Scientology Debate
Windows 2000 components
Not to be in Hamburg government computers
Washington, USA
June 16, 2000
Der TagesspiegelKarsten Plog
The city-state of Hamburg will not use certain components of the new Windows 2000 computer operating system in its agencies because the components were produced by a U.S. company whose owner is one of the most influential Scientologists. That was verified on Thursday by a spokeswoman of the Hamburg Revenue Agency, which is also responsible for this issue in other agencies.
This is in regard to a so-called defragmentation program with the name of Diskeeper, which serves to organize the data on a hard disk so that it can be more quickly accessed by the computer. The producer is the U.S. company Executive Software, Inc., which belongs to Scientologist Craig Jensen, who, according to the information in Hamburg, is counted as one of the managing forces of Scientology at "Class VIII Operating Thetan." Executive Software, in turn, belongs to the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE). That corporation was mentioned in a report from the Hamburg Work Group on Scientology to the public in a warning. It, as were the other Scientology organizations, was obligated to spread Scientology ideology. For that reason, Ursula Caberta, the Director of the Work Group, was against the installation of Diskeeper.
Other experts, including information technology professor Klaus Brunnstein, cannot rule out that data could be forwarded with this software. In the meantime, the Windows provider, Microsoft, has certified that Diskeeper could be utilized with no objection. For some time, Hamburg has been on the offensive with the Scientologists, who allegedly recently paid 20 million marks for a five-story building downtown. Interior Senator Hartmuth Wrocklage (SPD) concluded from that that "a considerable danger for the welfare of our people" is posed by the Scientologists.
On the part of the Federal Office for Security and Information Technology, nobody wanted to address the matter. "Diskeeper is a matter in process," said the representative spokesman of the Bonn office, Joachim Weber. For two months BSI, on commission of the Interior Ministry, has been negotiating with Microsoft in order to clear up any sort of threat from the operating system.
Federal office checking out controversial new software in Windows 2000
Bonn, Germany
June 7, 2000
dpaBonn - The Federal Office for Security in Information Technology (BSI) is reviewing a controversial component of the new Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system for possible risks to data security. There is still an agreement with the American software firm to be worked out in June, said BSI spokesman Michael Dickopf on Wednesday to the dpa in Bonn.
The system has been making headlines because of possible entanglement with the Scientology Organization. Microsoft has stated that a certain program which performs maintenance on the hard disk, the "Diskeeper" program, is from a U.S. corporation whose boss is a professed Scientology adherent.
Because of the connection to Scientology, there are objections to installing the new operating system in German government agencies, and apparently also in German dioceses. The main thing to be checked out by the BSI experts is whether user data on the hard disk could be forwarded, unnoticed, to a third party, Dickopf stressed. That is a method by which users could be put under surveillance. But the BSI is not concerned with Scientology involvement, Dickopf made clear. The BSI is purely a technical agency to review security.
The Diskeeper program, which groups scattered files together on the hard disk, is produced by the California company, Executive Software. Director Craig Jensen openly acknowledges his membership in Scientology. Windows 2000 is the largest commercial software project in computer history, and is supposed to replace its predecessor, Windows NT.
Scientology Software
Does Windows 2000 spy on its users?
Bonn, Germany
February 27, 2000
SpiegelNew headwind for Windows 2000: now the operating system will also be scrutinized by the Federal Office for Security in Information Technology (BSI) - for potential security deficiencies.
Bonn - At the center point of the investigation is apparently the "Diskeeper" defragmentation program. The maintenance software, a component of the comprehensive operating system, originates from the California company Executive Software belonging to professed Scientologist Craig Jensen.
What will mainly be reviewed is whether user data from the hard drive could be forwarded, undetected, to third parties, said BSI spokesman Michael Dickopf. In this way, it would be possible to spy upon the users.
Currently negotiations about the specific review of the system in the USA are being carried out with Microsoft, said Dickopf. However, the software corporation has already agreed to investigation of the software in dispute.
Windows 2000, which is probably the largest commercial software project in computer history, has recently come under criticism for about 60,000 hidden source errors in its source code. The EU Commission has already announced an investigation because of possible incompatibility with programs by other producers.
The successor program of Windows NT is to be introduced to the public in San Francisco on Thursday evening by Microsoft Chief Steve Ballmer and corporate founder Bill Gates.