Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 07:06:00
From: John F. McMullen <
[email protected]>
Subject: File 6--Cap't Crunch Discusses Sneakers With Newsbytes
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 18(NB) -- John Draper, author of
one of the earliest word processing programs, EasyWriter, and, under
his nomme de plume, "Cap't Crunch", one of the first known "hackers",
told Newsbytes that while he "really enjoyed Sneakers, people should
realize that there is an important message contained within."
Draper, who served time in prison for his "phone phreaking", was
considered the model on which the role of "Cosmo", played by Ben
Kingsley, was based. Cosmo, like Draper, served a prison sentence for
his activities and, while in prison, became a collaborator with a
nationwide criminal organization, becoming their technical wizard.
Draper accepts the identification with Cosmo and says that the movie
brings out the problems of technology transfer in prison. He said
"While I was in prison, I learned how to pick a master lock. I didn't
ask for the knowledge; it was forced on me. Someone would say 'Let me
show you this' so you would.
"They would wheedle things out of me -- you don't snitch or not go
along in prison. I showed them how to build a random code voice
scrambler as well as other things about methods of obtaining free
phone service. It bothers me that these methods are probably used
today by Columbia drug dealers.
"We have to be concerned about the fact that prisons are Universities
of Crime. We don't want criminals to have the benefit of knowledge
that our government doesn't have. We don't want a Robert Morris or a
Phiber Optik sharing a cell with a friend of Noreiga's. We should
learn from history and come up with procedures to insure that this
relationship between the computer underground and true criminals is
not allowed to flourish."
Draper also told Newsbytes that while he enjoyed the movie immensely,
he did not care for violent portions in which guns were used; he said
"I hate guns."
Draper became "Cap'n Crunch" when he found that whistles given away in
Cap't Crunch serial emitted the 2600 tone necessary to "fool" the
automatic billing and verification system of the phone companies.
Since his release from prison, Draper has written Easywriter and a
Forth compiler for the Apple II (while writing the software products,
Draper was known as "Cap't Software; he has since resumed Crunch). He
has also been employed as a programmer and consultant.
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/Press Contact: John Draper,
[email protected] (e-mail)/19920918)
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