselves.  This has never, to my knowledge,
caused any legal problems.

4)   INAPPLICABILITY OF US LAWS

Many correspondents have quoted US laws and precedents at great
length.  These are totally irrelevant, as the license agreement
prohibited importation into the US.

5)   PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE

Under British law, there is a concept called the "presumption of
innocence".  Put basically, someone is innocent until they are
proven guilty.  It would be nice to know that this basic concept
is still followed, though I really do have my doubts.

If I were the defense lawyer with access to this newsgroup, the
first thing that I would have done is to take all of the relevant
articles that have appeared, and present them as evidence
prejudicial to the fair conduct of the trial.

6)   CONCLUSION

I am left wondering about the motives of many of the writers.
There seems to be a fanatical, indeed almost religious zeal to
see anyone concerned with the generation of viruses and Trojans
convicted irregardless of the evidence (or its lack).

There certainly seems to be a panic mentality at work here - the
illusion that quick action is necessary regardless of the
advisability of that action.  There also is a strong reluctance
to change an opinion in the light of new evidence, which is very
worrying indeed.

I have always maintained that computer security experts and
employees of the intelligence services share many things in
common, primarily the huge and quite unwarranted sense of
paranoia.  This whole discussion has only strengthened this view.


Disclaimer:  My opinions are my own.

Ian Farquhar                      Phone : (612) 805-7420
Office of Computing Services      Fax   : (612) 805-7433
Macquarie University  NSW  2109   Also  : (612) 805-7205
Australia                         Telex : AA122377

ACSNet ifarqhar@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz.au  ifarqhar@suna.mqcc.mq.oz.au