[Infowarrior] - fw: A MESSAGE TO 2600 READERS AND WRITERS

[Richard Forno]

https://www.2600.com/content/message-2600-readers-and-writers

A MESSAGE TO 2600 READERS AND WRITERS


Since November, we have witnessed a variety of reactions to the surprising political developments in our country. We expect nothing less and welcome the thoughts, opinions, ideas, and schemes that our readers and writers put forth. There is one disturbing perspective, though, that we need to address.

A number of people in our community feel that hackers in particular will be under increased scrutiny and will be facing significant threats under a Trump administration. We've received requests from both readers and writers to erase all evidence of their existence in our correspondence and to cancel their subscriptions and remove their names from our database. On more than one occasion, all hacker-related clothing was also thrown in the trash.

It's this reaction that we find more disturbing than any of the many potential threats we're facing. Why? Because bad things happen when people let them. As long as we stand united and are willing to fight back against anything that would threaten us as individuals or as a community, we have what it takes to prevent such threats from taking hold. If we yield, it's handing out a blank check.

Yes, there is much to be concerned about and even to fear. Hackers, as always, seem to be right in the middle of the controversial news stories bombarding us every day. But we need to embrace this, not push it away. We have always protected the confidentiality of both our subscribers and those sources who contribute material to our publication. We will never stop doing this.

There is great strength in numbers and in intelligence. We need both in order to survive what may be hugely challenging times. We cannot let the specter of oppression slow us down because if such a scenario were to come true, that is when we would be needed the most. We should have more articles than ever, edgy and controversial material that we embrace, and a ton of people who aren't afraid to read and collect what we're putting out. After all, it's in the darkest hours when a bright light makes the most difference.

We are changing the terms for writers of printed pieces, beginning with the Winter 2016-2017 issue due out in early January. Instead of a choice between a year of our magazine or one of our t-shirts, we are now offering both of these items for every article printed. And as for what articles we're looking for, as always we want pieces that embrace the hacker spirit, that examine and dissect technology in ways others haven't, and/or that reveal inconvenient truths about services and products that those in charge really don't want people to know about. Bombshells and leaks of all types are great and, as mentioned, we always protect our sources. And, being a printed magazine, it's a lot harder to block or filter us from any part of the globe.

You can send your article contributions to articles at 2600.com or by surface or air mail to 2600 Editorial Department, PO Box 99, Middle Island, NY 11953 USA.

We are but one window into a world of amazing voices. Please support others as well as us. If our speech and communication are to be seen as a threat to any regime, it's far better that there be a huge number of us than a tiny number. There will be some tests ahead and probably some hard times. We can't think of a better group to face that with.

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It's better to burn out than fade away.