The Indypendent, the newspaper of the NYC Independent Media Center July 21, 2004 p. 6 eLIBERTY Hackers Converge for Fifth World Gathering by F. Timothy Martin More than 2,000 mostly black-clad hackers, crackers, phreakers and wannabes converged in the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan on June 9-11 for the fifth Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE) conference. Held every two years by 2600, a quarterly magazine that covers hacking issues, the event is the largest of its kind in North America. "Propaganda" was this year's theme. Conference goers wore black armbands and crowded discussion halls draped in tapestries embla- zoned with the event's logo of a white fist. Behind the speaker's podi- um hung a giant poster of a Hitleresque face accompanied by the text "Big Brother is Watching You," courtesy of the creators of a new comic book inspired by George Orwell's prophetic novel, 1984. The scene brought to mind a Hitler Youth rally attended by hundreds of extras from a sci-fi goth thriller, but the underlying message was Orwellian. As a result, in addition to discussion panels on hacking and technology, there were many others dedicated to political protest, evading surveillance, and civil liberties. Given the rising number of legal and governmental actions taken against hackers, the conference had an understandably somber tone. "The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Patriot Act and other related legislation and trends affecting tech make it impossible to do the sort of things people once did without getting thrown in jail," says Mike Castleman, a conference organizer. "Politics has forced itself upon hackers." Organizers and speakers worked to dispel the convictions of some that hackers' intentions are less often benign than criminal. "Hacking is often just some kid trying to be funny," said Apple computers co-founder Steve Wozniak. "We're only a threat to those who want to innovate with money rather than with brains. Looking around this room you can tell we're not motivated by money, and that scares some people." Wosniak and punk rock icon Jello Biafra gave keynote addresses on Saturday and Sunday. But perhaps the most anticipated event was the first-ever appearance of Kevin Mitnick, once considered the world's most notorious hacker. The first HOPE began as an appeal for Mitnick, who was held for more than four years without bail, accused of being able to launch a nuclear Armageddon by whistling into a telephone. Mitnick gave the opening day keynote address to a packed crowd braving an air conditioning failure in sweltering temperatures. He began by relating an hour's worth of humorous anecdotes depicting his life as a prankster, hacker and fugitive before turning toward a more serious message. "I want to encourage you all not to follow in my footsteps," he said. "Hackers should hack in a way that's socially productive." Mitnick advocated that attendees consider "hacking for hire" and using their skills to strengthen the security of corporations and government. Mitnick currently serves as a corporate security consultant. While the message may have been buzz kill for some, there were plenty of other voices to satisfy diverging interests. Films were screened continuously in a 24-hour movie room, and there was a lockpicking workshop held each day, a wireless network for attendees to work online, and three tracks of panels running throughout the event. "Where else can you get a panel on the Republican National Convention followed by cryptography, then a discussion on early com- puting?" asked Castleman. "The diversity of topics this weekend is very rare."