Underground: Hacking, madness and obsession on the electronic frontierDreyfus, Suelette
Science
Underground: Hacking, madness and obsession on the electronic frontier
Dreyfus, Suelette
Computer crimes -- Australia; Computer hackers -- Australia -- Biography; Computer security -- Australia
Anthrax felt exasperated. The room was getting stuffy. He wanted to
finish this thing and get out of there. So much pressure.
`And is anyone forcing you to make the answers you have given here
today?' Day tried again.
`No individuals are forcing me, no.' There. You have what you want.
Now get on with it and let's get out of here.
`You have to tell the truth. Is that what you are saying?' The police
would not leave the issue be.
`I want to tell the truth. As well.' The key words there were `as
well'. Anthrax thought, I want to and I have to.
`It's the circumstances that are forcing this upon you, not an
individual?'
`No.' Of course it was the circumstances. Never mind that the police
created the circumstance.
Anthrax felt as if the police were just toying with him. He knew and
they knew they would go after his mother if this interview wasn't to
their liking. Visions of his frail mother being hauled out of her
house by the AFP flashed through his mind. Anthrax felt sweaty and
hot. Just get on with it. Whatever makes them happy, just agree to it
in order to get out of this crowded room.
`So, would it be fair to summarise it, really, to say that perhaps ...
of your activity before the police arrived at your premises, that is
what is forcing you?'
What was this cop talking about? His `activity' forcing him? Anthrax
felt confused. The interview had already gone on some time. The cops
had such obscure ways of asking things. The room was oppressively
small.
Day pressed on with the question, `The fact that you could see you had
broken the law, and that is what is forcing you to come forward here
today and tell the truth?'
Yeah. Whatever you want. `OK,' Anthrax started to answer, `That is a
fair assump--'
Day cut him off. `I just wanted to clarify that because the
interpretation I immediately got from that was that we, or members of
the AFP, had unfairly and unjustly forced you to come in here today,
and that is not the case?'
Define `unfairly'. Define `unjustly'. Anthrax thought it was unfair
the cops might charge his mother. But they told her it was perfectly
legal to do so. Anthrax felt light-headed. All these thoughts whirring
around inside his head.
`No, that is not the case. I'm sorry for ...' Be humble. Get out of
that room faster.
`No, that is OK. If that is what you believe, say it. I have no
problems with that. I just like to have it clarified. Remember, other
people might listen to this tape and they will draw inferences and
opinions from it. At any point where I think there is an ambiguity, I
will ask for clarification. Do you understand that?'
`Yes. I understand.' Anthrax couldn't really focus on what Day was
saying. He was feeling very distressed and just wanted to finish the
interview.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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