Computer Crime

(this text replicated from my main website, www.jbhfile.com)

I have worked in the field of computing, specifically software interface design and corporate intranet development for about 14 years; prior to this and going all the way back to my early twenties, I have been somewhat fanatical about anything related to computers, be it hardware or software.

In my early twenties I began hanging out with several individuals here in houston who were somewhat notorious among my social circles, and even among federal and local law enforcement, as being 'hackers,' and 'pirates.' In other words, these persons regularly took part in the practice of hacking other computers and were regular users, and even distributors, of pirated software. Some of these persons were eventually indicted for such actions.

For the record, and this should be easily verifiable with my social circles at the time, I myself never took part in the hacking of websites, VAX systems, mainframes or anything else hackers, historically, have targeted.

In fact, today even, I would not begin to know how to launch the most basic of offensive attacks from my own computer; that is not to say, however, I am not aware of the nature and details of most of the types of attacks that hackers can make, I simply lack the expertise and software to carry such attacks out.

Furthermore, I have indeed used pirated copies of software in my life, or at least borrowed, but have never been in the business or practice of distributing such.

But it is a fact, that at one time, especially in my early twenties, borrowing software was the number one means by which I learned the basis of any application that today I personally own and am proficient at. This would not be news to anyone who was close to me at that time as I was never shy about discussing my progress in learning any given application.



Howl BBS

During the late 1980's and early 1990's, I was the system administrator and owner of Howl BBS, a very popular Houston-based computer bulletin board system (BBS) dedicated to the rapidly expanding (at the time) culture of hacking and computer networking in general.

Furthermore, Howl was in large part dedicated to the discussion of literary matters and we, on a semi-regular basis, published an electronic magazine ('zine) called, Tamer Shrew. You can follow the provided link to see all such zines produced by those involved with Howl.

Some of the most well known and talented hacks and virii creators in the Houston and Texas area called Howl BBS on a regular basis; there were, as well, many out of state calls.

Howl was split in it's content direction, roughly, between the discussion of subjects related to computer hacking and phone phreaking and, because I was in college for creative writing at the time, all things literary, especially poetry.

This is in large part, why it's absurd that now, in my late 30's, the FBI is claiming to have no records of myself as a person of interest, when I knew for a fact, and based on the testimony of others, that in my early 20's such agencies were regularly survielling and participating in Howl BBS due to it's association with such topics as computer hacking and phone phreaking, not to mention the local authorities who, at that time and considering the infancy of the internet and 'cyber-crime' in general, were sort of in a race with the federal agencies to see who could develop enforcement and investigative protocols the quickest.

Suffice it to say, Howl BBS was high on the list of local Houston boards that factored into both ongoing federal and local law enforcement investigations and, since I built the damn thing and owned the hardware it was run on, it goes without saying that I became a member of that list as well.

The point here is that Howl BBS factors into the investigation as a very real kernal of truth in the agencies efforts towards creating computer crime spin within my current circumstances. Howl was not a criminal bulletin board.

Howl was not used to distribute or otherwise make available the tools with which one could hack or phreak, it simply distributed text based information regarding such practices; furthermore, Howl BBS, to my knowledge and since the BBS software and hardware changed ownership on several occasions, was never employed to distribute illegal software or pornographic material of any kind.

Howl BBS was a great thing. I miss it and those that were members of our brief community … Xann, Nils, and even Homer™, (that bastard!).

Pardon me, I'm getting all misty-eyed.



Porn! / Sexual Deviance

Regarding the claims of the investigators that I am a porn addict or regular consumer of pornographic content, I have the following to say.

I have definitely looked at pornographic magazines, seen porno movies and have seen porn online, and specifically regarding the latter, have even seen sites online which I would have been hard pressed to say were legal or not.

These things have passed my screen, as they have passed many other persons.

Furthermore, I know that the content I have occasionally seen online is not exceptional, as such materials go, because I have made a point to discuss such things, not only with friends and family, but as well with a number of psychological professionals who have, not once, commented that having seen such content online is exceptional in anyway.

In fact, across the board, these persons, friends and professionals alike have confirmed that such experiences are rather normal insofar as online experience goes.

What the investigation contends, however, is that I am a regular user of pornographic content, that I have an obsessive disorder and especially that my tendency is to seek out content that is questionably legal, such as child pornography, bestiality, violent porn, etc., and for the record and stated plainly, this is not true.

(please see my main site, http://www.jbhfile.com for further reading)


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this post is intended to be supplemental to the facts made public in my main website, http://www.jbhfile.com/; it probably will not make much sense to you if you have not already made yourself aware of the legal and personal efforts discussed in that site. please see http://www.jbhfile.com/ for a necessary introduction into why this blog exists. or, if you just like reading weird stuff, then don't. and, enjoy.
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jbh.

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