[nomedeplume]

today drug dealers use leet speak over SMS to communicate about transactions without triggering local LE detection

[slipstream-]

I didn't know that. Do you have a source for this information?

[user24]

I wonder if this is just a retelling of the myth(?) that leet speak originated in the practice of renaming files to avoid detection by sysadmins.

[baldfat]

I seriously think it was all the crazy warez custom title screen that could be larger then the actual game. Back then you had to be "known" and go through the initiation of making sure you weren't someone that could harm them through intent or stupidity.

[aeberbach]

The only renaming to avoid detection I knew of was when fast modems were becoming a commoditized but FTP had started taking over as a transfer mechanism. Did you ever trawl through anonymous ftp servers looking for directories named ". ", ". .", "...", " ." etc.?

[baldfat]

I just know my my children rebel by buying Apple products and have no technology skills. (Their rebellion choices could be way worse) They use "leet" speak on sms. I always hated it and didn't use it in my OLD warez days on the C64 NASA (North Atlantic Software Alliance) cool name huh? :)