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Phreaking

Phreaking is a slang term coined to describe the activity of a culture of people who study, experiment with, or explore telecommunication systems, such as equipment and systems connected to public telephone networks.[1] The term phreak is a sensational spelling of the word freak with the ph- from phone, and may also refer to the use of various audio frequencies to manipulate a phone system. Phreak, phreaker, or phone phreak are names used for and by individuals who participate in phreaking.

1971 also saw the beginnings of YIPL( Youth International Party Line), a publication started by Abbie Hoffman and Al Bell to provide information to Yippies on how to "beat the man", mostly involving telephones. Victimized small businesses were usually required to foot the bill for the long-distance calls, as it was their own private equipment (not phone company security flaws) that allowed such fraud to occur. In the movie WarGames(1983), a young hacker, David Lightman (Matthew Broderick), uses a pull-tab from an aluminum can, found on the ground at a truck stop, to make a free long-distance call via payphone to his friend (Ally Sheedy).

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