COMM 352 - Government Hacking

I have to say, my first impression of the story we read was something to the effect of "9 pages of government talk about hacking? Really? The government's understanding of hacking is embarrassing. Oh, and the worst of the Die Hard franchise (newest release notwithstanding) is based on it? GREAT."

Then I went to go play some video games.

There, staring at my Steam Library, I realized that the ideas this article was putting forth seemed oddly reminiscent of Uplink.

What the hell is Uplink?

Uplink is a computer game from 2001. The game puts you in the role of a hacker, working for a company called Uplink. Occasionally, one of the side-missions in-game will involve breaking into Government systems to steal data. Other times, you work for the government, deleting stolen data from other servers.

So why is this game around? What inspired Introversion Software to make a game like this?

Once, there was a game company called Steve Jackson Games. They made tabletop RPGs using the popular GURPS system. One of those games, GURPS Cyberpunk, was meant to simulate cinematic hacking on some level. The Secret Service, in it's infinite wisdom, chose to raid the headquarters of the company and confiscate a draft of the game. The raid was illegal. The government was forced to pay SJG a $50,000 settlement. GURPS Cyberpunk didn't turn out to be an instruction manual to hacking the government. In tribute, SJG made a game called Hacker, which reduced hacking to a card-game.

The incident inspired Uplink, and in turn, the recent Hacker Revolution series. It also led to the creation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which protects companies from the government and people from companies in the digital world.

So, yes, we should be prepared for hacking incidents against our government but we shouldn't use security as a reason to control culture.

How about we start by phasing out WEP secured internet? WEP can be hacked in a matter of minutes using little more than a consumer laptop and free software. WPA is MUCH safer, and is already supported by a majority of devices in the world. WEP should not be an option. Not for the government, not for consumers.