Tilman Hausherr

Infobox Writer
name = Tilman Hausherr

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imagesize =
caption =
pseudonym =
birthdate =
birthplace = GER
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = software developer
nationality = German
period =
genre = computer programming, anti-cult activism
subject = Scientology, Relational database management system
movement =
influences =
influenced =


website = http://www.xenu.de/

Tilman Hausherr is a German citizen living in Berlin, Germany. Hausherr is well-known among critics of Scientology for his frequent Usenet posts and for maintaining a website critical of Scientology. Hausherr is also the author of a software utility, Xenu's Link Sleuth, which was praised in a 2002 "PC Magazine" article covering 70 web builder utilities. ["70 assists for a winning site.(WEB BUILDER'S TOOLKIT)", "PC Magazine", April 23, 2002.]

Coined "Sporgery"

Hausherr is credited with coining the term "Sporgery" in the Usenet newsgroup "alt.religion.scientology", to which he is a regular contributor. [ [http://www.g4tv.com/techtvvault/features/10675/Attack_of_the_Robotic_Poets_pg2.html Attack of the Robotic Poets] , "ZDNet", by Kevin Poulsen, May 06, 1999.] cite book
last = Højsgaard
first = Morten T.
authorlink =
coauthors = Margit Warburg
title = Religion and Cyberspace
publisher = Routledge
date = 2005
location =
pages = Page 111
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = ISBN 0415357675] "Sporgery" refers to internet attacks that not only spam a forum with offensive posts but also misrepresent regular users by forging their names to the spam posts. The term is a blending of the words "spam" and "forgery". [cite news | first = Daniel | last = Rutter | title = Gibbering clones the future of Usenet? | url = http://www.dansdata.com/sporge.htm | format = Reprint with annotation | work = | publisher = Australian IT | date = 1999-09-16 | accessdate = 2007-03-16]

Website

Hausherr's website contains a large section critical of Scientology, including the "Scientology celebrities FAQ", as well as the "FAQ: Scientology in Germany" (2001). [cite journal
last=Kent
first=Stephen A.
title=Scientology and the European Human Rights Debate: A Reply to Leisa Goodman, J. Gordon Melton, and the European Rehabilitation Project Force Study
journal=Marburg Journal of Religion
volume=8
issue=1
year=2003
month=September
url=http://web.uni-marburg.de/religionswissenschaft/journal/mjr/kent3.html ] [cite journal
first=Irving
last=Hexham
coauthors=Karla Poewe
title=“Verfassungsfeindlich”: Church, State, And New Religions In Germany
journal=Nova Religio
volume=2
issue=2
year=1999 | month=April | pages=208–227
url=http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~nurelweb/papers/irving/Verfas.htm
doi=10.1525/nr.1999.2.2.208
Hudson, David., [http://www.salon.com/feb97/news/news970225.html Scientology's "Holocaust" : Is Hollywood on the wrong side in Germany's "Church" vs. state furor?] , "Salon.com", February 25, 1997] He has also contributed updates on the activities of the Church of Scientology to the magazine "Berliner Dialog", published until 2005 by the non-profit organization Dialog Zentrum Berlin e.V. [ [http://www.religio.de/dialog/397/397s27.html Berliner Dialog Article by Tilman Hausherr, "Helnwein und Scientology"] ] Hausherr was quoted in "Religion Online" as stating on his Web site: "Scientology is evil; its techniques evil; its practice a serious threat to the community, medically, morally and socially." [cite book
last = Dawson
first = Lorne L.
authorlink =
coauthors = Douglas E. Cowan
title = Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet
publisher = Routledge
date = 2004
location =
pages = Page 261
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = ISBN 0415970229]

In 1998, attorneys representing the Church of Scientology sent a letter to Hausherr, telling him to remove altered Scientology images from his Web site.cite news
last = Macavinta
first = Courtney
coauthors =
title = Scientologists in trademark disputes
work =
pages =
language = English
publisher = CNET News
date = January 29, 1998
url = http://news.com.com/Scientologists+in+trademark+disputes/2100-1023_3-207618.html
accessdate = ] Hausherr had parodied copyright-protected images belonging to the Church including changing the Scientology "S" to a dollar sign, as well as elongating the nose of the president of the organization, an image intended to evoke comparison to Pinocchio. In the course of the dispute Compuserve, which was hosting the pages and altered images, blocked his website for terms of service violations. [cite news
last = Zehnder
first = Matthias W.
title = Extremismus im Internet
work =
pages =
language = German
publisher = Birkhäuser Verlag
date = 1998
url = http://www.mediaculture-online.de/fileadmin/bibliothek/zehnder_extremismus/zehnder_extremismus.html
accessdate = ] Hausherr defended his site, saying "It's just a page making fun of Scientology--it's a form of art. Parodies are allowed under German and U.S. law."

References

External links

* [http://www.xenu.de/ The homepage of Tilman Hausherr]