HAMBURG: The Chaos Computer Club (CCC), which says it is Europe's largest association of hackers, and other organisations have launched a call for a monthly Digital Independence Day, urging people to rethink their reliance on the dominant digital platforms.
Starting January 4, the alliance will encourage people on the first Sunday of every month to critically examine the platforms they use and migrate to services that better support democratic values, the group said on Saturday, the opening day of the annual Chaos Communication Congress in Hamburg.
"Europe is in the stranglehold of Big Tech. These platforms disregard our laws, erode our democracy, and thus our freedom," CCC wrote on its blog.
"The German government is like a deer caught in headlights, not even daring to leave its current position. So we must take the lead. If we switch together, we can break the network effect."
The campaign encourages users to move to independent digital services that offer stronger data protection. These include privacy-focused email providers, independent messaging services such as Signal, and web browsers like Firefox and Ecosia.
Around 16,000 people are attending the 39th annual Chaos Communication Congress in Hamburg through Tuesday. The programme includes a total of 165 lectures, some scheduled as late-night sessions.
CCC was founded in Berlin in 1981 and advocates for digital rights and cybersecurity, with a strong focus on the societal impact of technology.
The members describe themselves as white-hat hackers. To prevent harm, CCC members report vulnerabilities in digital systems to the relevant authorities so that security gaps can be closed. – dpa
