25c3 Nothing To Hide: Chaos Communication Congress in Germany
The Germany based Chaos Computer Club (CCC) has opened its traditional annual conference in Berlin, Germany, again this year. After a year of breakdowns in data security, the hacker organization is calling for a number of new protective measures.
Following the public (and final) resignation of former organizer and moderator, Tim Pritlove, on his blog on Christmas Eve, the conference was opened by CCC's technical-philosopher Sandro Gaycken. Keynote speaker was John Gilmore, one of the founders of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Gilmore provided his audience with much food for thought. "Nothing to hide," he proclaimed, and then paused for many seconds. The argument, nothing to hide, the unselfconscious laying open to observation and study, diagnosed Gilmore as a dangerous attitude. Both Gayken and Gilmore emphasized that "nothing to hide" may be relevant today, but will not be automatically relevant tomorrow.
The congress opening was followed by lectures chaired by CCC activist Constanze Kurz and lawyer Patrick Breyer from the study group Reserve Data Storage, on some highly publicized data security breakdowns in Germany in 2008. These included a large supermarket chain secretly filming staff and the dubious tracking of cellphone numbers by the state's police and recent data leakage at the German carrier Telekom.
The data protection measures called for by the CCC include the formation of an independent body, taking care exclusively of data protection. Further, the influential hacker organization would like to see the introduction of a Data Protection Document, which companies would use to inform their customers of the personal data saved and used over the past year. A fixed rate of compensation for misuses and an explicit "opt-in" process, differentiating between national and international use of personal data are also among CCC goals.
On a positive note, the conference reported an incident in which a truck carrying thousands of receipts containing sensitive customer information was involved in an accident, causing the receipts to be scattered over the freeway. The local police reacted by closing the freeway and painstakingly collecting the data, by flashlight. When asked why, an officer replied, "Data protection."
The 25. Chaos Communication Congress runs until Dec. 30.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.