GLOBALE: GLOBAL CONTROL AND CENSORSHIP

Knowledge is power. And power is above all possessed by whoever controls the flow of information. This applies particularly to digital culture, because all the information on the World Wide Web can be surveilled and manipulated, unhindered.

That mobile communication devices have been enthusiastically embraced means, that these days, billions of people all over the world are connected to each other. Billions of all kinds of c ontent and data are generated every day and transmitted across the globe within seconds. Even before it reaches the recipients, massive amounts of this data are intercepted by private companies and government agencies, checked, and then used for their purposes. Whereas not so long ago digital forms of communication were seen as the hope for new forms of democratic participation, they have recently been converted and perverted into ideal door openers for the perfect surveillance and control of billions of people.

Those who use such devices are being used. This is the proviso to which we have all acquiesced in order to profit from these convenient forms of communication. Smartphones, which accompany their users with every step they take, are infected with spyware without their owners’ consent or knowledge, and can be used as surveillance cameras and listening devices even when they are turned off. Our locations and movement profiles can be accessed at any time. Our browsing and consumer behavior, our contacts, our preferences, and our weaknesses can be analyzed and passed on at any time without us knowing or being asked. 

The exhibition’s aim is to expand public debate about the ever-present surveillance and censorship methods, which is an urgent priority not only due to constant new reports in the media, but especially because of the extensive obstruction of the investigation of these practices.

Video Documentary:

ZKM | Institute for Visual Media

Camera: Sarah Binder, Martina Rotzal, Christina Zartmann
Editing: Christina Zartmann
Concept:  Sarah Binder, Martina Rotzal, Christina Zartmann
Speaker: Rabea Rahmig
Sound recording: Anton Kossjanenko
Music: Institute for the Merely Decorative, Apple Loops
Performer: Louisa Kloss