Transit Agency To Ask Court To Continue MIT Gag

August 13, 2008 9:12 a.m. EST

Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - An advocacy group plans to appeal a 10-day temporary restraining order that halted the presentation on how to hack Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's subway fare system. The Electronic Frontier Foundation will argue Thursday that the court order violates the free speech rights of three MIT students.

For its part, the MBTA is hoping to side step the free speech issue, reportedly planning to ask a Boston federal judge to reword the extended gag order to cover only "nonpublic" information.

Although blocked from giving a verbal presentation before the Defcon security conference, the information is now available on the Internet.

On Friday, a federal judge granted the temporary restraining order, agreeing with the MBTA's argument the presentation -- which included ways hackers could defeat the subway's electronic payment system -- would harm the transit authority.

Boston federal judge George O'Toole has until Aug. 19 to either extend the restraining order or remove it.