Episode 6 (2022) Annika Richterich - Chaos reigns. Hacktivism as health data activism

We speak with Annika Richterich from Maastricht University where
she works as an Assistant Professor in Digital Cultures at the
Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Annika was with us earlier
in 2020, check out that episode too.

This paper discusses how the Chaos Computer Club, a German hacker
association, engaged in health data activism during the first two
years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021).[1] Hackers
technopolitical activism tends to be neglected in public debate,
partly since hacking is often equated with cybercrime. Yet, civic
hacking communities have shown a longstanding dedication to
activism relevant to public interests and technopolitics. In
early 2020, hacker communities therefore also started
scrutinising technology meant to tackle issues emerging during
the COVID pandemic, often by collecting health-related data. The
paper methodologically draws on a case study approach: it focuses
on the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), analysing public statements,
open letters, and reports. Conceptually, it frames the CCCs
practices as data activism, specifically health data activism. It
notably expands on Milan and van der Veldens (2016) continuum of
proactive and reactive data activism. Within the
proactive/reactive continuum, it stresses the CCCs
interventional-regulative activism. The latter notion refers to
practices of data activism involving interventional, technical
assessments of data-intensive technology, using these to
critically yet constructively articulate regulative requirements
and demands. I argue that the CCCs health data activism
oscillates between reactive and proactive data activism, by
engaging in interventional-regulative practices: the association
intervenes in public debate concerning the politics of
covid-technology, while also directly interacting with and
holding policy makers as well as technology corporations
accountable. Thereby, this paper lends further weight to the
importance of civic technology expertise and engagement -
especially during public health crises, when tech-solutionist
approaches are being promoted by appealing to the hope of them
contributing to the greater good.

[1]Formally, the CCC is an association registered in Germany
(eingetragener Verein). However, while its central office is in
Hamburg, there are also 25 regional chapters plus multiple local
groups (Chaos-Treffs) in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

This episode is a live recording from Hacking Everything. The
Cultures and Politics of Hackers and Software Workers panel
organized at the European Association for the study of Science
and Technology (EASST) 2022 conference in Madrid on
2022-07-07. The hosts are Paula Bialski, Andreas Bischof and Mace
Ojala. Audio production by Heights Beats at Hotmilk Records, who
also produced the theme track. We are grateful for Chemnitz
University of Technology for funding.