16,000 participants meeting in Leipzig at the annual Congress of the Chaos Computer Club. The speaker makes clear why the session is now only for specialist interesting.
Deutsche Welle: the Motto of The 35. Chaos Computer Club Congress is “refreshing memories”: What memories do you want to brush up on?
Linus Neumann: We believe that it might be useful would be a couple of refresh our memories in these times, where a Donald Trump talks about, America would be great again. We have the impression in Europe, too, there are political movements that talk a lot about the past – a past that existed in our memories. That’s why we want to refresh a bit of memory, but also a refreshing reminder create to make in order to continue with a positive view of the world in the future.
The defining theme IT is this time-and safety – for example, biometric methods. What risks do you see there?
Biometric methods are often used in two Ways. One is to Monitor people more or less against their will. And the other is in the case of safety systems, since the be used for access control. Now the Problem is when such a biometric method that human beings have only two hands, two eyes and ten fingers. We can’t share, if someone was able to copy.
The vein recognition is the attempt to take a biometric characteristic of what the people wear all the time publicly in the face or on the hands. Here it is, in fact, the arrangement of the veins in the Hand itself. And this procedure had previously been always particularly safe and is also used for access control systems. Two researchers will keep us a lecture and show how you can remove it in the body of the images. And how to build a dummy which outwitted then, in turn, access systems, and provide him with the actual Hand that would be there.
A topic on the Congress-choice of computer. Why are we in Germany in the case of elections, our cross-still with pencil on paper?
Firstly, because there has been a judgment of the Federal constitutional court, in which the Chaos Computer Club was instrumental. In Germany it is legally prescribed that the election must be free, secret and incomprehensible. Thus, a democratic election must take place. The Computer serves as a choice of computer, then he is a programmed machine which needs to store data. Either the Computer is programmed so that the choice is understandable – this means for every single voice that the Computer can tell me how you came into being. You can do this, in the Moment, I can sacrifice, but the secrecy of the vote. And in the Moment, when I say that the voice has to remain a secret, can’t prove the Computer to understand how all of the individual votes came about.
Therefore, it is basically in our eyes and in the eyes of the Federal constitutional court is not possible to build an electoral system that has both properties. Our Belief is that we need in the name of democracy and security also the safest method. And because a Computer can not be involved.
Linus Neumann, a spokesman for the Chaos Computer club
The mentioned technologies are used in other countries successfully for years, for example, Estonia is regarded as a flagship country and prides itself with the Successes. Makers of the “CCC” is a Club of a Concern?
First of all, I have to say that Estonia has suffered with his Leadership in the digitization of the society and the policy of quite a few major setbacks, which were also presented at our events over the years. What is the role of the Chaos Computer club: It is about to wear of concerns, but it is a matter of problems, which are obviously to be avoided. We are all technology enthusiasts, people, what you see on our event. This is where the fun of the device is to be lived, here, systems will be hacked, here are new things to be built, things to be improved. We have only our General concerns, the areas in which these technologies of the company. For example, when it comes to health data, which are probably the most sensitive data we collect.
Or in the case of elections, which are the most important and sacred act of democracy. There is simply not fashionable at the Moment, be careful, in order to build something you regret later. Blind faith in progress has never done well for someone and you can’t find technically competent people also. In this respect, we will warn since and will warn you if we see any problems before. So far, we had always, when it comes to anticipation of problems, a relatively good nose.
Earlier Congress was considered the event for a few selected specialists. Now you to make regular attendance records, this year, with 16,000 tickets sold. How do you explain the success?
The success of the event is certainly due to the fact that the issues we are discussing here, have more and more interest and relevance in the society. 35 years ago very few people had computers and no one with a Smartphone. 35 years later, it’s different. These topics not only deal with the fringe groups, but the whole of society. Furthermore, I am convinced of course that we are offering here is an extremely interesting event is that in their programmatic diversity, of course, on a very much wider audience of interest. In this respect, the Congress has been interested, probably converted from a organisation of hackers for Hacker to an event by hackers for hackers, and socially.
Linus Neumann is the spokesperson of the Chaos Computer club (CCC). In the, founded in 1981, club hackers. He is now heavily involved when it comes to matters of computer security.
The Interview was conducted by Friedel dove.