2026-07-08
33 分钟This is The Guardian.
Hi, my name is Huid Modekolk.
I'm the author of Leave No Trace, How a Teenage Hacker Lost Himself Online.
It was published in 2021. It's a story of a troubled
boy who found online the recognition he struggled to find in the real world.
In a moment of bravado, he made a mistake with serious consequences, including for himself.
What drew me to the story is that the consequences of the hack of the Netherlands
main telecom provider were widely reported in the media, but the boy's story was never told.
The first time I spoke to him, what struck me immediately was his fragility and disarming manner.
It was hard not to feel a certain sympathy for him.
I think that the underlining theme of the story, the vulnerability of young people in a world increasingly shaped
by technology, may be even more relevant today than it was in 2021. Do we judge these young people
solely by what they do or do we try to understand who they are?
And do we still hold on to a sense of humanity when we do?
Welcome to The Guardian Long Read, showcasing the best long-form journalism covering culture, politics and new thinking.
For the text version of this and all our long reads, go to theguardian.com forward slash long read.
Leave No Trace, How a Teenage Hacker Lost Himself Online by Haub Mudderkolk.
Read by Aaron Vodovos and produced by Esther Apoku Jenny.
Yosei Robbe was leaving her place of work in Rotterdam when she saw a man and a woman walking towards her.
It was a Tuesday afternoon, 20th of March, 2012. Are you Mrs. Robbe?