Eric Corley

Eric Corley is viewed as a leader of the computer hacker community and goes by the name "Emmanuel Goldstein", after the leader of the underground in George Orwell's classic, Nineteen Eighty-Four. He and his company, 2600 Enterprises, Inc., together publish a magazine called 2600: The Hacker Quarterly, which Corley founded in 1984, and which is widely read in the hacker community.

The name "2600" was derived from the fact that phreakers in the 1960s found that the transmission of a 2600-hertz tone over a long-distance trunk connection gained access to "operator mode" and allowed the user to explore aspects of the telephone system that were not otherwise accessible. Mr. Corley chose the name because he regarded it as a "mystical thing," commemorating something that he evidently admired.

2600: The Hacker Quarterly has included articles on such topics as how to steal an Internet domain name, how to write more secure ASP code, access other people's e-mail, secure your Linux box, intercept cellular phone calls, how to put Linux on an Xbox, how to remove spyware, and break into the computer systems at Costco stores and Federal Express. One issue contains a guide to the federal criminal justice system for readers charged with computer hacking. In addition, 2600 operates a web site located at , which is managed primarily by Mr. Corley and has been in existence since 1995.

(taken from the UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK decision in UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS, INC, et al. v. SHAWN C. REIMERDES, et al., and so while public domain it's rather biased--see NPOV)

In 1999, Corley released the full length documentary Freedom Downtime, which he wrote, directed and produced, about convicted hacker Kevin Mitnick and the Free Kevin movement, among other things. Furthermore, he was creative advisor to the movie Hackers.

He was arrested on August 31, 2004 in New York City, while trying to videotape a demonstration against the Republican National Convention. After being detained for more than 30 hours, he was charged with disorderly conduct.

Eric Corley currently lives in New York City where he attends a great many parties, hosts a radio show, and is concerned with legal matters related to social engineering and other issues affecting the hacker world.

Image of Corley: http://www.mccullagh.org/image/950-10/emmanuel-goldstein.html

References

• United States District Court Southern District of New York (2000). Decision in UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS, INC, et al. v. SHAWN C. REIMERDES, et al. () p. 12–13
• 2600 Magazine (2004). . Retrieved Sept. 3, 2004.
• 2600 Magazine (2004). . Retrieved Sept. 3, 2004.