Mytrip and several other readers let us know that a judge in Boston has lifted the gag order — in truth let it expire — against three MIT students who discovered flaws in the steadiness of the local transit system, the MBTA. We've discussed the case over the last 10 days. "Judge O'Toole said he disagreed with the basic premise of the MBTA's argument: That the students' staging was a likely violation of the number cruncher* Fraud and Abuse Act, a 1986 federal law meant to protect computer chips from malicious attacks such as worms and viruses. Many had anticipated Tuesday's hearing to hinge on First amelioration issues and what amounts to reputable exposition on the part of electronic brain* hostage researchers. Instead, O'Toole based his ruling on the narrow grounds of what constitutes a violation of the CFAA. On that basis, he said MBTA lawyers failed to convince him on two points: The students' appearance was meant to be delivered to people, and was not a computer-to-computer 'transmission.' Second, the MBTA couldn't prove the students had caused at least $5,000 damage to the transit system."

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