John Threat
Encyclopedia
Masters of Deception
Masters of Deception was a New York-based hacker group. MOD reportedly controlled all the major telephone RBOC's and X.25 networks as well as controlling large parts of the backbone of the rapidly emerging Internet....
(MOD), a New York based hacker group in the early 90’s.
As a result of his participation in the Great Hacker War
Great Hacker War
The Great Hacker War was a purported 1990–1991 conflict between the Masters of Deception and an unsanctioned splinter faction of the older guard hacker group Legion of Doom , and some smaller subsidiary groups...
, between MOD
Masters of Deception
Masters of Deception was a New York-based hacker group. MOD reportedly controlled all the major telephone RBOC's and X.25 networks as well as controlling large parts of the backbone of the rapidly emerging Internet....
and rival hacker group Legion of Doom
Legion of Doom (hacking)
The Legion of Doom was a hacker group active from the 1980s to the late 1990s and early 2000. Their name appears to be a reference to the antagonists of Challenge of the Superfriends...
, he was indicted on federal wiretapping charges in 1992. He pled guilty and was sentenced to one year at a federal detention center. His participation in the Great Hacker War landed him on the cover of Wired Magazine in 1994.
Lee was born on July 6, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Brownsville
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...
, where he was a member of the Decepticons, a Brooklyn-based street gang formed in the early 80s, named after the villains in the Saturday morning cartoon, Transformers. Lee attended Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
and went on to New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. During his freshman year at NYU, Lee was sentenced to prison for his role in the Great Hacker War
Great Hacker War
The Great Hacker War was a purported 1990–1991 conflict between the Masters of Deception and an unsanctioned splinter faction of the older guard hacker group Legion of Doom , and some smaller subsidiary groups...
.
Lee also has editing, producing, and directing credits in film and television. In 2004 he founded Mediathreat, LLC, a film production company. In 2005, he directed the original documentary “Dead Prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
: Bigger than Hip Hop." In 2011, he co-directed the music video for MAKE OUT's
MAKE OUT (Band)
MAKE OUT is a New York City-based band consisting of Jesper Mortensen and lead vocalist Leah Hennessey. The group plays fast, manic, condensed pop songs...
single "You Can't Be Friends With Everyone" with Diane Martel
Diane Martel
Diane Martel is a music video director and choreographer.-Choreographer:1989*Bloodhounds of Broadway 1991*"Shiny Happy People" - R.E.M...
.
Lee also gained notoriety in 2001 when he revealed himself as the anonymous editor of UrbanExpose.com, a controversial entertainment gossip website.
Media
- Village Voice, "Rebel Hackers: The Computer Kids who Phreak Out the Feds," By Julian Dibel, July 24, 1990
- Wired, "Gang Wars in Cyberspace," By Michelle Slatella and Joshua Quittner, December 1994
- The Industry Standard, "An Urban Mystery Man Revealed," By Kenneth Li, February 12, 2001
- Inside Magazine, "Confession of a Media Terrorist," By John Lee, March 6, 2001
- Shift Magazine, "Being John Lee," By Christopher Shulgan, 2002
- Mass Appeal, "A Digital Gangsta," By Noah Hubin and Todd Jordan, 2004