News Update (Summer, 1993)
--------------------------

Those of you who get 2600 on newsstands did not receive the special insert that
came with the last issue. In it, we announced the good news that Steve Jackson
had won his lawsuit against the United States Secret Service. More than $50,000
in damages will be awarded to Steve Jackson Games for violations of the Privacy
Protection Act of 1980 and for lost profits as a result of the raid by the
Secret Service in March 1990. Jackson's legal fees, which could amount to
several hundred thousand dollars, must also be paid by the government. Each
plaintiff in the case was also awarded $1,000 under the Electronic
Communications Privacy Act of 1986. The Secret Service violated this act when
they seized private mail on the Illuminati Bulletin Board System. Every user of
the board could have been awarded $1,000 if they had also filed suit. This is
obviously a very positive turning point and it wouldn t have been possible
without Steve Jackson, the hacker community that stood by him, and the
Electronic Frontier Foundation for providing the expertise and financing. We
should probably also thank the United States Secret Service.