4 ms·
So what's the legality of distributing just the magnet link hash? That's just a 40 char string. If somebody would publish that string in this place here, is tha
by Zoepfli 13y ago
So what's the legality of distributing just the magnet link hash? That's just a 40 char string. If somebody would publish that string in this place here, is that illegal as well? It's a lot of steps removed from a crime:
1- crime where a shot is fired
2- gun
3- gun creation
4- gun 3d file
5- somebody supplying you this file
6- the magnet directory giving you a link to the file supplier
7- the link hash giving you a link to the magnet directory
Can a 40 char string be illegal?
- mpyne 13y agoFree speech is free speech. This is how Phil Zimmerman defeated export controls in the first place with PGP. He developed the code outside of the U.S. (where it was legal), printed books containing it (one of the best-protected free speech rights), imported the book to the U.S. (so that he's not trafficking in "munitions"), scanned in the code in the U.S., and formed a PGP in the U.S. The U.S.-based code could then be distributed within the U.S. since ITAR is an export control only. The sheer ridiculousness of the whole thing eventually helped lead to legalizing useful crypto in the U.S. I guess we'll see what happens here.
- Zoepfli 13y agoA 3d blueprint file could be considered free speech as well, and yet it was just declared illegal. Can you explain that?
- mpyne 13y agoThe company agreed not to release it when they were certified to do firearms design, from what I can tell from the rest of the comments. The government is still stupid for causing the Streisand effect but if the company agreed to be bound and then broke those terms that is on them. There are, of course, other legally-granted limits to free speech (e.g. PII, classified material, customer financial passwords, etc.) that I would like to not have to itemize just because people on HN like to beat dead horses, but merely mentioning the existance of a magnet hash seems pretty unambiguous IMO.
- Pinckney 13y agoI was under the impression that ITAR was just as applicable to individuals as to organizations. Is this not the case?
- mpyne 13y agoAFAIK yes, which is why I mentioned that there are categories of information not legally protected by the concept of free speech, and how Phil Zimmerman got around that.
- anExcitedBeast 13y agohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_number http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_number