TAP (originally YIPL, Youth International Party Line) is an American underground newsletter focused on phone phreaking and related technical topics. It was published from 1971 to 1984.
It was co-founded in June 1971 by Abbie Hoffman and Alan Fierstein (writing as Al Bell), a Cornell engineering student. Early issues mixed Yippie political commentary with technical information about the Bell System.
In 1973 the publication was renamed TAP, initially standing for Technological American Party and later Technological Assistance Program. It continued as a technical newsletter covering telephone signaling, network architecture, and related electronics until it ceased in 1984.
References
Further reading Phil Lapsley. Exploding the Phone: The Untold Story of the Teenagers and Outlaws Who Hacked Ma Bell. Grove Press, 2013. Jacob A. Bruggeman. "Phreaking Politics in Modern America." Modern American History (2026).
External links
TAP newsletter archive