The BigBrotherAward 2012 in the “Communication” category goes to “the Cloud” as a trend that deprives users of control over their own data. To move address books and photos – in other words, other people’s data – or archives, sales information and company secrets to the impenetrable fog that is the Cloud, is at least reckless. Almost all Cloud storage providers are American companies – and therefore obliged by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to allow US authorities access to all data, even if the server farms are situated on European soil. This is a glaring violation of the fundamental right to the confidentiality and integrity of IT systems, a right that was introduced into German law by the Federal Constitutional Court in 2008.

The full English text is not yet available, sorry.