Anarchy Online

By Charles Platt

Enter the front lines of both sides in the war to control the Net. The U.S. Justice Department, the Christian Coalition and the Guardian Angels want to clean up the Net. ACLU attorneys, college activists and a raging band of rebels are trying to stop them. Who will win this epic battle, and what will the consequences be? From Charles Platt, one of the original online renegades and a contributing editor of Wired magazine, comes these two distinct "guides" --each with its own front cover -- to address both sides of these modern issues in one book. This authoritative look begins with the origins of Usenet and ends in a nightmarish future where the war on netporn has become as expensive and futile as the war on drugs. Along the way we meet dozens of other colorful personalities fighting to control the greatest mass medium since the printing press.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061009903
• ISBN13: 9780061009907
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: Harper Voyager
• Length: 367 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

good book, tackles ethics and legal issues head-on

I quite enjoyed both parts of this book. "Net Crime" does a lot to put real computer crime in perspective -- not the media hype that most people are used to. It's not very technical, so non-techies could understand and appreciate it. The section on satellite piracy doesn't seem directly relevant, but it's very interesting and does well to illustrate some basic "hacker principles" without actually saying so. (All you hackers that don't believe in piracy, don't trip, Platt doesn't tend to overgeneralize.) On the flip side, "Net Sex" provides (afaik) an accurate historical account of the 'net (and BBS) pr0n scare and some of the aftermath. There's a lot of serious discussion about freedom of speech, but the author's bias doesn't stop him from carefully portraying both sides of the issues. All in all, these were two very interesting books. Anyone interested in studying hacking (from a social/legal point of view, not a technical one) and/or the Internet porno industry should read this book. So should people who just want to learn a little more about computer crime and porn laws and how they came to be.

They should have taken out net-sex (it's obsolete)

The part on net-crime was great since it showed history, ethics, pyschology and the zen of hacking itself. i was hoping that the coverage could have been broader, but the book was halfed into net-sex where it talked about BBS pr0n which is kinda dead nowadays.Nonetheless, a good book if you're towards the history and the sense of hackers. But if you're looking for technical stuff, uhmm, better turn your back. The book is not for those wanting to learn, or is in search of technical knowledge. The book is for critics, professors, and the mass who don't understand what hacking is all about.

A Good Read For Those Interested In Freedom of Speech

An interesting book that presents the "freedom issues" surrounding censorship of the Net. I found it food for thought because it presented several issues that may not be so obvious to those who are concerned about Libertarian concepts. Interesting, educational and inspiring.

The Truth Is Out, The Internet Is Made From People

Charles Platt once agian uses the myth behind the mythto show everyday folks the sceens playing outbehind the text that runs wild across thier computer screens. With clear, concises, and often confounding truths Platt exposes the answer to the question "Wheres the crime?". From the much hyped dark hacker criminal to free speach radicals we are shown that its the hype thats messing things up. Every journalist should be forced to read this, and every one just getting online would do well to read it. There is much to be read by old time net users as well, including an interview with the elsuive Dark Fiber and his criminal underground posse.