Beyond Invention: How Hackers Challenge Memory & Disrupt Delivery Timothy Alan Lockridge Dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Rhetoric and Writing Diana George Carlos Evia Shelli Fowler Katrina Powell Cynthia Selfe March 29, 2012 Blacksburg, VA Keywords: Circulation, Delivery, Distribution, Hacking, Memory Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. Beyond Invention: How Hackers Challenge Memory & Disrupt Delivery Timothy Alan Lockridge Abstract This dissertation uses a case study of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly to consider how the practices of a hacker public might be theorized as a rhetorical activity. The project is contextualized within a history of hacking (building from a narrative that centers on Levy’s 1984 book Hackers) and within the arc of recent copyright legislation, specifically the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the 2011-12 Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) debates. Within this framework, the dissertation examines how specific patterns and cases within 2600 might further our understanding of the rhetorical canons of memory and delivery and of dissent in digital spaces. Specifically, the project presents three practices of memory at work in 2600: Aggregating, Fingerprinting, and Narrating. Drawing on the work of Collin Gifford Brooke and Mary Carruthers, among others, the dissertation examines how texts printed in 2600 present memory not as an inert technology but rather as a practice and a pedagogy—a response to the increasing commercialization of technology. The dissertation then uses Jim Porter’s techne of digital delivery to analyze three specific moments in 2600’s history (the 1985 U.S. Government raid on New Jersey hackers, the E911 lawsuit, and the DeCSS narrative), illustrating how our spaces of textual production have become increasingly regulated and commercialized and considering how that regulation/commercialization affects our understanding of ownership, circulation, and the public sphere. Building on Michel de Cereteau’s concept of strategies and tactics and Michael Warner’s theory of (counter)publics, the dissertation ultimately argues that a history of hacker publics offers one way to reconceptualize and reintegrate theories and technologies of digital circulation into our scholarly work and curricular goals. iii Dedication In memory of my grandfather, Curtis Roy Hunt, who told me to never stop learning. iv Acknowledgments First, thanks and acknowledgments are in order for my dissertation committee: Diana George, who put so much faith and energy into my work and who taught me so very much about teaching, researching, and thinking; Carlos Evia, who was always willing to offer close readings and feedback; Shelli Fowler, who was a source of invaluable support; Katy Powell, who offered ongoing enthusiasm and thoughtful critiques; and Cynthia Selfe, who was always at the ready with important insights and endless generosity. In short, I’ve been blessed with a set of incredible mentors, and I’m very thankful for the time and energy that they have invested in my scholarship and professional development. I would also like to thank Carolyn Rude, Paul Heilker, Kelly Pender, Kelly Belanger, Matthew Vollmer, Erika Meitner, Gardner Campbell, and Fred D’Aguiar for offering valuable support and advice when I needed it. I am also thankful for the support of many colleagues in the field of Rhetoric and Writing. John Trimbur, Paula Mathieu, Gail Hawisher, Derek Ross, Quinn Warnick, and Ryan Trauman all helped to develop my thinking on this project, and I appreciate their support. Additionally, Amy Reed, Dan Lawson, and Libby Anthony sat through many drafts of and conversations about this dissertation, and they should each be applauded for their patience and insight. I’ve found a wonderful group of peers, friends, and colleagues at Virginia Tech, and although I will be sad to leave them, I look forward to hearing of their many future successes. Finally, thank you to my friends in Indiana and—most importantly—my family. You have been so very supportive of my education and professional development, and I can’t thank you enough. This dissertation was written in Byword and Scrivener, using John Gruber’s Markdown syntax. Dustin O’Halloran’s piano solos provided the soundtrack for composing. Coffee provided the fuel. And the above listed people, among many others, provided the support. Thank you all. v Table Of Contents Chapter One: Introduction 1 Where We Begin: SOPA, DNS, and Digital Literacies.......................................................1 SOPA Blackout, DDoS, and the Technologies of Resistance.............................................6 Strategies and Tactics: Thinking through Divergent Practices.........................................11 Hacker Publics: Theorizing Divergent Texts and Activity...............................................14 Research Questions........................................................................................................... 17 Methods............................................................................................................................19 Limitations........................................................................................................................ 22 A Brief Outline.................................................................................................................. 23 My Position As Researcher: A Narrative and a Stance.....................................................25 Chapter Two: YIPL, TAP, and 2600: The Growth of Hacker Publications 29 Steven Levy and the Hacker Ethic....................................................................................32 Hacker Culture..................................................................................................................40 The Rise of Phreaking: YIPL and TAP — The Youth International Party Line...............42 Technological American Party..........................................................................................49 2600: The Hacker Quarterly.............................................................................................51 Hacker Publics..................................................................................................................56 Chapter Three: Hacking and Memory 59 Memory............................................................................................................................. 61 Memory and New Media..................................................................................................64 Technologies of Retention................................................................................................67 Privatized Memory and Responsive Publics....................................................................69 Aggregating: Data Collection and Discourse...................................................................72 Trashing and Social Engineering......................................................................................76 vi Fingerprinting: Collective Experimentation.....................................................................78 Narrating: Writing New Technologies..............................................................................82 Chapter Four: Hacking and Delivery 86 Delivering Text.................................................................................................................88 Hacking and the Techne of Digital Delivery....................................................................92 Body/Identity....................................................................................................................93 Distribution/Circulation....................................................................................................95 Access/Accessibility.........................................................................................................97 Interaction.........................................................................................................................97 Economics........................................................................................................................99 Narrative 1: Moving Satellites in the Sky......................................................................100 Narrative 2: Phrack and E911......................................................................................... 107 Narrative 3: DeCSS........................................................................................................116 Conclusion...................................................................................................................... 126 Chapter Five: Property, Circulation, Publics 128 Introduction....................................................................................................................128 Copyright Law, Napster, and the Shape of the Conversation.........................................131 DRM, Authorship, and the Inscription of Materiality....................................................135 DNS and Dissent............................................................................................................138 Public Spheres, Digital Spaces....................................................................................... 140 Digital Disruption..........................................................................................................