# Illegal numbers. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 12, 2010, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862 "2010-10-12T04:25:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/61 "2010-10-15T13:06:34Z")
[QUOTE=njtt] By the same token, the large primes that are used for encryption keys are just meaningless numbers unless they are also accompanied by the contextual information that they are encryption keys, and that they are applicable to a particular set of messages. If were to I pass along the information that _this_ number can be used to decrypt _this_ message (or type of message), then I would very likely be doing something illegal, but if I just mention the number without context (or in a different context - maybe it is the precise number of jellyfish in the world’s oceans, for instance), without giving any hint that can be used as a DVD encryption key, then to treat that as illegal would be ludicrous and totally unjust. [/QUOTE] Agreed. There are just so many very large prime numbers to pick from. On its own, how does anyone know if some crazy-long number is a DVD decryption code, one of my own RSA keys, or someone got bored and added up all of the luggage combinations at the airport? OTOH, if I posted a big number and said “this cracks region 2 discs” then the illicit intent is clear. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/62 "2010-10-15T14:23:25Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > But, if someone had a post that said nothing but > > > [@](#): > > > > 123743 12375432 7864326 73274321 27652346 74622 74743765 467246 45437216 049456676 4732760653 73576555432 13759641 76523779 1437652344 06573246 076237659 3757962163 07467324 47307464 2467630 8767535 7377798 0762673 06756576 6730376 07676798 65760176 4679016 046276 772627602 75620652 27460 26749624036 75266762762 762306 20260576260 2062 4602702362 076327072606 762260373 3207 3273206572 20376230 7322734732206207 20362 7232200202 0267226 02373202 676202372 2679027 2308792037 69465462 > > and so on for several more lines and nothing else, that’s an instant reason for the mods to get suspicious. Suspicious of what? I think the mods should err on the side of caution. Ban ALL numbers to be safe! ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/63 "2010-10-15T15:29:45Z")
[del]42[/del] ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/64 "2011-12-10T08:11:53Z")
Wasn’t there a member called **666**? Did he get banned because of this thread? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/65 "2011-12-10T15:47:21Z")
[del]Yet again, the Master knows.[/del] Actually, in this case, the SDSAB knows: > **[What’s up with 666, the “mark of the beast”?](https://www.straightdope.com/21343384/what-s-up-with-666-the-mark-of-the-beast)** > > A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/66 "2011-12-10T16:33:05Z")
I suppose this is as good a time as any to introduce my imaginary number to everyone here: His name is Winslow. Winslow, say “Hi” to everyone. (Winslow is a little shy, so please excuse his silence.) ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/67 "2011-12-10T17:35:26Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I suppose this is as good a time as any to introduce my imaginary number to everyone here: > > His name is Winslow. > > Winslow, say “Hi” to everyone. (Winslow is a little shy, so please excuse his silence.) Do he get offended if I refer to myself as I? -I ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/68 "2011-12-11T23:08:48Z")
4 8 15 16 23 42 the numbers are bad… the numbers are bad… ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/69 "2011-12-12T01:42:56Z")
I’m on the “This is silly” bandwagon. Now, if someone where to post a string of digits that are in fact a coded image of child porn, or some other sort of legal Voodoo, How in the world would the mods even know? I can see the problem with dancing on the fence in order to push the issue, and can agree with the mods not wanting to even deal with this issue. Who knows… Some sick bastard may even post binary kitty abuse if this subject isn’t nuked from orbit. It’s the only way to deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/70 "2011-12-12T03:02:15Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > Now, if someone where to post a string of digits that are in fact a coded image of child porn, or some other sort of legal Voodoo, How in the world would the mods even know? Bitmaps are like a megabyte or more in size. If you post a million digit number with no explanation, then a) I’m not sure you the board software will let you put that many characters in a post and b) the mods will disallow it because it would be gibberish. So knowing probably isn’t an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/71 "2011-12-12T04:15:50Z")
Numbers are easy to recognize as problematic. It’s the letters that’ll get ya. Every day, people post huge strings of letters here and no one knows _what_ those might represent (I’m thinking of a recently banned member here). Just think, all of these letters could just be representations of numbers, which are in turn representations of football games that were recorded with the implied oral consent of the NFL, NOT the express written consent. Oh, the humanity. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/72 "2011-12-12T05:09:56Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Numbers are easy to recognize as problematic. It’s the letters that’ll get ya. Every day, people post huge strings of letters here and no one knows _what_ those might represent (I’m thinking of a recently banned member here). That’s true. Practically every person we’ve ever banned here was banned for posting letters. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/73 "2011-12-12T12:47:36Z")
Is that the same as going postal? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/74 "2011-12-12T16:58:36Z")
Let’s see. This thread was revived after more than a year, there are 73 posts in it, and STILL the only thing in the entire thread I understand is the post that got **MTCicero** banned.😕 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/75 "2011-12-12T18:06:15Z")
**njtt** , are you seriously arguing that people found with child porn on their computers should not be prosecuted for it? Because that’s the logical implication of your post. You say that it should only be actionable if the information is also present that the binary string is to be interpreted as a JPEG image, or whatever, but how do you think that information is stored? That’s just a number, too. Yes, for any given bit string, there’s a hypothetical computer which would interpret it as all manner of innocuous things. But those hypothetical computers don’t exist. By contrast, the computers that interpret kiddie porn images as kiddie porn images _do_ exist. And if a bitstring can be interpreted as a kiddie porn image, we can be more certain that that’s exactly what it was intended to be than we can be about almost anything else we think we’re certain about. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/76 "2011-12-12T18:53:36Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > :eek: **NSFW** :eek: NSFW?!?!? Getting the tattoo was in my job description! ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/77 "2011-12-12T23:13:39Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Let’s see. This thread was revived after more than a year, there are 73 posts in it, and STILL the only thing in the entire thread I understand is the post that got **MTCicero** banned.😕 Well, the only reason I looked at the thread in the first place was to see what my namesake had done to earn the bums rush. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/78 "2011-12-13T13:11:46Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Let’s see. This thread was revived after more than a year, there are 73 posts in it, and STILL the only thing in the entire thread I understand is the post that got **MTCicero** banned.😕 I think the idea is that its not the numbers themselves that are illegal, but the order of them. For example, I can say the words, I, face, you, and punch and those words individually are not illegal or harmful. If I reorganize them and say “I’m going to punch you in the face” then I have made a threat, which is against the law and against board policy. At least I think that’s the idea. If I’m banned, then you know I’m wrong. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/79 "2011-12-13T13:20:57Z")
Well you can go and 1 2 3 4 yourself 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862/80 "2011-12-13T13:51:25Z")
Of course 7 is illegal (that whole sordid cannibalism thing) and 8 is out since 8 8 is a neo-nazi sign. I guess 1 is the only safe number, no wonder it’s the loneliest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-numbers/556862.md?page=5)