Wolfie Christl

Wolfie Christl is a technologist, researcher, writer and privacy advocate with a focus on the social impact of information technology. Communication engineer by profession, he forgot almost everything about CRT TVs, 8051 assembler and Yagi antennas, but studied (and did not complete degrees in) computer science, sociology and media studies. Having been into digital communities, open source, bottom-up media and Python since the late 1990's, his current work is focused on privacy in times of pervasive digital tracking and data-driven decisions on people. In October 2016, his book „Networks of Control“ was published, written together with Sarah Spiekermann. His 2014 study „Kommerzielle digitale Überwachung im Alltag“ was presented in the European Parliament and widely discussed in German-speaking countries. Before, he co-created „Data Dealer“, an award-winning online game about personal data and privacy. In addition, he contributed to TV documentaries about digital tracking, works as a trainer for employee privacy and writes for newspapers such as the German FAZ. From 2000 to 2006 he was a part of Public Netbase, a media art platform, non-profit ISP and kind of early hackerspace in Vienna. He and his projects have been featured in the New York Times, Forbes and many other media outlets around the world.

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