Workshop with Paul Feigelfeld and Klimentina Li (EN)

Digital Self-Defense: Techno-Authoritarianism and Countercultural Techniques 

1. Hardware – Anatomy and Resurrection of a Computer (1h) 
We begin by dissecting the machine itself – what makes a computer tick? From silicon to circuits, we’ll explore the physical foundations of digital life. How does hardware shape what’s possible (or impossible) in our interactions with technology? And where does your data actually live when you save a file or send a message? What is an operating system and how does open source work? We resurrect the machine using Linux.  

2. Software – A Brief History of Interfaces (0,5h) 
From punch cards to touchscreens, interfaces dictate how we communicate with machines – and how they communicate back. Who decides what a ‘user-friendly’ design looks like? And why do so many digital systems feel like they’re working against us? We’ll trace the evolution of interfaces, questioning who benefits from their design and who gets left behind.  

3. How to Protect Your Data (0,5h) 
Your digital footprint is more than just cookies and passwords – it’s a shadow body, shaped by corporate tracking and opaque algorithms. In this segment, we’ll explore practical steps for reclaiming agency: encryption, alternative platforms, and the art of saying ‘no’ to surveillance capitalism. What does privacy even mean in an age of data brokers and AI scraping?  

4. Alternatives – Feducation (0,5h) 
What if we reimagined tech education (feducation) as a tool for resistance? We’ll discuss decentralised networks, open-source software, and community-driven approaches to data literacy. Can we build systems that prioritise care over control? And how do we unlearn the habits that keep us locked into exploitative digital ecosystems? 

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