Q. What drove you into a life of hacking?

A. When I was a kid I started phone freaking - basically playing pranks on people over the phone. However, as the telephone network became more and more computerised, I started taking a liking to the actual network. I wanted to know more about how the whole thing worked, and it just kind of seduced me, I guess.

Q. What was it like not being able to go near any electronic equipment - not being able to further your education, or work as a simple cashier?

A. Not being able to go near any electronic equipment was very frustrating. The prosecutors and judge said it was completely fair, as they needed to protect the public from me. The fact that I was not allowed to use a computer meant that I could not do any research, so therefore could not further my education. I could not even find a job as a cashier, as I would be using a cash register.

I was only allowed to use a notebook after two years, and I am banned from publishing my autobiography until January 2007.