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| 2600 (magazine) | |
|---|---|
| Title | 2600 |
| Editor | Emmanuel Goldstein |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Category | Technology, Hacking, and Rights |
| Firstdate | 1984 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
2600 (magazine) is a quarterly publication founded in 1984 focused on hacker culture, computer science, telecommunications law, and civil liberties around technology. It serves as a forum connecting readers interested in phone phreaking, computer security, encryption, and policy debates involving Electronic Frontier Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union, Department of Justice, and international actors. The magazine has influenced discourse among communities associated with DEF CON, Chaos Communication Congress, Black Hat, and various academic and activist networks.
2600 began with a newsletter produced by Herman Hollerith-inspired hobbyists and phone phreakers associated with early pioneers such as John Draper, Kevin Mitnick, and Cap'n Crunch-era figures; it emerged amid the backdrop of telecommunications deregulation involving AT&T and legal shifts including Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Its founder, under the pseudonym Emmanuel Goldstein, drew on influences from Phrack and underground zines circulated alongside movements like Cypherpunk and institutions such as MIT, Bell Labs, and Stanford University. The publication documented episodes intersecting with cases linked to Kevin Poulsen, Julian Assange, and international incidents involving Operation Sundevil and enforcement by agencies including Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Secret Service. Over decades the magazine chronicled transitions from analog phreaking to digital exploits tied to platforms like AOL, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and protocols standardized by Internet Engineering Task Force.
Articles and columns have ranged from technical walkthroughs for systems administered at AT&T-era exchanges to broader commentary on civil liberties involving Electronic Frontier Foundation, Privacy International, and legislative matters such as the Communications Decency Act. Recurring themes include privacy debates referencing Pgp, debates over surveillance involving National Security Agency, critiques of corporate actors like Verizon Communications, Comcast, and Google, and explorations of cryptography linked to personalities like Phil Zimmermann and projects such as OpenPGP and Tor Project. The magazine has published material discussing vulnerabilities in products by Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, Apple Inc., IBM, and Oracle Corporation, while featuring interviews with figures from DEF CON, Chaos Communication Club, and academics from Carnegie Mellon University, University of California, Berkeley, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
2600 has been at the center of legal controversies involving publication of code and investigative reports that intersected with prosecutions brought under statutes like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and contested by organizations including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union. Notable episodes paralleled litigation involving individuals such as Bernard Aboba, Kevin Mitnick, and media disputes similar in profile to New York Times Co. v. United States debates over prior restraint. The magazine published material that provoked enforcement actions analogous to Operation Sundevil and legal scrutiny by the United States Postal Service and Federal Communications Commission, engaging constitutional arguments rooted in precedents like Branzburg v. Hayes and cases invoking free speech and press protections.
2600 fostered communities that organized meetups and conferences connected to DEF CON, HOPE, Black Hat USA, and international gatherings like the Chaos Communication Congress and ToorCon. It supported regional chapters, hacker spaces similar to Chaos Computer Club-affiliated nodes, and coordinated with academic symposiums at Stanford Law School, Harvard University, and New York University on policy forums. The magazine’s network linked activists and researchers from institutions such as Electronic Frontier Foundation, Privacy International, ACLU, and participants in campaigns concerning legislation like the USA PATRIOT Act and Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Published quarterly, the magazine has been printed and distributed through independent channels, specialty bookstores, and mail subscriptions, while being discussed and archived by institutions including Library of Congress, university collections at Columbia University, University of Michigan, and digital preservation projects parallel to Internet Archive. Distribution also intersected with retail outlets and events such as DEF CON vendor halls, vendor booths like those at Black Hat, and online forums anchored by platforms similar to Slashdot and Reddit. The editorial operations have navigated postal regulations, copyright considerations under United States Copyright Office interpretations, and commerce policies affected by companies like PayPal Holdings and Visa Inc..
2600’s reception has been polarized: praised by civil liberties advocates including Electronic Frontier Foundation and academics at Stanford Law School for championing privacy and technical literacy, while criticized by law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and corporate security teams at AT&T and Verizon Communications for allegedly facilitating illicit activity. Critics invoked concerns similar to debates around Anonymous (group), whistleblowers like Chelsea Manning, and publishers of sensitive material such as WikiLeaks. Supporters compared its role to outlets that contributed to discourse around Phrack and the Cypherpunk mailing list, noting influence on generations of researchers at institutions like MIT Media Lab and Carnegie Mellon University.
Category:Technology magazines Category:Quarterly magazines