Really really good conference panel on the surveillance of our communications, with Jacob Appelbaum and Christian Payne.

“The use of modern communication technologies promises maximum range and the option to reach millions of people “with just a few clicks.” Behind this promise, however, often hide very powerful companies that prosper on data collection. “Data mining”, i.e. the mass gathering and subsequent sale or utilization of user data is big business in the 21st Century. Even countries and their security forces, such as intelligence agencies and the police, are very interested in access to such data and interfaces via automated skimming. This creates a large gap between the fantastic opportunity to communicate with millions of people for free and the protection of privacy in the digital age. A solution to this dilemma is the establishment of decentralized communication systems which are in the hands of activists themselves and which ensure both data protection and the access to as many people as possible in the global network. The building blocks for this are already there: free software, creative ideas, technical programming expertise.”

Watch the video here: