THE $60,000 HEIST YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF Crimeless Theft in Cyberspace
In 2017, sometime between Sept. 11 and 12, a total of $60,000 worth of digital assets were stolen from people around the world. The conspirators did not hide their identities, and they faced no criminal charges. As it turns out, there are no laws against stealing spaceships in a video game — even if they are worth thousands of real-world dollars. EVE Online is a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) that was launched in 2003, and it was on this game that the theft occurred. This science-fiction game is all about spacefaring, but one notable feature of the game is that it allows players to purchase in-game assets with real money. This attracts players who can spend large sums on the game, with some of the game’s largest spaceships costing $9,000. But one thing to note in EVE Online is that no matter how much you pay, once you lose an asset, it is gone forever. Because of the risk-reward nature of the game, many players unite in huge factions for safety and to pool their resources. One of these groups, Circle of Two or CO2, was the target of the 2017 attack. Within a matter of hours, CO2’s bank accounts were drained and the space stations holding their fleets of ships were sold to their enemies. It was clear from the beginning: This was an inside job.
The thief was CO2’s own head diplomat, a player called “The Judge.” For years he had worked his way through the alliance’s ranks, only to use the access he eventually gained to rob it blind. But greed may not
have been his only motivation. He had had public disagreements with CO2’s leader called Gigx, and a rival faction was able to capitalize on this internal conflict. During an in-person EVE Online summit held in Iceland, representatives from The GoonSwarm Federation convinced The Judge to leave CO2 and commit the single largest robbery in gaming history on his way out. In the real world, The Judge’s actions were completely legal — currently, international law does not treat such virtual objects as personal property. But this perception may be changing. As in-game purchases become more widespread in video games, legal lines have blurred, causing an increasing number of lawmakers to rethink what constitutes “ownership” in the digital age. But, for now at least, it seems like a good time to be a space pirate.
KIM HEGWOOD ONWHY TEACHERS CHANGE US
I had an incredible English teacher during my sophomore year of high school — Betty Lain. While my classmates in other English classes had easy and straightforward assignments, we had amuch different experience. It was a challenge to get good grades in Betty Lain’s class because she always had off-the- wall assignments, which were very challenging and different. These days, I think teachers are saints. They teach because it is their passion, and they do not get enough credit. One of my “extra” kids is a teacher. She is like a daughter to me and is doing her first year of teaching right now, which, of course, is difficult. Since National Teacher Appreciation Day is in May, I wanted to celebrate teachers who truly try their best to teach and point out one of the great injustices in American education: Our rules and regulations force teachers to teach more to standardized tests rather than to develop a student’s love for true knowledge.
Betty Lain was not just my English teacher. She was also the school librarian, and later, a lifelong friend. I read everything she handed me for the next three years after her English class. We stayed friends even after high school and stayed in touch until she passed away. She was a huge inspiration to me growing up. Teachers shape our children and are essential to how our children see the world, and I got very lucky with the good teachers I had throughout my education. My kids have had really good teachers, and nowmy grandkids do, too. Considering the hardships of the field, it is nothing less than a calling, honestly. I commend teachers for following it!
2 HEGWOOD LAW GROUP
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online