Wau Holland
Encyclopedia
Herwart Holland-Moritz, known as Wau Holland, (20 December 1951 - 29 July 2001) cofounded the Chaos Computer Club
(CCC) in 1981, one of the world's oldest hacking clubs. The CCC became world famous when its members exposed security flaws in Germany
's "Bildschirmtext
" (Btx) online television service by getting a bank to send them DM
134,000 (approx. Euro
68,513) for accessing its Btx page many times. They returned the money the following day.
Holland also co-founded the CCC's hacker magazine Datenschleuder
in 1984, which praised the possibilities of global information networks and powerful computer
s, and included detailed wiring
diagrams for building your own modem
s cheaply. The then-monopolist phone company of Germany's Deutsche Bundespost
had to approve modems and sold expensive, slow modems of their own. The telecommunications branch of Deutsche Bundespost was privatized and is now Deutsche Telekom
.
Because of Holland's continuing participation in the club, the CCC gained popularity and credibility. He gave speeches on information control for the government and the private sector. Holland fought against copy protection
and all forms of censorship
and for an open information infrastructure. He compared the censorship demands by some governments to those of the Christian
church in the Middle Ages
and regarded copy protection as a product defect. In his last years, he spent a lot of his time in a youth center teaching children both the ethics and the science of hacking, with unique style and intelligent humor.
Holland was an amateur radio operator
and held the callsign DB4FA.
Holland died in Bielefeld
on 29 July 2001 of complications caused by a brain stem
stroke
from which he suffered in May.
Chaos Computer Club
The Chaos Computer Club is an organization of hackers. The CCC is based in Germany and other German-speaking countries.The CCC describes itself as "a galactic community of life forms, independent of age, sex, race or societal orientation, which strives across borders for freedom of...
(CCC) in 1981, one of the world's oldest hacking clubs. The CCC became world famous when its members exposed security flaws in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's "Bildschirmtext
Bildschirmtext
Bildschirmtext was a V.23 online service launched in West Germany in 1983 by the Deutsche Bundespost, the German postal service. Btx originally required special hardware, which had to be bought or rented from the post office...
" (Btx) online television service by getting a bank to send them DM
German mark
The Deutsche Mark |mark]], abbreviated "DM") was the official currency of West Germany and Germany until the adoption of the euro in 2002. It is commonly called the "Deutschmark" in English but not in German. Germans often say "Mark" or "D-Mark"...
134,000 (approx. Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
68,513) for accessing its Btx page many times. They returned the money the following day.
Holland also co-founded the CCC's hacker magazine Datenschleuder
Datenschleuder
, literally translated as The Data Slingshot: The scientific trade journal for data voyagers, is a German hacker magazine that is released in irregular intervals by the Chaos Computer Club ....
in 1984, which praised the possibilities of global information networks and powerful computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s, and included detailed wiring
Electrical wiring
Electrical wiring in general refers to insulated conductors used to carry electricity, and associated devices. This article describes general aspects of electrical wiring as used to provide power in buildings and structures, commonly referred to as building wiring. This article is intended to...
diagrams for building your own modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
s cheaply. The then-monopolist phone company of Germany's Deutsche Bundespost
Deutsche Bundespost
The Deutsche Bundespost was created in 1947 as a successor to the Reichspost . Between 1947 and 1950 the enterprise was called Deutsche Post...
had to approve modems and sold expensive, slow modems of their own. The telecommunications branch of Deutsche Bundespost was privatized and is now Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....
.
Because of Holland's continuing participation in the club, the CCC gained popularity and credibility. He gave speeches on information control for the government and the private sector. Holland fought against copy protection
Copy protection
Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy obstruction, copy prevention and copy restriction, refer to techniques used for preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media, usually for copyright reasons.- Terminology :Media corporations have always used the term...
and all forms of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
and for an open information infrastructure. He compared the censorship demands by some governments to those of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and regarded copy protection as a product defect. In his last years, he spent a lot of his time in a youth center teaching children both the ethics and the science of hacking, with unique style and intelligent humor.
Holland was an amateur radio operator
Amateur radio operator
An amateur radio operator is an individual who typically uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similar individuals on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio...
and held the callsign DB4FA.
Holland died in Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
on 29 July 2001 of complications caused by a brain stem
Brain stem
In vertebrate anatomy the brainstem is the posterior part of the brain, adjoining and structurally continuous with the spinal cord. The brain stem provides the main motor and sensory innervation to the face and neck via the cranial nerves...
stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
from which he suffered in May.