Re: New Mitnick Book

[pcw@access.digex.net (Peter Wayner)]

>   Also please note that you are inaccurate in stating that
>   Tsutomu requested immunity before testifying before
>   Congress on April 1993.

I don't know anything about the accuracy of the rest of the
post, but I was there at
this hearing. Immunity was granted, but it wasn't the same type
of immunity granted
to someone like Oliver North. My recollection is that the
immunity was granted to
allow Tsutomu Shimomura to convert an ordinary cellular phone into a scanner by
typing in the magic combination of numbers. Ordinarily, this
would break the law.
The immunity prevented this from happening. The act was simply
done to demonstrate
just how easy it is to do this. They quickly switched channels
several times and then
turned off the phone. Nothing salicious or interesting came over
the air, alas. It would
have been funny if some bribe deal involving the chairman of the
committee filled the room,
but that only happens in movies.

I don't know who requested the immunity. It could have been John
Gage of Sun Micro who seemed to be running the show. There were
probably transcripts made of the session and for all I know the
Government might even have them around. That would allow us to
get to the bottom of this important detail.

-Peter