My Story

Growing up as a child with a pioneer scarf in East Germany, I couldn’t imagine ever going further than Prague. In 1997 I was the manager of an eCommerce start-up in San Francisco, then suddenly on the Pacific and literally in another world. The people of Silicon Valley were a smart, gorgeous mix from all over the world. Their enthusiasm and the innovative power of the internet allowed new business models to emerge almost every week.

My company, which I founded with a friend in 2003, also grew at this speed thanks to our enthusiasm for the Internet and cloud computing. Even then, I realized how difficult it could one day be to protect new technologies and digital opportunities from misuse.

Early companies (now giants) such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft have “contracted and controlled” billions of users worldwide through the success of their products and services and through network effects. They monetize user data and create a version of the digital world in which privacy and anonymity will soon no longer play a role.

Our governments and most politicians do not yet count it among their duties to protect our privacy and our fundamental rights on the Internet. Laws on data retention without reason, the use of state trojan software (Surveillance – Why are they allowed to do that?), and efforts to break secure end-to-end encryption(Chat Control) are the wrong way and must be reversed.

As a CloudPirate, I fight for people-friendly digitalization . I am committed to a future that guarantees security and privacy for people and businesses. Everyone should have the freedom to use technology and content cleanly and with little risk.

You can find a few details about my career in my LinkedIn profile.

My Story

Growing up as a child with a pioneer scarf in East Germany, I couldn’t imagine ever going further than Prague. In 1997 I was the manager of an eCommerce start-up in San Francisco, then suddenly on the Pacific and literally in another world. The people of Silicon Valley were a smart, gorgeous mix from all over the world. Their enthusiasm and the innovative power of the internet allowed new business models to emerge almost every week.

My company, which I founded with a friend in 2003, also grew at this speed thanks to our enthusiasm for the Internet and cloud computing. Even then, I realized how difficult it could one day be to protect new technologies and digital opportunities from misuse.

Early companies (now giants) such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft have “contracted and controlled” billions of users worldwide through the success of their products and services and through network effects. They monetize user data and create a version of the digital world in which privacy and anonymity will soon no longer play a role.

Our governments and most politicians do not yet count it among their duties to protect our privacy and our fundamental rights on the Internet. Laws on data retention, the use of state trojan software (surveillance – why are they allowed to do that), and efforts to break secure end-to-end encryption (chat control) are the wrong way and must be reversed.

As a CloudPirat I fight against these developments and for the digital freedom rights of people and companies. I am committed to a future that guarantees us security and privacy. Everyone should have the freedom to use technology and content cleanly and with little risk.

The view of the blue ocean has given me distance and freedom in thinking for years. We cannot change the wind and weather out at sea, but we can set the right course and sail to find our way to our destination.

You can find a few details about my career in my LinkedIn profile.

VISION

As citizens, entrepreneurs and responsible individuals, we can still help determine our digital destiny and advocate legislation and technologies that protect us from arbitrary espionage and restrictions on freedom. The following three points are particularly important to me:

“Everyone has sovereignty over their private data.”

“Our fundamental rights and laws effectively protect us from invasions of our privacy and from manipulation by companies, law enforcement agencies and other organizations.”

“Privacy by Design – is the ethical standard according to which hardware, software, applications and services are developed, offered and operated. It is the standard by which responsible and trustworthy developers, manufacturers, providers and operators are guided and measured by enlightened users/customers.

In order to realize this vision, I am striving for a cooperation and unification of all forces and organizations that are already committed to this topic.

I want to convince 100,000 people that it makes sense and is possible to take back your privacy step by step on the Internet. For this purpose, I provide forms of learning such as the Self-Defense BaseCamp and, in the future, the CloudPirat Academy .

People for whom the topic is a matter close to my heart will soon be able to exchange information in the CloudPirat collective and get involved in projects to protect digital freedoms.

MISSION

Join my mission as part of a community!

I would like to convince 100,000 people that it makes sense and is possible to gradually regain their privacy online. I could use any help with that! Above all, imparting the necessary knowledge and skills to private individuals and companies.

100,000 men on the dead man’s chest

Our goal is to anchor these rights in the Basic Law in the interests of the users and not in the interests of investigative authorities and large corporations.

what we believe to be unethical behavior and how data is misappropriated for material and manipulative purposes.

This also includes the sense and nonsense of biometric surveillance, unprovoked data retention, encryption bans and other unethical attacks on our fundamental rights.

We provide assistance and impart knowledge for ethically acting individuals, organizations, companies and governments to strengthen and protect the personal rights of digital citizens in a free world.

We will support solutions and providers that protect the privacy and online security of users right from the start (privacy-by-design), publish their source code and rely on decentralized instead of centralized solutions.

PASSION
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Free as the ocean

The view of the blue ocean has brought me distance and clarity in my thinking for years. We can’t change the wind and weather out at sea, but we can set the course and set the sails right to work our way to the goal. This is exactly how I want to fight for change and freedom myself in the digital age. Keeping an eye on the essentials, step by step and in an ethical and responsible way.

Nothing else is needed for evil to triumph if good people do nothing at all. – Edmund Burke

This website and the “Self Defense BaseCamp” are a first step towards digital self-defence. I want to help people make better decisions about their privacy – professionally and privately.
This work requires:
  • Good research on the net,
  • Good IT skills at different levels
  • The talent to explain complicated facts simply
  • Produce and update blog articles, videos and podcasts in multiple languages
  • Guerrilla marketing and social media skills
  • Networking with other NGOs and activists
  • Legal assistance
  • The planning of joint actions
  • A lot of political interference

..and of course a lot of work and a high investment of time.

I definitely need help with this. I am looking for committed colleagues who will help me to actively defend digital freedom rights and privacy on the internet. Anyone who wants to contribute or has the patience to learn to contribute is more than welcome. I’m looking forward to your message.

KNOWLEDGE BRINGS FREEDOM!

Have you ever been the victim of a digital attack? Have your logins ever been stolen? Do you sometimes wonder how much Google, Amazon or Facebook already know about you and whether this is still good?

CloudPirat offers professional support in digital self-defense and makes individuals and companies fit for the digital future on different levels. Together with his crew, he fights for our digital freedom on a political and social level.