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Group hacks into TV broadcast

Prank showed a mushroom cloud over Bohemia

By Kimberly Ashton
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 20th, 2007 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
Photo courtesy of YouTube video posted by art group Ztohoven. youtube video
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Art pranksterism is nothing new here, and the latest gag, committed on Czech Television (ČTV), is again attracting attention.
An art group calling itself Ztohoven hacked into the ČT2 station June 17 during its Panorama show while it was displaying a picture of the Krkonoše Mountains in east Bohemia and posted an image of a mushroom cloud looming over a country landscape. Their Web site address, Ztohoven.com, was also posted.
“We attacked the media space … we impeached its truthfulness. We wanted to point out that it is possible to change a media picture for a real picture of the world,” Ztohoven, whose members are anonymous, said in a press release.
ČTV spokesman Martin Krafl called the incident unfortunate and said ČTV and Sitour, the company operating the camera that was hacked, are working together to improve security measures and are changing the hardware and software of the broadcasting system.
“Together with Sitour, ČTV will punish them for … inciting mayhem and for transmitting alarming images,” Krafl said. ČTV has found out who owns the Web address displayed on the image, he said.
Pavel Horný of the Trutnov police said the case is under investigation and that, if police prove Ztohoven was scaremongering, its members could face fines or prison terms ranging from six months to three years.
An anonymous man who claims to have been involved in the prank told Aktuálně.cz that 15 people were involved and that they began preparations three years ago. He said the doors to the camera room were unlocked and that, after the equipment hijacking, they slept in a meadow.
Three years ago, Ztohoven covered 800 advertisements in Prague’s metro with posters displaying large black question marks and Ztohoven’s Web address. According to a Czech News Agency (ČTK) report, one of the members at the time said the campaign was meant to show how advertisements “abuse our innermost desires, ideas and feelings in order to sell goods.”
The recent prank was likely seen by fewer than 50,000 viewers, Krafl told ČTK.
— Hela Balínová and Naďa Černá contributed to this report.

Kimberly Ashton can be reached at kashton@praguepost.com


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