Cracked Labs is a small nonprofit organization based in Vienna. Co-founded by Wolfie Christl in 2012, it investigates the societal impacts of information technology and works together with organizations from across Europe and the US. It has carried out projects that aim to advance justice, fundamental rights, trust and democracy in the information society with the Norwegian Consumer Council, NOYB, Open Rights Group, AWO and other organizations. Cracked Labs has been advising EU data protection authorities on corporate data misuse and develops educational programs in the area of consumer and workplace privacy for trade unions.
» crackedlabs.org/about
Wolfie Christl is a public-interest researcher, educator and digital rights activist based in Vienna, Austria. His work focuses on consumer surveillance, the economy of personal data, algorithmic decision-making, the power of tech platforms and the datafication of the work. As a technologist with a background in sociology and policy, he published several comprehensive reports on today's personal data industries and contributed to investigations by civil society organizations, consumer protection associations, trade unions and EU data protection authorities. His research contributed to major legal complaints and fines against systematic data misuse for commercial purposes and was taken up by policymakers across Europe and the US. He also trains Austrian work councils on data protection and privacy. In 2021, Wolfie Christl published a comprehensive German-language report that explores and maps data practices at work. Christl and his projects have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Financial Times, The Guardian and many other media outlets around the world.
» wolfie.crackedlabs.org