Chaos Computer Club e.V.

FREQUENTY ASKED QUESTIONS
preliminary version V1.1a
10.6.98


Introduction

This FAQ answers the (hopefully) most important questions about the Chaos Computer Club. We included also a list of questions, which are frequently asked our members.

All informations, which are given here - or by one of our members - in the name of the club, are formulated with our best knowledge. We can't give a guaranty for correctness, especially in jurisdictional questions. Suggestions, especially by means of corrections, are welcome.

The FAQ is avaiable online via http://www.ccc.de/faq.html and will be posted monthly in de.org.ccc.

Please send corrections and creative suggestions to: faq@ccc.de

Apart from that: Enjoy your machine!


Contents

Questions concerning the CCC: General topics - Contact addresses - Communication - Membership - Meet the CCC - Publications - Marketing - Software -
Questions concerning CCC-topics: Decrypting of encrypted TV-signals - Online banking - EC-cards and their aftermaths - Telephone cards - Becoming a hacker - Passwords - Forgot the password(s) - Trojanische Pferde - AOL for Free - Telekom questions - LINUX


General topics

Q: What is the CCC?

A: the CCC is a galactic community of human beings including all ages, genders, races and social positions. We demand freedom and flow of information without censorship. Although we enjoy to discuss and analyze recent advances in information technology, our focus is on addressing the issues of our time by giving targeted recommendations for a public policy able to deal with these issues in an intelligent manner. While this also includes more or less spectacular endeavours the focus of our work is on creating a public awareness for the need to approach issues like (e.g.) security, privacy and key escrow from a more informed, open viewpoint.

If you are interested in supporting these goals, then the CCC is for you. If not, you might want to consider looking at other, more technically oriented computer clubs. We do NOT select our members on some dubious "elite" criteria. As it will be difficult for you to contribute to our efforts in Germany, in case that you are interested I suggest that you contact us again (identifying yourself with your real name) for a contact at the CCC-Bay Area (our only overseas operation so far).

 

Contact addresses

All contact addresses of the CCC and the Chaos Family can be found on our addresses page, which is avaiable online at http://www.ccc.de/Address esAndContacts.html. In the moment many new meetings are formed, that's why we don't provide a list here.


Communication

Asking the club

Q: May I ask the club for assistance with technical problems?

A: Our work is honorary. We can't and don't want to answer general questions concerning programs, hardware or what so ever. If you have such a question, please address one of the many newsgroups on the net.

If your problem is so exotic, interesting, heart-stirring or just unsolveable and you think that only we can help you, then:

and if you have done all that, then write to ccc@ccc.de. At your own risk. And if you belong to the few people with real problems, then don't be scared by the explicit words. Then you belong to these people, we enjoy helping and not to those KeWl KIddIEs, who can get lost on our behalf.

Q: I wrote a mail more than once to ccc@ccc.de. I think, that guy could finally answer my mail.

A: "that guy" consists of ca. 50 guys and guyls, this address isn't owned by one person but is a so called mailing list. Many people write a mail to it daily for asking a lot of questions. That doesn't mean that you will get an answer (or even a satisfying answer) in any case. Here are some hints how it could work:

Press officer

Q: I am a journalist and I want to report about the CCC and I have some other questions too. Who can give me information?

A: Please address our press contacts, more information is avaiable on our web server at http://www.ccc.de/AddressesAndContacts.html.

Mailing lists

Q: Does the CCC have a mailing list?

A: In the moment we do not provide a public mailing list. But we are preparing the installation of mailing lists.

Newsgroup

Q: What is de.org.ccc? How do I get on it?

A: de.org.ccc is a so called newsgroup, which belongs to the worldwide Usenet. Principally everybody can read and write on it - that means there is no "editor's office" (neither the CCC nor anybody) but the probability of meeting people from the CCC here is relatively high. The newsgroup is the right place for chaos specific discussions in general.

For reading News you normally need so called "newsreaders" (i.e. Free Agent). But you can also read news with your internet browser. For doing this, you must enter a news server, also called NNTP-Server. Your (friendly) Internet provider will tell you which server is the right one for you. If he doesn't know: there are also "open" server, but often you are only aloud to read from these, you can't post on them.