Subject: What are the ethical risks of hacking the mailstation?

From: "jmareksr" <jimmarek@...>
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 07:17:07 -0000

I can think of two ethical issues related to hacking the ms, one that
I can ignore, and one that I can't.

1) I'm sure there was something in the license agreement about not
reverse engineering the ms, but I look on this as a fascinating 
puzzle. There may be so much code that I will tire of trying to
understand it before I ever do, but for now, it is a diversion. I
don't have a problem with hacking an obsolete device as a personal
challenge. Should I feel more unethical about this?

2) I'm also sure that there are some ms users who know nothing about
computers and are just thrilled to get an email from a dear 
friend. I have a big problem with contributing to their frustration
and disillusionment when someone figures out how to craft an email 
that will change the ms settings or disable it. Is it possible to
collaborate on a hack and still protect the innocent?

Jim

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From: "Ronny" <k4rjj@...>
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 07:14:05 -0000

The only thing the "Agreement" relates to is use of the service.  I 
see nothing in the paperwork that says "Thou shalt not hack firmware" 
unless it's using their service unauthorized.

Someone please correct me if they see something I missed.