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Interesting question...

PowerFullMac

PowerFullMac

macrumors 601
Original poster
Oct 16, 2006
4,000
2
I was gonna put this in the Apple section, but not anything to do with Apple really, more like a question about Steve Wozniak, so I put it here :)

What I want to know is that as he wrote in iWoz, he was a Phone Phreak (he tricked the phone system in to letting him make free calls) so how come he is not in jail? I mean Phone Phreaking is not exactly legal is it, and as he baiscally confessed it in his book why has no Police officers pinned him to the ground and escorted him to jail?

Now, dont get me wrong, I dont hate The Woz and I dont want him to go to jail, im just curious.
 
Probably statute of limitations has expired. Also it depends on if what he was doing was actually illegal.
 
Motley said:
Probably statute of limitations has expired. Also it depends on if what he was doing was actually illegal.
Click to expand...

Tricking a phone system in to letting him make free calls and letting him take over the phone system sounds quite illegal to me...
 
It takes more than 'I tricked the phone system' to put someone in Jail. It takes someone to bring the case to court, some evidence that it happened etc etc.

Doug
 
djellison said:
It takes more than 'I tricked the phone system' to put someone in Jail. It takes someone to bring the case to court, some evidence that it happened etc etc.

Doug
Click to expand...

Well by saying he did it in a publicly published book, he is admitting it, is he not? Does that not count as evidence? Plus his Blue Box is in a musium somewhere and there are pictures of him using it... Sounds like good evidence to me.
 
PowerFullMac said:
Well by saying he did it in a publicly published book, he is admitting it, is he not? Does that not count as evidence? Plus his Blue Box is in a musium somewhere and there are pictures of him using it... Sounds like good evidence to me.
Click to expand...

Basically AT&T would have to bring it to court (I believe they own most of Ma Bell so that would be a good guess). The phone systems aren't government owned, so unless there is a complaint then you can't be charged.

Like if I broke into your house. Stole a ham sandwich and left. 20 years later we're all sitting around a table in a bar and I say, "man, 20 years ago I broke into your house and stole a ham sandwich!"

Would you press charges?
 
7on said:
Basically AT&T would have to bring it to court (I believe they own most of Ma Bell so that would be a good guess). The phone systems aren't government owned, so unless there is a complaint then you can't be charged.

Like if I broke into your house. Stole a ham sandwich and left. 20 years later we're all sitting around a table in a bar and I say, "man, 20 years ago I broke into your house and stole a ham sandwich!"

Would you press charges?
Click to expand...

Depends how good the sandwich was :D
 
I doubt it was illegal back then, as very few if any had done it for the phone system to even be aware of it. Once found out, they could then create a rule/law making it illegal.

Note* You break into my house and steal a sandwich, and then later confess, I would have aske if you had gotten sick from the bad ham that I had not thrown out. Then watch your face turn Green :p

ps. Woz's book was a nice read, and gave some good insight into apple and Steve Jobs, that he never created the apple I or II ;)
 
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