Wau Holland Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Wau Holland Foundation (German: Wau Holland Stiftung; WHS) is a nonprofit foundation based in Berlin
, Germany
.
It was established in 2003 in memory of Wau Holland
, co-founder of the Chaos Computer Club
. Loosely connected with the Chaos Computer Club, the foundation aims to preserve and further Holland's ideas in fields such as technology assessment
, the history of technology
and freedom of information
. Specifically, it promotes the use of electronic media for educational purposes, as well as events on the social aspects of new technologies.
Foundation projects include the "Archive of Contemporary History of Technology (Hacker archive)", which will document the history of the hacker
scene, and a campaign against voting machine
s (both in collaboration with the Chaos Computer Club). The foundation also processes donations in Europe to support the WikiLeaks
organization.
Its endowment is currently about 62,000 € (December 2010). It also owns land (valued at about 1500 €), currently leased to a public institution.
since it began accepting donations on the organization's behalf in October 2009. On December 4, 2010, PayPal
turned off donations in response to the foundation's connection to WikiLeaks, alleging that the account was being used for "activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity." On 8 December 2010 the foundation released a press statement, saying it has filed legal action against PayPal for blocking its account and for libel due to PayPal's allegations of "illegal activity."
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, 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...
.
It was established in 2003 in memory of Wau Holland
Wau Holland
Herwart Holland-Moritz, known as Wau Holland, cofounded the Chaos Computer Club 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" online television service by getting a bank to send them DM 134,000...
, co-founder of the Chaos Computer Club
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...
. Loosely connected with the Chaos Computer Club, the foundation aims to preserve and further Holland's ideas in fields such as technology assessment
Technology assessment
Technology assessment Technology assessment Technology assessment (TA, German Tenteractive, and communicative process that aims to contribute to the formation of public and political opinion on societal aspects of science and technology.- General description :...
, the history of technology
History of technology
The history of technology is the history of the invention of tools and techniques, and is similar in many ways to the history of humanity. Background knowledge has enabled people to create new things, and conversely, many scientific endeavors have become possible through technologies which assist...
and freedom of information
Freedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
. Specifically, it promotes the use of electronic media for educational purposes, as well as events on the social aspects of new technologies.
Foundation projects include the "Archive of Contemporary History of Technology (Hacker archive)", which will document the history of the hacker
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
scene, and a campaign against voting machine
Voting machine
Voting machines are the total combination of mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic equipment , that is used to define ballots; to cast and count votes; to report or display election results; and to maintain and produce any audit trail information...
s (both in collaboration with the Chaos Computer Club). The foundation also processes donations in Europe to support the WikiLeaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
organization.
Its endowment is currently about 62,000 € (December 2010). It also owns land (valued at about 1500 €), currently leased to a public institution.
Relationship to WikiLeaks
The foundation has collected over $1.2 million USD for WikiLeaksWikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
since it began accepting donations on the organization's behalf in October 2009. On December 4, 2010, PayPal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
turned off donations in response to the foundation's connection to WikiLeaks, alleging that the account was being used for "activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity." On 8 December 2010 the foundation released a press statement, saying it has filed legal action against PayPal for blocking its account and for libel due to PayPal's allegations of "illegal activity."