
 article();
 // By Code_Dark

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 I S   H A C K I N G   D E A D ?
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 We all seem to think, to KNOW that hacking isnt dead. It
simply can't be. Unstable software, insecure servers, and
stupid personal users still exist. So how can a culture that
we love so much be perishing away? "Wait wait wait.", you
say. "Who says that hacking's dying?". Well, this might be
just like phreaking. Phreaking is dead. It's over. Pay phones
may be retired for fucks' sake! Hacking, however, seems to
be moving into it's prime: take a look at BugTraq, with 100s
of new entries daily!

 But along with the new things, the government is calling it
terrorism. Just look at t33kid. With government taps and traces
popping up here there and everywhere, who's to stop things
from stopping completely? No one likes jail. No one wants
to get a new "husband" named Spike. The days of the elite
hackers may be coming to a close. Look at the Patriot Act.
That's bullshit. In my opinion, it's organizations like EFF that
are keeping hackers existant. Calling it terrorism only serves out
jail sentences. So while the chance to hack is definately in it's
prime, it's also dwindling: No one wants to get caught. Although
it's a great way to get rid of newbies that only want to disturb
you, it's also a bit scary what a slip up costs: your freedom.

 Things are only getting worse. The Patriot Act is most likely
going to be expanded and give the government even more power.
The USA is turning into a police state. It's unfortunate, but
it's true. Even file sharing, which cant even be remotely
related to true hacking, is illegal under the DMCA. Only a few
weeks ago, a 12 year old girl was attacked by the RIAA. People
in America are losing their cyberfreedom, and quickly. It's
simply because the Internet is a major part of America's 
infrastructure. Just like roads and schools, a nation needs to
have control of its infrastructure, or it will not succeed. This
is just another example of democracy melding into a police state.

 So, what can we do about this horror? Protest, join the EFF, and
basically cause a fuss. The USA is based on freedom: Be it
religious, economical, or even _cyber_ freedom. The internet is
worldwide, and cannot be limited. Hacking may be illegal, but with
all of these bills passed, the government seems to forget about the
ethical hackers, the one's that are simply cyber explorers. Bush
has no right to intrude into anyone's property under the Patriot
Act, and even moreso coin the term cyberterrorist. It's an fucked
up state that allows that, and we must stop it.

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