We're in the age of mass surveillance

Your host Brent Gervais is joined by special guest Constanze Kurz – German computer scientist, hacker, activist and spokeswoman for the Chaos Computer Club (CCC). Constanze celebrates 20 years of Netzpolitik, an independent reader-supported organization that has been at the forefront of digital politics, regulation, and tech surveillance in Germany, and shares her insights on some of the most pressing issues facing us today.

Edward Snowden’s disclosures in 2013 were not only revelatory but also catalyzed a necessary discussion around mass surveillance and yet Constanze argues we’ve since lost momentum in this critical conversation. She expresses concern that, as the public has become increasingly complacent, the intelligence services have grown even more powerful and influential.

“We are in the age of mass surveillance. The problem is most of the public doesn’t discuss it anymore, and that its really a problem because what Snowden did was not only revealing, but also driving a debate. And we don’t have that debate anymore, and that really frustrates and concerns me.” – Constanze Kurz

We reflect on the changing landscape of hacktivism and investigative reporting, and how policy is struggling to keep pace with modern technological advancements.

Constanze also reminds us that there’s still much work to be done in addressing the pressing issues facing us today – from mass surveillance and data protection to predictive policing and platform capitalism.

Episode Links

• Constanze Kurz – Wikipedia
• CCC – Choas Computer Club
• netzpolitik.org
• Data Broker Files: How data brokers sell our location data and jeopardise national security
• Edward Snowden – Wikipedia
• CITIZENFOUR – A film by Laura Poitras
• 10 Years After Snowden | Electronic Frontier Foundation
• The case of Edward Snowden – National Whistleblower Center
• Snowden Archive – The Intercept
• Hacker ethic – Wikipedia
• Steven Levy – Wikipedia
• Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution — Steven Levy
• Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution – Wikipedia
• Enshittification – Wikipedia
• DEF CON 31 – An Audacious Plan to Halt the Internet’s Ensh*ttification – Cory Doctorow – YouTube
• German Constitutional Court strikes down predictive algorithms for policing – Euractiv
• CCC | The 38th Chaos Communication Congress: Illegal Instructions
• Announcing Nextcloud Hub 9!
• Nextcloud Enterprise Day 2024 – November 6 in Frankfurt

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