Eric Corley
Eric Gorden Corley is viewed by some as a leader of the computer hacker community and goes by the name "Emmanuel Goldstein", after the leader of the underground in George Orwell's classic, Nineteen Eighty-Four. He and his company, 2600 Enterprises, Inc., together publish a magazine called 2600: The Hacker Quarterly, which Corley founded in 1984, and which is widely read in the hacker community.
The name "2600" was derived from the fact that phreakers in the 1960s found that the transmission of a 2600 hertz tone over a long-distance trunk connection gained access to "operator mode" and allowed the user to explore aspects of the telephone system that were not otherwise accessible. Mr. Corley chose the name because he regarded it as a "mystical thing," commemorating something that he evidently admired.
In 1999 Corley was named as a defendant in Universal v. Reimerdes, the movie industry's attempt to squelch DeCSS. DeCSS is a program designed to allow Linux users to watch DVDs on their computers, and 2600.com had provided links to websites which contained the DeCSS code. Corley was the only defendant who chose to fight the industry in court. In his controversial ruling against Corley, United States District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan described 2600 magazine as follows:
"2600: The Hacker Quarterly has included articles on such topics as how to steal an Internet domain name, how to write more secure ASP code, access other people's e-mail, secure your Linux box, intercept cellular phone calls, how to put Linux on an Xbox, how to remove spyware, and break into the computer systems at Costco stores and Federal Express. One issue contains a guide to the federal criminal justice system for readers charged with computer hacking. In addition, 2600 operates a web site located at 2600.com, which is managed primarily by Mr. Corley and has been in existence since 1995."
In 1999, Corley released the full length documentary Freedom Downtime, which he wrote, directed and produced, about convicted hacker Kevin Mitnick and the Free Kevin movement, among other things. He is currently in the process of filming his latest documentary, Speakers' World. Furthermore, he was creative advisor to the movie Hackers.
He was arrested on August 31, 2004 in New York City, while trying to videotape a demonstration against the Republican National Convention. After being detained for more than 30 hours, he was charged with disorderly conduct. At a hearing on November 29, 2004, the city dropped all charges against Corley.
Eric Corley currently lives in Middle Island, New York on Long Island, where he hosts the radio show Off the Hook on WBAI, and is concerned with legal matters related to social engineering and other issues affecting the hacker world. He has recently ressurrected his old radio show Brain Damage (under the name Off The Wall) on Stony Brook University's WUSB.
No stranger to the film world, Corley will be featured as The Outside Man in the upcoming film Urchin due to be released in February 2006.
References
- United States District Court Southern District of New York (2000). Decision in UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS, INC, et al. v. SHAWN C. REIMERDES, et al. (PDF from MPAA) p. 12–13
- 2600 Magazine (2004). 2600 editor Emmanuel Goldstein among 900+ arrested at anti-RNC protests. Retrieved Sept. 3, 2004.
- 2600 Magazine (2004). Update: Emmanuel Goldstein finally released from custody. Retrieved Sept. 3, 2004.
- 2600 Website (2004) Off The Wall. Retrieved June 16, 2005.
- CNN Q&A with Emmanuel Goldstein of 2600.