The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

German court orders shutdown of Wikipedia

Dispute over naming of dead hacker

Agentless Backup is Not a Myth

The German Wikipedia site was taken down by court order this week because it mentioned the full name of a deceased Chaos Computer Club hacker, known as Tron. A Berlin court ordered the closure of the site on Tuesday after it sided with the parents of the German hacker, who wanted to prevent the online encyclopedia from publishing the real name of their son. A final ruling is expected in two weeks' time.

On Friday, the Wikipedia Foundation settled with the court so that users can still access the site temporarily on a different URL. There, oddly enough, the full name of the German hacker still appears. The English version of Wikipedia also has an entry on Tron.

In 1998, Tron - who took his name from a Disney movie – mysteriously disappeared, apparently because he was under suspicion of committing computer fraud. The hacker was later found hanged in a Berlin park.

His parents originally objected against publishing his full name last year, but the court order was mistakenly addressed to Saint Petersburg, Russia, rather than Saint Petersburg, Florida, where the Wikipedia Foundation resides.

A spokesperson for the Chaos Computer Club (Germany’s most famous hacker and electronic rights group), is supporting the parents, but the court action may have the opposite effect, as many German papers now purposely mention Tron's full name.®

Customer Success Testimonial: Recovery is Everything

More from The Register

 breaking news
BBC-featured call centre slapped with hefty fine for unwanted calls
PPI pests: Swansea-based firm stung for £225k by ICO
Microsoft to open Windows Stores inside 600 Best Buy locations
Product showcases 'must be seen to be believed'
 breaking news
What did the Lehman Brothers implosion look like to a techie?
Insider tells all about the Gnab Gib at Lehmans
 breaking news
The only Waze is Google: Ad giant tipped to gobble map app 'for $1.3bn'
Pac-Man-satnav-ish upstart in bidding war with Apple, Facebook
 breaking news
1-in-10 e-tomes 'are self-published'... most are 'rubbish' says book ed
Publishing man scoffs at go-it-alone writers, ursines still fouling in forests
 breaking news
Facebook RSS reader said to uncloak June 20
Secret event scooped by Scottish developer?
 breaking news
O2 averts strike action over mass Capita outsourcing deal
Details of new agreement not yet released