| Phreaking is a slang word that refers to people | | | | popular - they began to work in groups to |
| who tamper with, play around with, experiment | | | | maximize the efficacy of what they have learned |
| with, and study systems of telecommunication | | | | and the methods they employed. |
| such as the public telephone networks and various | | | | When a controversial article came out in June of |
| phone system audio frequencies. Phreak - from | | | | 1972 in Ramparts Magazine, called "How to Build a |
| which the verb phreaking is derived - is a | | | | 'Phone Phreaks' Box", phreaking truly took off. |
| combination of the two words phone and freak. A | | | | The article was suppressed as heavily as possible |
| person who participates in phreaking is referred to | | | | - Bell sued Ramparts Magazine, forcing it to take |
| as a phone phreak or a phreaker. | | | | remaining magazines from the shelves - but the |
| These days, the term's definition has broadened | | | | damage had been done. It detailed the schematics |
| to include people involved in computer hacking - | | | | plans of a kind of "black box" which could be |
| sometimes referred to as H/P culture (hacking | | | | employed in order to make long distance phone |
| and phreaking culture). | | | | calls for free. Its parts list was very short and the |
| Nobody really knows how phreaking got going, | | | | construction was quite simplistic. |
| but phreaking as it is known today, can be traced | | | | In the 1980's, phreaks became more tech savvy |
| back to the 1950s in the U.S. when AT&T started | | | | with the growing popularity of personal computers |
| to utilize automatic direct-dial long distance as well | | | | and modem-accessed bulletin boards. These were |
| as other forms of carrier trunking which used | | | | popular areas for phreaks, hackers, and others |
| in-band signaling. Just as on the internet there are | | | | interested in tampering and experimenting with |
| hackers and crackers, at that time, there were | | | | technology to share their knowledge and improve |
| people experimenting with the phone systems. | | | | their schemes. This has continued with the |
| As technology changed, so did the phreaks and | | | | internet and the world wide web to an extremely |
| the techniques that they employed. Each started | | | | complex level. Phreaks are no longer simple |
| with their own independent tests and experiments | | | | tinkerers, but are individuals with a multifaceted |
| over the telephone network, and then - as they | | | | understanding and practice in phone systems. |
| found each other and phreaking became more | | | | |