Keeping the memory alive

The German embassy has taken note of the discussions that have arisen around the recent launch of a book by a Maltese author on Adolf Hitler.

Hitler’s personality and actions have been researched and written about in detail by eminent historians and scholars. Their works clearly document beyond doubt his ultimate responsibility for German atrocities including the instigation of World War II, the Holocaust and countless crimes against humanity in a multitude of countries during the war, causing the death of millions, misery and destruction.

Of course, freedom of opinion is an important value and has to be protected and respected. However, ill-guided attempts to attribute allegedly positive characteristics to Hitler and/or to belittle the enormity of his crimes are erroneous to the extreme.

It is our responsibility and that of future generations to keep the truthful memory alive because this is the only way to ensure that such crimes will never happen again.

By the way, denial of the Holocaust constitutes a crime in Germany and 17 other European countries. 

Walter Haßmann, German Ambassador – Ta’ Xbiex

From the online comments board

Students arrested after exposing FreeHour security flaw

Police investigate four students who discovered vulnerability in application

Malta’s police: taking no action where it is sorely needed and coming down hard where there should be little or no action. It all depends on the perpetrator.

The students who were questioned. Photo: Daniel Tinh

They were trying to make the app more safe by looking for vulnerabilities. They found one, notified the owner, who fixed it, but instead of thanking them and giving a reward, went to the police.

Incredible if this wasn’t Malta. – Simon Oosterman

How acutely demotivating for these students. They use their skills to uncover a flaw (and provide a service to the company) and, instead of thanks and a “well done” and “well spotted”, get threatened with jail time and enormous fines. Smells like an attempt to divert attention from the glaring fact that the company was negligent in its provisions for data security. Several companies actually employ or pay so-called “white hackers” to ensure the quality of their services. I hope any judge sees through this.

Having said all that, one, of course, needs to also take into account a certain degree of naivety from the part of the students… but they are young people with little experience in life, making it all the more deplorable of the company to negatively indoctrinate them in this way. – Don Botkins

Students detected a vulnerability within Zach Ciappara’s software, which could have led to data being leaked and causing embarrassment and financial loss for the company. They had the decency to come directly to the company and not go public  and, instead of rewarding them and writing a report about what the vulnerability was, how it was fixed and how long it took to get fixed, Ciappara is trying to silence and punish them.

He should really be ashamed of himself. It is a pity they did not find a vulnerability in the software of a serious company as they would be praised and rewarded as white hat hackers. – D. Cauchi