BigBrotherAwards 2004
Up one levelImpressions of the gala
On our german pages you can gain some nice visual impressions of the gala. Just switch to german language on the upper right side.
Regional Award
Paderborn University The Dean of Paderborn University Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Nikolaus Risch for the video surveillance of lecture halls and computer rooms in "his" university
Health and Social Issues
Federal Minister for Health and Social Security Ulla Schmidt The Big Brother Award in the "Health and Social Issues" category is awarded to the Federal Minister for Health and Social Security, Ms Ulla Schmidt for the bill for the reform of the national health insurance, which came into force on the 1st of January 2004
Business & Consumer Protection
Tchibo direct, Ltd. The Big Brother Award in the "Business and Consumer Protection" category goes to Tchibo for the practice of forwarding their customers' data to the marketing company Arvato / AZ Direct
Government authorities & administration
Frank Jürgen Weise of the so-called "Federal Labour Agency" receives the BigBrotherAward for a) the agency's inquisitive forms for the "reformed" second-stage (long term) unemployment benefit, b) its unwillingness to change its forms to comply with data protection rules before 2005, and c) our suspicion that every agency across the country is able to access all data acquired from job seekers (or, as the euphemism goes, "customers").
Technology
Canon Germany - An ID number storied in photocopying machines is invisibly printed on *all* copies. As each copier has an individual number, the source of a copy can be traced. This is sold as a feature to protect against forgeries of bank notes, cheques, etc.
Communications
Armex for their "Track Your Kid" product - as a representative of several companies that offer child monitoring services
Industrial Relations
Lidl Stiftung The Big Brother Award in the "Industrial Relations" category is won by the Lidl Stiftung ("Foundation"), Co., in Neckarsulm, represented by the founder and "godfather" of the group, Dieter Schwarz for the almost slave-like treatment of its employees