Cory Doctorow and Joe Betts-Lacroix on Adversarial Interoperability

A cyber lawyer and co-founder of Creative Commons, who proposed that the world is regulated by four forces: code, markets, law, and norms.

Signed the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act into law in 1986, which is now used to hinder adversarial interoperability.

Used as an example of someone who, despite having wealth, was socially unacceptable (normatively beyond the pale), highlighting the power of social norms.

Member of Public Enemy, who sampled classic jazz and R&B for an album, illustrating evolving fair use considerations in music production.

Co-host and founder, interested in the practical applications of adversarial interoperability for startups and discussing its implications.

Mentioned in the context of Cambridge Analytica's claims and as someone who articulates a 'rigged system' narrative, contrasting with Joe Biden's approach.

Author of 'A Paradise Built in Hell', a book researched on how people behave in real disasters, emphasizing cooperation and resilience.

Designer of the game EverQuest, whose example of an economic equilibrium being disrupted by a player's novel behavior illustrates the concept of one-in-a-million use cases.

Author of 'Gone with the Wind', whose work was subject to an unauthorized sequel ('The Wind Done Gone') that explored themes from the perspective of enslaved people.

Author and advocate for digital rights and open technology, discussing concepts like adversarial interoperability and copyright law.

Contrasted with Donald Trump for not publicly stating the system is rigged, instead advocating for a return to a previous state.

Starred in the movie 'Wargames', which allegedly prompted Ronald Reagan to sign the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in a panic.

The creator of Mint, a personal finance software that utilized adversarial interoperability through scraping to achieve success.

Cory Doctorow's alma mater, where he spoke at the 50th anniversary of its computer science program, discussing adversarial interoperability.

A hip-hop group whose album featured Terminator X sampling classic jazz and R&B, raising fair use questions relatable to technological evolution in music.

Legislation that, along with software patents and Terms of Service violations, creates significant legal hurdles for practicing adversarial interoperability today.

Co-founded by Lawrence Lessig, an organization that promotes the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge.

A 1986 anti-hacking law signed by Ronald Reagan, which has expanded over time to cover Terms of Service violations, creating legal hurdles for adversarial interoperability.

Used legally to argue that violating Terms of Service constitutes hacking, contributing to the legal thicket around adversarial interoperability. Also discussed later for its scale, data practices, and potential for disruption.

Discussed for its historical use of proprietary networking protocols like SMB and lagging behind on Mac versions of its office suite, prompting adversarial interoperability solutions.

Mentioned for its involvement in video surveillance used by police forces, illustrating creeping monopoly power and its potential to be enabled by state-like duties.

Referred to as the 'Bell System', it operated as a state monopoly, controlling what could be plugged into the phone network and hindering innovation like modems and early internet.

Mentioned as a historical example of a company that dominated a market (mainframes) and would have benefited from adversarial interoperability, but was not equipped with the legal tools to prevent it.

A company that scraped LinkedIn data for employer analytics. They successfully sued LinkedIn for attempting to block their access and revoke technical countermeasures.

Used adversarial interoperability by reverse-engineering Microsoft's file formats to create the iWork suite, allowing Macs to be first-class citizens in office environments.

A personal finance software created by Aaron Patzer that used scraping to achieve adversarial interoperability with banks, eventually leading to its acquisition.

A cup that fit over a Bell rental phone handset to muffle conversations; AT&T sued the company, highlighting their monopolistic control over the phone network.

Cited as an example of a conspiracy theory that seems to be experiencing a resurgence, despite ample evidence to the contrary.

A virtual world that was explicitly inspired by concepts from Neal Stephenson's 'Snow Crash'.

Apple's office suite created through reverse-engineering Microsoft's file formats, enabling Macs to be compatible in office environments.

A website co-owned by Cory Doctorow, serving as a platform for him and others to share information and commentary.

An open-source software that replicated Microsoft's proprietary SMB protocol, enabling adversarial interoperability and becoming a standard component in Linux and macOS.

A prominent online forum and publication associated with Y Combinator, embodying a 'hacker' ethos that supports the idea of adversarial interoperability.

A book by Rebecca Solnit that details how people behave in real disasters, highlighting themes of community and cooperation.

An unauthorized sequel to 'Gone with the Wind' by an African-American writer, which the Supreme Court ruled as fair use.

A science fiction novel by Neal Stephenson that predicted many technological trends and inspired future innovations.

A game used to illustrate how a player's unusual behavior (crafting excessive shirts) could disrupt an in-game economic equilibrium, highlighting the challenge of anticipating all user actions.

A movie that supposedly influenced Ronald Reagan's decision to sign the anti-hacking Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.