Yesterday I attended the Neocypherpunk Summit in Berlin with hundreds of people from various backgrounds who all care about the human right to privacy.
The term “cypherpunk” used to refer to extremely technical lone wolves who dedicated their lives to privacy. Thankfully, it has now evolved into a movement where anyone who cares about privacy is welcome, no matter their background. In one day I heard talks from human rights organisations, activists, engineers, academics, and philosophers.
People care about privacy to differing degrees and for various reasons. Some people need to protect their safety, some want to chat with their loved ones in a safe space, while others simply don’t want their data to enrich a tech oligarch who they don’t trust.
Privacy doesn’t mean isolating yourself from society, it is about the right to choose what information you share with whom. Yesterday was the opposite of isolation, with hundreds of people making friends, sharing ideas, and feeling inspired.
Whatever your reason, if you feel a bit uncomfortable about where your data flows behind your back, feel free to message me and we can come up with something small you can do today. It’s usually as simple as replacing one of your apps with another that has the same features, but is more secure. It feels empowering!