…and how it all started
My name is Katika Kühnreich, I am a Master (Magistra) of Political and Chinese Science and among my research focuses are the societal implications of digitalisation. Consequently, the planing and implementation of China’s Social Credit System (SCS) attracted my attention years ago. For this and other topics I am speaker, offer workshops, and work as a writer, and advisor.
Since my talk on the Chaos Computer Club’s 34C3 the topic has gained more and more attention. It led to this blog which is still under construction. It contains my contact information, media links, and information on donating for me to keep me and my independent research going.
Since my talks on big stages I had to get comfortable with loads of pictures of me online. At Wikimedia are some high quality pictures by Jan Michalko.
As many people keep on asking, here a short text about me and my work:
[and its a work in progress at the moment…]
How it started
Two of my roots are a.) the interest in politics and society, especially in dissent, and b.) my scientific background in political science, Chinese science, and philosophy. The reason for my practical involvement in political movements was the German past: To grow up amongst people how where survivors and perpetrators of the Holocaust.
When I was a kid, every old man I saw on the street, talked to, even those how where very nice towards me, made me think what that person did during the 1930s and 1940s. That was wrong, as I found our as a teenager. You should not think that of every man. In talking to people of the Nazi generation, many of them no supporters at all, I found out that you should think that of every women, too.
Because fascism is not only a men’s world. The Nazi dictatorship happened, because enough people-not only males- actively build it. Or did not do anything against it.
With this background I started and finished my studies in political science, Chinese science, and political philosophy.
Accidental fame
By a mistake a made as a teenager I learned to be careful with my name and deeply valued my anonymity. My research on dissent and counterinsurgency deepened it even more. The first talk I did under my real name was 2017 at the Chaos Communication Congress of the Chaos Computer Club. The talk was on the emerging so-called Social Credit Systems in China. Because nearly nobody was talking and writing about the upcoming sorting system, I wanted to raise awareness. The thing I was having to give up was [my kind of] anonymity. [Well, I trusted a journalist in my youth and got screwed so I tried to by more careful afterwards.] To my amazement in the Chaos Community there where not a view people interested in the topic – but literally thousands. Thousands of people in a room and the people around you (that you never met before) are constantly telling you, not to be nervous.
Then there is something wrong with the audio and I’d heard myself with a relay of approximate two seconds. Instead of telling [I was on the stage of the Chaos Communication Congress – they can fix anything!] I just did not think of that easy solution and went on. Well, my opening video did not work either – but that was obvious and the great stage team fixed it in a second.
So – I tried not to screw up and delivered the talk and the discussion. I was soooooo happy to leave the stage because I had the feeling that I had used more energy than my body thought was acceptable.
But than there was a whole group of people, around 25 I guess, between me and my group of friends. All of them where journalists, wanting a bite of me and my thoughts.
So – there was a lot of international media response to my talk.
How it went
Well, after that my life took some turns I did not expect. To put it in a nutshell: The result was that I became a speaker and publisher. And try to survive on the income it brings.
And I try to change the world or at least keep it from burning.
There is a short talk I made on what I believe in and stand for, it isn’t new, but it still is what I think. If the automatic captions do not work there is the option of visiting Youtube directly via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT3LTIYSc9M&t=919s
You can “rent me” for talks and discussion. I write for money and often without. But I do not write or talk because of money. You can pay me for my time, but not for the words I will say.
Support me
If you like my work, you can enable me to do more and feed me.
As I do not like big data-hungry platforms, you just can give me money when you see me or send it to one of my bank accounts. You can do it once or on a regular basis (e.g. monthly) if you have the resources to spare it. Every penny is appreciated.