Eric Corley, master hacker

Eric Corley, aka Emmanuel Goldstein (after the leader of the underground movement in Orwell’s 1984), has been a major thorn in the side of the intellectual property protection industry for decades. Corley is the publisher of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly, the bible of the hacking community. The ‘2600’ refers to a discovery made by proto-hackers during the 1960s: by transmitting tones of 2600 hertz across certain long distance phone lines, they found they could access ‘operator mode’. The number also features in the names of Corley’s company (2600 Enterprises, Inc) and website (2600.com, online since 1995). Corley has described it as a ‘mystical thing’.

A glance at some of the articles that have appeared in the magazine or on the website should explain why Mr Corley makes corporate America nervous. Past topics have included advice on accessing other people’s emails, installing Linux on your Xbox, stealing domain names, intercepting mobile phone calls and breaking into the computer systems of Federal Express and Costco.

In January 2000, the communications industry bit back. Eight Hollywood studios, all members of Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), successfully sued Corley and two associates for posting a DVD decryption code on 2600.com. The arrival in court of a posse of teenage hackers wearing T-shirts adorned with the forbidden code failed to sway Judge Lewis A Kaplan.

Despite this setback, Corley and his magazine and website continue to thrive.