maskormenacelogs | Don't download this song / Or you'll burn in hell before too long

Entry tags:

Don't download this song / Or you'll burn in hell before too long

WHO: Kitty Jones and Skye Bennett
WHERE: A coffee shop down by the pier
WHEN: November 23ish!
WHAT: Kitty wants to learn how to hack computers. Kitty is from the technological equivalent of the 1950s. Skye will have to put up with this, because she is basically a saint.
WARNINGS: Cursing? Maybe? Skye sort of has a potty-mouth, but Kitty's from a YA novel, so.

Computers aren't actually all that difficult, Kitty's finding, in spite of Skye's warning yesterday. She's got her communicator just about figured out; she can do anonymous texts and search through things and track people down and change her password and play around with fonts and download things. This computer is intuitive, and full of bright colors and pleasing sounds and perhaps a few distractions, which are far from effective at really distracting her. (There'd been some game called Candy Kingdom. It had been fun for about twenty minutes and then it had told her that she was going to have to wait an hour to play the next level unless she paid two dollars, and she'd uninstalled it in a fit of pique.)

So it's with optimism that she shows up at the cafe. She shows up a little bit early, of course; she trusts Skye, but not enough that she's not going to check the place for anything suspicious. Force of habit, really, learned from three years of being in hiding. There's nothing that she can see that tells her to get out, no one who looks interested in her, nothing that feels off...So she sits down, pulls off her cap, pushes her hair from her eyes, and waits. She faces the door. She knows what Skye looks like, and so she looks away from each person who's not her.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Skye steps into the cafe a couple minutes late, laptop bag slung over her shoulder and looking around the cafe for anyone who looks like they might be a likely suspect for Kitty Jones. She wasn't able to find a photo of Kitty when she hacked that file, but she knows she's an eighteen year old girl around the same height as Skye, so that gives her something to go off of.]

Edited 2014-11-24 10:35 (UTC)

[ That's her. Skye looks a bit more tired, maybe, than in the videos that Kitty had pulled up over the network - or that might just be the cafe's dim lighting - but she's recognizably the same woman: a kind-looking face, lovely hair. Kitty raises her hand to get Skye's attention, then nods at her when she sits down. Never one to waste time, she immediately pushes her communicator at Skye and says: ]

It says there that that option will wipe all my data if I want. Does that actually do it, or is there - anything left behind? I'd think it would be like simply throwing files in the rubbish, but from what I've been reading people seem to say that things are left behind on computers.

[Skye sees her and comes over to the table, giving a wave back of her own.] Hey.

[She grabs the seat next to Kitty-- normally opposite seats are preferable between two people, but for this it's impractical.]

And yeah, that's right, to an extent. It depends on who you're concerned about. Deleting your data in the normal fashion will stop most people, honestly. It only gets tricky if you're concerned about the government or people like me. There are ways to restore lost data, most of them known to professionals. Though, I might add, they're not always fool-proof.

[ Kitty nods, and drags the communicator back towards her. Honestly, why even include the option if it's not going to really work? How irritating. ]

Are there ways to destroy it completely?

Sure, tons. Most of them are even pretty easy.

[ With interest: ]

Like what?

There are several programs on the web that'll do the job, but I wrote my own out of boredom a while back to be more compatible with these comms. Here. [She takes her laptop out of her bag and opens it on the table, booting it up in a matter of seconds. Then she plugs a cord into one end of her computer, holding the free end out to Kitty.]

If you plug your comm into that, I can transfer the program. It's pretty easy to use.

[ She takes the free end of the cord - but is a little befuddled by it. It had taken her a little while to figure out her charger, but she figured it out, and so she assumes that this is the same sort of thing - some thing that will match up with some hole in the communicator. Still, she has to spin it around a time or two, frowning, until she finally finds - ]

Oh!

[ And she plugs it in, and sits back to examine the cord now leading from the computer to the comm. ]

This connects them, then. Your computer and my communicator. And information gets pushed along there?

That's right. You catch on quick.

[Tranferring... transferring...]

[ She just nods, too distracted by her own thoughts to thank Skye for the kind words. ]

So information can be transferred over cords or...by connecting to the network, through the air. But with cords it will be faster? Or is it just safer?

It's not really through the air though-- I guess it kind of is in a weird way. Information is transmitted via signals and wavelengths, it's just that they're not visible to the naked eye.

Cords are definitely faster, though. Also, I haven't uploaded this to the internet anywhere, so you couldn't download it without connecting to my computer.

[ A nod. It's all pretty logical, and she can't help but feel rather smug and pleased at just how intuitive she's finding it to be. ]

That makes sense. Is the internet the same thing as the Network?

Sort of. The imPort Network is a part of the internet, but only a tiny fraction. Also, only imPorts and the government have posting and commenting privileges. Regular citizens can read it if they want to, but since it was made for us, they can't create their own content on it. I think, anyway. Whatever, in any case, they have thousands of their own forums elsewhere on the internet anyway.

And -

[ She hesitates, because this is undoubtedly a Kitty Jones question rather than a Lizzie Temple question. But she has to ask. ]

It's really safe to talk? On the internet, I mean. And the Network. Because the government can...see whatever's on there. People don't really say what they're thinking, do they? That seems like it would be awfully dangerous.

Hmm, to a certain extent. I mean-- they don't really seem to care about minor grousing. Stuff like "I'm not registering because I don't trust the government" or "Wow I can't believe they're cutting off housing for unregistered imPorts, the government sucks." They kind of expect that. And to be honest, they don't have the resources or manpower to monitor every single word said and chase down and scold-slash-arrest everyone who complains.

Also keeping in mind that most of us have powers, and none of their agents do. So on that level, it's not really worth the risk involved for petty complaining. They need to keep the peace with the imPort community as much as they can, or imPorts will quickly stop registering and working for them completely. Or worse, turn on them.

To add to that, keep in mind also that the right to free speech is an important part of the United States Constitution, so they can't just arrest or fine anyone they like for voicing their displeasure.

So, in summary, talking is just fine. You have a right to voice your opinion. However, if you're talking about doing something illegal, committing a crime of some sort or inciting someone else to do so-- that's a different matter. That they can arrest you for. They probably won't show up at your house immediately after posting it, unless you're on their watchlist like I am, and you have to do something to deserve that-- but after said crime is committed, they'll start investigating, and then they'll find stuff, and that stuff will be used as evidence against you to get a conviction.

Make sense?

[ Kitty nods. That makes sense. It's the way things should work, right? Here and at home. ]

It makes sense.

[ And then, with a half-smile - ]

Was it leaking the files that got you on their watchlist?

Got it in one.

Even though I didn't really leak anything people didn't already suspect anyway. They were just mad I gave them the run-around. Government agencies don't like to be made fools of.

[ Kitty's grin is quick, and quickly gone, but it's broad and genuine. ]

I guess not. I'd think that sort of thing is good for them.

Right? They should be thanking me! For exposing the holes in their security system.

There's a fine lack of gratitude.

[She leans back in her chair then, crossing her arms, face serious.]

The end result of that whole debacle that not many people know is that they ended up recruiting me as a consultant. I work for them now whenever they need assistance with tech stuff.

So, seriously. The best way to avoid getting caught? Don't do anything illegal in the first place. But if you absolutely have to, make sure you don't do anything pertaining to it on a computer or a comm. Otherwise, I'm the one who'll have to chase you down. And I seriously don't want to do that. You seem pretty cool.

[ And her own smile fades. ]

Hold on - you're working for them? Why?

Not full time. As a freelance consultant. My day job is at StarkTech.

That was the deal I worked out with them. In order to avoid jail.

[ She shakes her head. ]

And you're okay with that? With helping them out?

Well it's better than jail.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject