Jail Time Possible For Possessing This In Massachusetts

Cracking down on streaming platform passwords is something companies are doing.

The funny thing about people, is that we're crafty. We're always trying our best to "screw the man", and if that means getting away with getting stuff for free, so be it! We do a great job at justifying it, to boot.
Before the streaming phenomenon and the endless sharing of passwords, there was cable. I mean, cable still exists, but it certainly isn't the preferred method anymore. Call it lack of entertainment, or the cost, people would just rather stream, and so would yours truly.

Remembering "The Black Box"...
Ahh, yes, the "black box", otherwise known as the "descrambler".

The Descrambler

Normal 1980s Cable Box

I distinctly remember my father talking about this thing back when I was a kid in the late '80s and early '90s and it was super taboo!

Yes, we had one. I think it was one of the Tyson fights that prompted my father to break the law lol.

The following is from a Reddit blog that sort of explains it...

Back in the 90's, cable was analog. It came into your house through a coax cable in the wall with a scrambled signal. That's why you could watch the distorted green and blue movie on channel 99 when your parents weren't home; the signal was coming through, but your cable box didn't descramble it unless you payed for it. The black box (cost about $100 in the classifieds) would descramble the signal for you and display it like normal without having to pay the cable company. -reddit.com

I remember my father telling me if the cable guy ever came to the door, to not let him in unless he was home. Hefty fines and possible jail time are both punishments for cable theft in Massachusetts.