Goldstein, Emmanuel Hacker Icon

The founder and editor-in-chief of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly. Goldstein hosts a radio show every week in New York called “Off the Hook” and is considered to be a hacker icon in the computer underground. Along with Ed Cummings, Emmanuel Goldstein is an active participant in the Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE) convention in New York City, which takes place every two years. Emmanuel is often called on by the press to give his opinion regarding topics of concern to the hacker community.

When asked why he goes by the moniker Emmanuel Goldstein instead of his real name Eric Corley, he said that he believes everyone should be allowed to rename himself or herself. A name, he affirms, should reflect something about who the person is and what the person believes in. The details of what Eric Corley likely stands for can be found in George Orwell’s 1984, in which Emmanuel Goldstein is one of the main characters. The first issue of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly, by the way, was published in January 1984. Is this just a coincidence? Probably not.

In 1999, Goldstein released a documentary called Freedom Downtime, which detailed the story of convicted cracker Kevin Mitnick. Goldstein was also the creative advisor to the movie Hackers. Always a favorite with reporters looking for a good story, Goldstein was arrested a month after the July 2004 HOPE hacker convention in New York City as he tried to videotape a demonstration against the Republican National Convention. After being detained for more than 30 hours, he was charged with disorderly conduct.

See Also: Bernie S. (a.k.a. Edward Cummings); Hacker; Hacker Quarterly Magazine (a.k.a. 2600); HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth); Mitnick, Kevin (a.k.a. Condor).