Can the state collect the data of its citizens in the name of security? Can citizens encrypt their data to combat such an intrusion? Europe’s largest meeting of hackers debates the issues. It is unusually dark in the Hamburg Congress Center these days. Lighting has been dimmed to a minimum in a space normally lit by thousands of bright lights. The 12,000 attendees of the 33rd Chaos Communication Congress – most, dyed-in-the-wool computer experts – apparently feel more at home in the dark. Once a year, hackers from around the world meet at the conference to exchange new ideas and to share their experiences. One topic that has preoccupied the scene for years is that of data security, and the efforts … read more