Stop counting us, you can count on us to stop you

At these BigBrotherAwards, which were moved from autumn 2010 to spring 2011, the first ever “Newspeak“ award is presented. Linguist Martin Haase highlights the term “minimum storage period“ (used to shroud the concept of telecommunications data retention). Other honorees included German Customs, Daimler, Facebook and the chair of the Census Commission. Quite unexpectedly, the “winner” of the census award appears in person to receive the award.

The (unfortunate) Awardees

Authorities & Administration (2011)

Zensus

The BigBrotherAward 2011 in the category Government and Administration goes to the chairman of the Census Commission, Prof. Dr. Gert G. Wagner for the all-encompassing population survey in Germany called “Zensus 2011”. He is…

Laudator.in
Technology (2011)

Peuterey

The BigBrotherAward 2011 in the category Technology goes to the fashion brand Peuterey, represented by the Düsseldorf fashion agency Torsten Müller. This negative prize is awarded to Peuterey for covertly deploying RFID tags in…

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Consumer Protection (2011)

Coupons for books

The BigBrotherAward 2011 in the category “Consumer Protection” goes to the Verlag für Wissen und Innovation (“Publishing House for Knowledge and Innovation”, proprietor: Mr Horst Müller, Starnberg), for skimming pupils’ and…

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Workplace (2011)

Daimler AG

The BigBrotherAward 2011 in the “Workplace” category goes to Daimler AG in Stuttgart for requiring blood tests from their entire production workforce. This kind of modern-day vampirism is practised in disregard of personality…

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Communication (2011)

Facebook

The BigBrotherAward 2011 in the “Communication” category goes to Facebook Deutschland GmbH for systematically poking its nose into people and their relationships, behind the friendly facade of an ostensibly free service. Facebook…

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Communication (2011)

Apple

Another BigBrotherAward 2011 in the category “Communication“ goes to Apple GmbH in Munich for taking their customers hostage by way of expensive hardware and subsequently blackmailing them into accepting a questionable privacy…

Politics (2011)

Uwe Schünemann

The BigBrotherAward 2011 in the “Politics” Category goes to The Interior Minister of the federal state of Lower Saxony, Uwe Schünemann (CDU, Germany’s conservative party), for the first proven instance of German police using a…

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Jury

Prof. Dr. Peter Wedde am Redner.innenpult der BigBrotherAwards 2021.

Prof. Dr. Peter Wedde

Frankfurt University of Applied Science
Werner Hülsmann am Redner.innenpult der BigBrotherAwards 2004.

Werner Hülsmann

Forum InformatikerInnen für Frieden und gesellschaftliche Verantwortung (FIfF)
padeluun am Redner.innenpult der BigBrotherAwards 2021.

padeluun

Digitalcourage
Sönke Hilbrans am Redner.innenpult der BigBrotherAwards 2012.

Sönke Hilbrans

Deutsche Vereinigung für Datenschutz (DVD)
Prof. Dr. Peter Wedde am Redner.innenpult der BigBrotherAwards 2021.

Prof. Dr. Peter Wedde

Frankfurt University of Applied Science
Rena Tangens am Redner.innenpult der BigBrotherAwards 2021.

Rena Tangens

Digitalcourage
Bernd Sieker am Redner.innenpult der BigBrotherAwards 2011.

Martin Haase

neusprech.org
Frank Rosengart am Redner.innenpult der BigBrotherAwards 2021.

Frank Rosengart

Chaos Computer Club (CCC)
Andreas Bogk am Redner.innenpult während der BigBrotherAwards 2011.

Andreas Bogk

Chaos Computer Club (CCC)
Portraitaufnahme von Rolf Gössner.

Dr. Rolf Gössner

Internationale Liga für Menschenrechte (ILFM)

Reaktionen
& Presseecho

Updates to the Awards 2011

Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to translate our updates into English.

Updates

About BigBrotherAwards

In a compelling, entertaining and accessible format, we present these negative awards to companies, organisations, and politicians. The BigBrotherAwards highlight privacy and data protection offenders in business and politics, or as the French paper Le Monde once put it, they are the “Oscars for data leeches”.

Organised by (among others):

BigBrother Awards International (Logo)

BigBrotherAwards International

The BigBrotherAwards are an international project: Questionable practices have been decorated with these awards in 19 countries so far.