Terminal Compromise - Winn Schwartau (fiction book recommendations TXT) 📗

and enjoyed adding mous-

taches, subtracting teeth and stretching the ears.

At midnight, on the button, Scott’s computer beeped. It was

Kirk.

WTFO

You got my message.

SUBTLETY IS NOT YOUR STRONG POINT

I didn’t want to miss.

GOTCHA. YOU RANG.

First of all, I want a better way to contact you, since I assume

you won’t tell me who you are.

RIGHT! AND I’VE TAKEN CARE OF THAT. CALL 212-555-3908. WHEN YOU

HEAR THE BEEP, ENTER YOUR NUMBER. I’LL CALL YOU AS SOON AS I

CAN.

So you’re in New York?

MAYBE. MAYBE NOT.

Ah, call forwarding. I could get the address of the phone and

trace you down.

I DON’T THINK YOU WOULD DO THAT.

And why not may I ask?

CAUSE WE HAVE A DEAL.

Right. You’re absolutely right.

NOW THAT I’M RIGHT, WHAT’S UP?

I met with the Spook.

YOU DID????????

The conference was great, but I need to know more. I’ve just

been sniffing around the edges and I can’t smell what’s in the

oven.

WHAT ABOUT THE SPOOK? TELL ME ABOUT IT.

I have picture of him for you. I scanned it.

VERY GOOD, CLAP, CLAP.

I’ll send you SPOOK.PIX. Let me know what you think.

OK. SEND AWAY.

Scott chose the file and issued the command to send it to Kirk.

While it was being sent they couldn’t speak, and Scott learned

how long it really takes to transmit a digital picture at 2400

baud. He got absorbed in a magazine and almost missed the mes-

sage on the computer.

THAT’S NOT THE SPOOK!!!!

Yes it is. I met him.

NO, IT’S NOT THE REAL SPOOK. I’VE MET HIM. HE’S PARTIALLY BALD

AND HAS A LONG NOSE AND GLASSES. THIS GUY’S A GQ MODEL

C’mon, you’ve got to be putting me on. I travel 3000 miles for

an impostor?

I GUESS SO. THIS IS NOT THE SPOOK I KNOW.

Then who is it?

HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW?

Just thought I’d ask . . .

WHAT’S GOING ON REPO?

Deep shit, and I need your help.

GOT THE MAN LOOKING OVER YOUR DONKEY?

No, he’s not here, honest. I have an idea, and you’re gonna

think it’s nuts, I know. But I have to ask you for a couple of

favors.

WHAT MAY THEY BE?

The Freedom League. I need to know as much about it as I can,

without anyone knowing that I want the information. Is that

possible?

OF COURSE. THEY’RE BBS’ERS. I CAN GET IN EASY. WHY?

Well that brings up the second favor. dGraph. Do you own it?

SURE, EVERYONE DOES. LEGAL OR NOT.

Can’t you guys take apart a program to see what makes it tick?

REVERSE ENGINEERING, YEAH

Then I would like to ask if you would look at the dGraph program

and see if it has a virus in it?

Chapter 24 Wednesday, January 13 New York City No Privacy for Mere Citizens by Scott Mason.

I learned the other day, that I can find out just about anything

I want to know about you, or her, or him, or anyone, for a few

dollars, a few phone calls and some free time.

Starting with just an automobile license plate number, the De-

partment of Motor Vehicles will be happy to supply me with a name

and address that go with the plate. Or I can start with a name,

or an address or just a phone number and use a backwards phone

book. It’s all in the computer.

I can find more about you by getting a copy of the your auto

registration and title from the public records. Marriage

licenses and divorces are public as well. You can find out the

damnedest things about people from their first or second or third

marriage records. Including the financial settlements. Good way

to determine how much money or lack thereof is floating around a

healthy divorce.

Of course I can easily find all traffic offenses, their disposi-

tion, and any follow up litigation or settlements. It’s all in

the computer. As there are public records of all arrests, court

cases, sentences and paroles. If you’ve ever been to trial, the

transcripts are public.

Your finances can be scrupulously determined by looking up the

real estate records for purchase price, terms, cash, notes and

taxes on your properties. Or, if you’ve ever had a bankruptcy,

the sordid details are clearly spelled out for anyone’s inspec-

tion. It’s all in the computer.

I can rapidly build an excellent profile of you, or whomever.

And, it’s legal. All legal, using the public records available

to anyone who asks and has the $2.

That tells me, loud and clear, that I no longer have any privacy!

None!

Forget the hackers; it’s bad enough they can get into our bank

accounts and our IRS records and the Census forms that have our

names tied to the data. What about Dick and Jane Doe, Everyman

USA, who can run from agency to agency and office to office put

together enough information about me or you to be dangerous.

I do not think I like that.

It’s bad enough the Government can create us or destroy us as

individuals by altering the contents of our computer files deep

inside the National Data Bases. At least they have a modicum of

accountability. However, their inattentive disregard for the

privacy of the citizens of this country is criminal.

As a reporter I am constantly amazed at how easy it is to find

out just about anything about anybody, and in many ways that

openness has made my job simpler. However, at the same time, I

believe that the Government has an inherent responsibility to

protect us from invasion of privacy, and they are derelict in

fulfilling that promise.

If the DMV needs to know my address, I understand. The IRS needs

to know my income. Each computer unto itself is a necessary

repository to facilitate business transactions. However, when

someone begins to investigate me, crossing the boundaries of

multiple data bases, without question, they are invading my

privacy. Each piece of information found about me may be insig-

nificant in itself, but when combined, it becomes highly danger-

ous in the wrong hands. We all have secrets we want to remain

secrets. Under the present system, we have sacrificed our priva-

cy for the expediency of the machines.

I have a lawyer friend who believes that the fourth amendment is

at stake. Is it, Mr. President?

This is Scott Mason, feeling Peered Upon.

* Wednesday, January 13 Atlanta, Georgia

First Federal Bank in Atlanta, Georgia enjoyed a reputation of

treating its customers like royalty. Southern Hospitality was

the bank’s middle name and the staff was trained to provide

extraordinary service. This morning though, First Federal’s

customers were not happy campers. The calls started coming in

before 8:00 A.M.

“My account is off $10,” “It doesn’t add up,” “My checkbook

won’t balance.” A few calls of this type are normal on any given

day, but the phones were jammed with customer complaints. Hun-

dreds of calls streamed in constantly and hundreds more never got

through the busy signals. Dozens of customers came into the

local branches to complain about the errors on their statement.

An emergency meeting was held in the Peachtree Street headquar-

ters of First Federal. The president of the bank chaired the

meeting. The basic question was, What Was Going On? It was a

free for all. Any ideas, shoot ‘em out.

How many calls? About 4500 and still coming in. What are the

dates of the statements? So far within a couple of days, but who

knows what we’ll find. What are you asking people to do? Double

check against their actual checks instead of the register. Do

you really think that 5000 people wake up one morning and all

make the same mistakes? Do you have any other ideas? Then

what? If they don’t reconcile, bring ‘em in and we’ll pull the

fiche.

What do the computer people say? They think there may be an

error. That’s bright. If the numbers are adding up wrong, how do

we balance? Have no idea. Do they add up in our favor? Not

always. Maybe 50/50 so far. Can we fix it? Yes. When? I don’t

know yet. Get some answers. Fast. Yessir.

The bank’s concerns mounted when their larger customers found

discrepancies in the thousands and tens of thousands of dollars.

As the number of complaints numbered well over 10,000 by noon,

First Federal was facing a crisis. The bank’s figures in no way

jived with their customer’s records and the finger pointing

began.

The officers contacted the Federal Reserve Board and notified

them. The Board suggested, strongly, that the bank close for the

remainder of the day and