In light of recent discussions about online privacy, a protest installation emerged outside the Big Tech Giant’s new office in Munich during its grand opening on October 13. A pink pipe, standing 2.5 meters tall, displayed the message: “Your data is leaking.” The stunt was aimed at drawing attention to the critical need for individuals to take control of their personal data and protect their online privacy.
Cybersecurity company Surfshark that set up the display outside Big Tech Giant’s Munich office stressed that leading tech corporations have collected vast amounts of user data and consistently face challenges in protecting it. Many of these companies suffered significant data breaches in recent years and received the largest GDPR fines to date for improper handling of their users’ personal data.
The pink pipe stunt draws people's attention to the major issue: tech corporations have collected vast amounts of user data and consistently face challenges in protecting it
Image credits: surfshark.com
Since 2004, about 16.5 billion accounts have been compromised
Image credits: surfshark.com
Data from Surfshark illustrates the depth of the problem. Since 2004, about 16.5 billion global accounts have been compromised (including but not limited to data breaches experienced by Big Tech Giants). Alarmingly, the number of breached accounts in Q2 2023 nearly tripled compared to the previous quarter.
Green liquid dripping from the pipe represented user-data leaked by Big Tech Giants
Image credits: surfshark.com
Tautvydas Jašinskas, Chief Security Officer at Surfshark, comments: “Data protection is a fundamental right. To be able to secure this right, people should have full control of their digital lives. The amount of personal data that Big Tech Giants are collecting and the way they are treating it raise not only ethical but also security concerns. Sharp rise in data breaches underlines a concerning trend, indicating that existing data protection measures are inadequate, making sensitive data more and more exposed.”
The pipe drew attention of passers-by in Munich
Image credits: surfshark.com
Preparation for the stunt: pink pipe packed in a bubble wrap and ready to be delivered to the location outside the Big Tech Giant’s new office in Munich
Image credits: surfshark.com
Preparation for the stunt: pouring green liquid into the pipe's reservoir
Image credits: surfshark.com
Preparation for the stunt: pushing the pipe to the location outside the Big Tech Giant’s new office in Munich
Image credits: surfshark.com