Schuyler Towne
M. Schuyler Towne | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 16, 1983 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Graphic designer |
| Known for | Lockpicking, NDE Magazine |
M. Schuyler Towne (born December 16, 1983) is a competitive lockpicker and pioneer of the American Locksport movement. He was "first introduced to lockpicking at the 2006 Hackers on Planet Earth conference in New York."[1] At that conference Towne became one of the founding board members of The Open Organization Of Lockpickers US chapter and in 2007 he launched Non-Destructive Entry Magazine.[2] Towne has competed in the Dutch Open[3] at LockCon in the Netherlands and both spoken and competed at DEF CON in Las Vegas.
Kickstarter controversy
In 2010 Schuyler Towne created a project called "Open Locksport" on crowd funding website kickstarter.com. The basis for the Kickstarter project was to provide Towne with funding to produce a range of custom lock picks. The project aimed to raise $6000 US and upon its completion on September 25, 2010 had raised $87,407 US with a total of 1,159 backers. In return for their funding, the Kickstarter backers were to receive various rewards. Those with pledges of $35 US or more would receive lock pick sets of various sizes, with two backers pledging the maximum amount of $2,500 US.
It was later revealed that Towne had been using the Kickstarter funds for his own purposes. These expenditures have included things such as travel and living expenses, car insurance and repairs, computer hardware and other undisclosed expenses. Towne also used the funds to take his family on a holiday and purchase a TV. A number of supporters have subsequently taken over the Kickstarter projects with initial picks out for delivery. However, as of 2016, the majority of orders have still not been filled.[4]
References
- ^ "Competitive lockpicking growing in US popularity" Associated Press, July 28, 2010
- ^ "Non-Destructive Entry Magazine"
- ^ "Lockbusters" Wired, February 2005
- ^ "The Lost Lockpick: Inside one Kickstarter success story gone terribly wrong." Slate, October 2012