{"id":849,"date":"2015-11-15T20:45:38","date_gmt":"2015-11-15T20:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849"},"modified":"2025-11-09T00:24:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T00:24:08","slug":"the-plk-a-crucial-communication-tool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849","title":{"rendered":"The PLK: A Crucial Communication Tool"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Bodo<\/strong>\/Rabenauge provided us with this scan. It\u2019s an inconspicuous pink paper slip, slightly bigger than a credit card. For German <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='someone who removes the copy protection of proprietary software'>crackers<\/abbr> and <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='members of the demoscene, a global community of realtime graphics programmers and computer artists, born out of the cracking scene'>demosceners<\/abbr> in the 1980s, however, it was the single most important tool for long-distance communication and data transfer, before the introduction of <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='bulletin board system, a pre-internet form of online communication and file exchange'>BBS<\/abbr>&#8216;s and a long time before the Internet.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n#foogallery-gallery-847 .fg-image { width: 200px; }\n#foogallery-gallery-847 { --fg-gutter: 10px; }<\/style>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"foogallery foogallery-container foogallery-default foogallery-lightbox-foobox-free fg-center fg-default fg-ready fg-light fg-border-thin fg-round-full fg-shadow-small fg-loading-default fg-loaded-fade-in fg-caption-hover fg-hover-fade fg-hover-zoom\" id=\"foogallery-gallery-847\" data-foogallery=\"{&quot;item&quot;:{&quot;showCaptionTitle&quot;:true,&quot;showCaptionDescription&quot;:true},&quot;lazy&quot;:true}\" style=\"--fg-title-line-clamp: 0; --fg-description-line-clamp: 0;\" >\n\t<div class=\"fg-item fg-type-image fg-idle\"><figure class=\"fg-item-inner\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/postlagerkarte_1988.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"848\" data-type=\"image\" class=\"fg-thumb\"><span class=\"fg-image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"skip-lazy fg-image\" data-src-fg=\"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/cache\/2015\/11\/postlagerkarte_1988\/2105852223.jpg\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%22200%22%20height%3D%22200%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20200%20200%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" loading=\"eager\"><\/span><span class=\"fg-image-overlay\"><\/span><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"fg-loader\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">PLK is short for \u201cPostlagerkarte\u201d and roughly translates as \u201cMail storage card\u201d. Introduced by the German Imperial Post in 1910, it was a service that enabled customers to receive mail anonymously.<span id='easy-footnote-1-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-1-849' title='&lt;a href=&quot;http:\/\/de.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Postlagerkarte&quot;&gt;http:\/\/de.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Postlagerkarte&lt;\/a&gt;'><sup>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> The pink slip was the only ID you needed at the post office counter to pick up the mail sent to the particular PLK number. Also, unlike P.O. boxes (\u201cPostf\u00e4cher\u201d), you could get a PLK for free and without having to reveal your identity.<span id='easy-footnote-2-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-2-849' title='Jeff Smart. \u201eWhat\u2019s going on in Germaney???\u201c &lt;em&gt;Illegal&lt;\/em&gt;, no. 29 (1988): 9, &lt;a href=&quot;http:\/\/archive.scene.org\/pub\/mags\/illegal\/illegal29.pdf&quot;&gt;http:\/\/archive.&lt;abbr class=&#039;c2c-text-hover&#039; title=&#039;self-referring term for the cracking scene and the demoscene&#039;&gt;scene&lt;\/abbr&gt;.org\/pub\/mags\/illegal\/illegal29.pdf&lt;\/a&gt;'><sup>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> From the mid-1980s onwards, when German law enforcement began to take piracy more seriously, PLKs became the preferred software exchange channel for computer kids \u2013 and particularly for their \u201celite\u201d segment, the crackers and <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='members of a scene group whose job was to spread the group&#039;s releases by post'>swappers<\/abbr>, who raised illicit software exchange to a semi-professional level. Going to the post office and picking up the latest disk-filled envelopes was part of the most active <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='self-referring term for members of the cracking scene and the demoscene'>sceners<\/abbr>\u2019 daily routine. Some even went as far as having multiple PLKs across their hometown.<span id='easy-footnote-3-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-3-849' title='Gangsterkater. \u201eWir waren Cracker. Eine reale Geschichte aus der Sicht eines Insiders.\u201c &lt;em&gt;Cevi-Aktuell&lt;\/em&gt;, no. 3 (2008): 29, &lt;a href=&quot;http:\/\/www.c64.at\/modules\/download_gallery\/dlc.php?file=171&quot;&gt;http:\/\/www.c64.at\/modules\/download_gallery\/dlc.php?file=171&lt;\/a&gt;; \u201eA Sad Boy\u201c. \u201eAre the P.O. Box \/ PLK so sure??\u201c &lt;em&gt;Bad Tongue&lt;\/em&gt;, no. 4 (1988), &lt;a href=&quot;http:\/\/demozoo.org\/productions\/128439\/&quot;&gt;http:\/\/demozoo.org\/productions\/128439\/&lt;\/a&gt;'><sup>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Of course the German public, and particularly the law enforcement authorities, became aware of the scheme rather quickly. Already in 1984, some computer magazines stopped publishing classified ads with a PLK contact address, as it began to have an air of piracy and fraud around it.<span id='easy-footnote-4-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-4-849' title='\u201eRaubkopierer Achtung!!\u201c &lt;em&gt;Computer Kontakt&lt;\/em&gt;, no. 12 (1984): 59.'><sup>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span> In 1986, the infamous copyright lawyer G\u00fcnter von Gravenreuth described the PLK principle to a specialist audience.<span id='easy-footnote-5-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-5-849' title='Gravenreuth, G\u00fcnter Freiherr von. &lt;em&gt;Das Plagiat aus strafrechtlicher Sicht. Software-, Video- und Markenpiraterie, Raubdrucke. Die Straftatbest\u00e4nde des gewerblichen Rechtsschutzes. Einschl\u00e4giges Prozessrecht&lt;\/em&gt; (K\u00f6ln: Carl Heymanns Verlag, 1986), 193.'><sup>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span> To cope with the PLKs\u2019 anonymity, the authorities had to go to great lengths. After finding out which post office a particular PLK was assigned to, the police had to place plain clothes officers at the post office and wait until someone showed up to collect their mail.<span id='easy-footnote-6-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-6-849' title='Ibid.; Gravenreuth, G\u00fcnter Freiherr von. \u201eDie Tricks der Softwarepiraten.\u201c &lt;em&gt;KES: Zeitschrift f\u00fcr Kommunikations- und EDV-Sicherheit&lt;\/em&gt; 4, no. 5 (1988): 290\u201392.'><sup>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span> 1980s <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='someone who removes the copy protection of proprietary software'>cracker<\/abbr> magazines are full of reports about people getting \u201cbusted\u201d in this manner. Jeff Smart, editor of the <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='early scene magazine printed on paper, comparable to fanzines'>papermag<\/abbr> \u2018Illegal\u2019, described the typical situation in 1988: <em>\u201cNormally you get a PLK [\u2026] without giving your name or address, so the cops have to wait in the post office until you appear and get your packages from the counter clerk. Then they politely ask you: \u2018are you really in that group X.X.X. ???\u2019 and GA-BOSH! Game over for you!\u201c.<\/em><span id='easy-footnote-7-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-7-849' title='Jeff Smart, \u201eWhat\u2019s going on in Germaney???\u201d'><sup>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Such confrontations at the post office, which sometimes escalated into spectacular chasing scenes, could also lead to a house search.<span id='easy-footnote-8-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-8-849' title='Virus. \u201eDie Virus-Story.\u201c &lt;em&gt;Crackers International&lt;\/em&gt;, no. 3 (1989): 7, &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/files.scene.org\/view\/mags\/crackers_international\/crackers_international_03.pdf&quot;&gt;https:\/\/files.scene.org\/view\/mags\/crackers_international\/crackers_international_03.pdf&lt;\/a&gt;; MC Winkel, &lt;em&gt;Die Postlagerkarte (back in the days), &lt;\/em&gt;Whudat blog, 28 January 2009, &lt;a href=&quot;http:\/\/www.whudat.de\/die-postlagerkarte-back-in-the-days\/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;http:\/\/www.whudat.de\/die-postlagerkarte-back-in-the-days\/&lt;\/a&gt;'><sup>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Those who used PLKs for <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='exchanging (pirated or self-programmed) software by post'>swapping<\/abbr> resorted to different strategies to counter these measures. After the dangers of picking up PLK mail became common knowledge, sceners went to the post office in groups: <em>\u201cOne of us took a peek, and if the situation seemed safe, he beckoned the rest of us.\u201d<\/em><span id='easy-footnote-9-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-9-849' title='J\u00f6rg. \u201eWir waren Cracker.\u201c &lt;em&gt;Cevi-Aktuell&lt;\/em&gt;, no. 5 (2008): 13, &lt;a href=&quot;http:\/\/www.c64.at\/modules\/download_gallery\/dlc.php?file=172&quot;&gt;http:\/\/www.c64.at\/modules\/download_gallery\/dlc.php?file=172&lt;\/a&gt;'><sup>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Those operating on a more professional level resorted to hiring younger kids who would pick up their mail for pocket money. These, ideally, did not even own home computers, and thus were perfectly \u201cclean\u201d when apprehended by the police.<span id='easy-footnote-10-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-10-849' title='Interview with Hamster\/TRSI, Saarbr\u00fccken\/Germany, 4 April 2015.'><sup>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Other groups began leasing P.O. boxes in neighbouring countries with a more lax attitude towards piracy, such as Belgium or Luxembourg, and periodically drove over the border to pick up their packages.<span id='easy-footnote-11-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-11-849' title='Ibid.; \u201eSpecial note and information.\u201c &lt;em&gt;Criminal [Paper]&lt;\/em&gt;, no. 1 (1990): 6, &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/files.scene.org\/view\/resources\/gotpapers\/magazines\/criminal_1_%28april_1990%29.pdf&quot;&gt;https:\/\/files.scene.org\/view\/resources\/gotpapers\/magazines\/criminal_1_%28april_1990%29.pdf&lt;\/a&gt;'><sup>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">All in all, PLKs quickly turned out to be anything <em>but<\/em> the universal remedy for those involved in software swapping. However, they were still widely used \u2013 most importantly because they allowed the hiding of real names and addresses not only from the police, but also from other sceners. Thus, PLKs also became the preferred method of data exchange for demosceners \u2013 some of whom even wrote to commercial computer magazines arguing that having a PLK did not always imply criminal intent.<span id='easy-footnote-12-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-12-849' title='Case\/Duplex A. \u201eLegale PLK? [letter to the editor].\u201c &lt;em&gt;&lt;abbr class=&#039;c2c-text-hover&#039; title=&#039;Commodore Amiga, one of the most popular 16-bit home computers, produced between 1985 and 1996&#039;&gt;Amiga&lt;\/abbr&gt; Special&lt;\/em&gt;, no. 12 (1990): 4.'><sup>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span> The notion of a PLK as a synonym for a contact address within the scene became so popular that even in a Yugoslavian crack <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='short realtime-calculated graphical demonstration program, originally placed infront of a pirated game'>intro<\/abbr>, the group introduced their contact details (an ordinary street address) as \u201cour PLK\u201d.<span id='easy-footnote-13-849' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?p=849#easy-footnote-bottom-13-849' title='Yugoslav Cracking Service. &lt;em&gt;3D Construction Kit [Crack]&lt;\/em&gt;. Commodore 64, [late 1980s], &lt;a href=&quot;http:\/\/csdb.dk\/release\/?id=142663&quot;&gt;http:\/\/csdb.dk\/release\/?id=142663&lt;\/a&gt;'><sup>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Thus, the concept of a PLK gained international cultural significance within early home computer culture even beyond its original meaning.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The German Post abolished the PLK system on 1 June 1991. The scene did not shed many tears over it \u2013 after all, much of the data exchange was already relocated onto BBSs. However, a significant cultural practice disappeared, to be forgotten by all except by those who experienced it themselves.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Gleb J. Albert<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Got a personal PLK story to tell, and want to share it with our readers? Please do get <a href=\"http:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/?page_id=15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in contact<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">PS: The scan of Bodo&#8217;s PLK is available <a href=\"https:\/\/files.scene.org\/view\/resources\/gotpapers\/other\/postlagerkarte_1988.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bodo\/Rabenauge provided us with this scan. It\u2019s an inconspicuous pink paper slip, slightly bigger than a credit card. For German <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='someone who removes the copy protection of proprietary software'>crackers<\/abbr> and <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='members of the demoscene, a global community of realtime graphics programmers and computer artists, born out of the cracking scene'>demosceners<\/abbr> in the 1980s, however, it was the single most important tool for long-distance communication and data transfer, before the introduction of <abbr class='c2c-text-hover' title='bulletin board system, a pre-internet form of online communication and file exchange'>BBS<\/abbr>&#8216;s and a long time before the Internet. PLK is short [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[25,17],"class_list":["post-849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-additions","tag-other","tag-swapletters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=849"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4223,"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849\/revisions\/4223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpapers.scene.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}