IRC and Security

[Craig Macbride]

In comp.unix.admin you write:

>Now that I have that out of the way I wish to present the following facts:

>1) IRC is a meeting place for hackers and pirates.
>   If you doubt this statement, logon to IRC and check out the different
>   channels.  I was able to meet as many as five individuals willing to
>   trade software with me in as little as two minutes.

I have used IRC quite a number of times and never seen any conversation at all
about pirating software. Sure, if you try to meet people like that, you may
well find them. At the same time, if I walked into my local computer shop I
could probably meet just as many, just as quickly.

>2) People DO give out their passwords to people they meet on IRC.
>   The most visible supporter of IRC was herself guilty at this University
>   for giving out her password to more than twenty people.

So because one person at your University is a dill, everyone else suffers?!

>But rather than take my word for it, please use IRC for a 
>while so you can draw your own conculsions.

Yep, and having used it on and off for many months, I can safely say that I
have seen plenty of entertainment and absolutely no illegal activities. If
some of the people who use pirate bulletin boards are using IRC, they are
not doing so in as obvious a way as elsewhere. Taking away IRC will not impact
upon their activitied at all, but will only affect the activities of those who
are just ordinary users of the facility.

-- 
 _--_|\		Craig Macbride	<uni: s900387 at minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au>
/      \			<work: craig at bacchus.esa.oz.au>
\_.--.*/	VUT (RMIT) is responsible for the equipment, not the opinions!
      v