An open letter from bunnie, author of Hacking the Xbox (2013) | Hacker News Reader

An open letter from bunnie, author of Hacking the Xbox (2013)

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94 pointsbootload14 comments

If you've never been involved in a serious lawsuit there are no words that can sufficiently describe how soul crushing it is. To feebly defend yourself against the mighty US government is unbearable. When the Feds tell lies in court what are you supposed to do, sue them? I'd laugh but all I can muster is a frail cry.

What an admirable stand by the AI Lab, in spite of the typical shenanigans of legal. I hope we have the same fortitude to stand up to defend those we are responsible for.

The worst part about universities is their tendency to claim IP rights on any ideas produced by a student, but deny responsibility for any ideas that might cause them any sort of inconvenience.

Can we get (2013) added to the title?

Hacking the Xbox should be required reading for CS students. It is a seminal work -- splendidly written, dense and accessible, and perhaps more enlightening of the work of computer "systems engineering" than any other book I've ever read.

> I started rebuilding my life overseas

Doesn't Bunnie now live in Singapore, not exactly a place known for freedom and empathy for the common man? What does he mean rebuilding his life?

Parent is getting downvoted, but he/she makes a legitimate point. As someone who spent some time in Singapore, it is an awesome place, great food and people and completely beautiful. But they will hang your ass for an ounce of weed, cops can search you without a warrent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misuse_of_Drugs_Act_(Singapore..., and cane you for graffitti. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay

Parent was just pointing out the irony.

Yes, but Singapore doesn't prosecute you for reverse engineering. That's why he is there. Your point of irony is directed towards other acts that are not relevant to Bunnie's situation.

According to wikipedia the US is fairly permissive regarding reverse engineering hardware [1]: In the United States even if an artifact or process is protected by trade secrets, reverse-engineering the artifact or process is often lawful as long as it has been legitimately obtained.

Bunnies protest is about what happened to Aaron which was a case about data theft, copyright and the draconian way the us government intended to prosecute and punish.

Singapore has similar copyright and antipiracy laws, and an even more authoritarian and unfair legal process. [2] Human rights activists, foreign scholars and opposition party members have pointed out that members of the opposition parties often suffer "misfortunes" of various kinds, including arrest, sued into bankruptcy especially in defamatory lawsuits, and imprisonment, with the convictions and bankruptcy in turn barring the opposition candidates from standing in elections.

For the record, I love Bunnie, Singapore and the USA

[1]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_engineering#United_Sta...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Singapore#Criticis...

> Yes, but Singapore doesn't prosecute you for reverse engineering. That's why he is there

Is your statement above verified to be true? Has Bunny actually said that?

I'm not a lawyer, but this article seems to suggest that Singapore's legal system is quite similar to the US and does permit prosecution for reverse engineering.

" 7 In broad terms Creative’s claim is grounded on three central allegations of facts, viz: (a) that Aztech reverse engineered (through disassembly) version 1 of the Sound Blaster firmware; (b) that Aztech copied portions of version 2 of the Sound Blaster firmware, particularly in four undocumented commands, E2, F0, F4 and F8; and (c) by loading TEST.SBC into the PC’s RAM and disassembling it, by means of running the DEBUG program, Aztech infringed Creative’s copyright in TEST.SBC. " http://www.singaporelaw.sg/sglaw/laws-of-singapore/commercia...

> they will hang your ass

Technically, they hang the victim by his/her neck until death. Execution is applied even for non-violent crimes, like being found in possession of drugs, even small quantities like less than 1 ounce of heroin. Most recent hanging in Singapore was July 2014.

http://www.singapore-window.org/sw03/030926a3.htm

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-hangs-two-convicted-drug...

I'm beginning to think that mentioning a university is the same as mentioning race irrelevantly.

It's interesting how one popular post about nearly anything, will prompt people dredge up all sorts of things from past.

I suppose today's it's all things Bunnie.

"Might is right" pretty much sums up the global legal infrastructure everywhere. USA is not party to some special case here, I think all hacking activity should be high risk for the individual(because all hacking is not ethical) and it is right that the law protect citizens from the unethical hackers that are able to affect us all in bad ways. For every Robin Hood there are many more who just don't care. I do think that hacking is required, simply as a check and balance against large institutions - but as an established practice like journalism, which is subject to special legal cases.

As with drug misuse, the penalty for me is the issue here. It's a lack of understanding about the causes or reasons behind the crime, a blunt response. Rethink or reduce the penalties and the practice becomes more attractive to people prepared to take the risk, for the right reasons.

This is a moral issue that will only become more complex, but embattling the issue into camps of the individual against the corporation will only serve the legal industry, not society at large.

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