[CryptoParty] sync with kryptoparty.de?

[jrsusenet-cryptopartyml1305 at yahoo.de]

Hi all,

After a short look at kryptoparty.de, I have to admit, that I'm torn apart.

First of all, a German site is something we desperately need. Having non-experienced users in focus, we cannot expect everyone to find her way through an English site to find us.

Secondly, I am happy about the privacy activities of the German Pirate Party. Being a member of Arbeitskreis Vorratsdatenspeicherung (working group against data retention), I appreciate every kind of political support, and our local activists group cooperates great with the Pirate's Bonn-Cologne section.

But: Thirdly, I clearly notice that we're entering the hot phase of the electoral campaign for the German Federal Parliament. If there's a demonstration, every second party member is showing up with a party flag, thus leaving the impression that it's not a demonstration of several political groups but a Pirate Party campaign. The first thing I see when opening kryptoparty.de is the Pirate Party favicon, on the top left corner I see the Pirate Party sign and on the right side it says "a Pirate Party Germany project". After all a naive visitor must come to the conclusion that at least the German Pirate Party movement is not more than a Pirate promotion tour. Please correct my if I'm wrong, but as far as I know this is not the case. 

I have been privacy officer for the Protestant Church and a civil rights activist for a couple of years now, I very much enjoy organizing Cryptoparties. A big part of my political credibility relies on the fact that I'm not a party member and that I'm not promoting any particular political party. People must not even think that I'm any party's sock puppet. If people get the impression that the mastermind behind the German Cryptoparty movement is the Pirate Party, then in their eyes the whole idea of cryptography for the masses suddenly would shrink to a strategic move to win votes.

Please don't get me wrong. I state again: The AK Vorrat Cologne-Bonn group has a very well working partnership with the local Pirate Party, but still we're partners, not members. Our strength is that we are open for every democratic party, so everyone is invited to join us, regardless which party she belongs to. I very much like the idea of a German Cryptoparty site, but I don't like being politically captured by a statement leaving the impression that the effort I invest into organizing Cryptoparties has the hidden agenda of an Pirate Party electoral campaign.

Still, thanks a lot for your engagement, but I beg you to reconsider the page design.

Best regards,

Jochim
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