January 11, 2021

The Silent Power of Data: IBM and the Holocaust

IBM had a role in the Holocaust and a business relationship with the Nazi Party before and during World War II.

Around the world, we see repeated examples of surveillance, illegal data processing, and the spread of misinformation. But collecting and storing data has not only become a sensitive issue in the age of digitization. A brief look at history shows how dangerous data collection can become if it falls into the wrong hands. In Germany, memories of the Holocaust and the crimes of the Nazi regime are omnipresent. Less often, however, we talk about how the systematic and state-sponsored counting, persecution and murder of six million Jews was greatly accelerated with the help of existing data sets and technology.

In 2001, investigative author Edwin Black published his book “IBM and the Holocaust,” in which he reveals the business relationship between the American computer manufacturer IBM and the Nazi Party before and during World War II.

Registration of Jews with the help of punch cards

One result of this partnership was the use of so-called Hollerith punch cards in the German Reich’s administration. These punch cards were used by the Nazi regime both in the 1930s and at the time of World War II to categorize individuals. In 1939, biometric data such as gender, age, and religious affiliations were transferred from German census data to punch cards. They could then be read and organized in a relatively short time using the technology by DEHOMAG (Deutsche Hollerith-Maschinen Gesellschaft, a 90%-owned subsidiary of IBM). In addition to this data, the “racial characteristics” of the respective households were also recorded on a so-called “supplementary card”. Thus, for the first time, even those German citizens who had only distant Jewish relatives could be recorded.

The plans to use the Hollerith system in this way were not only approved by IBM and CEO Thomas Watson but also financially supported with almost one million dollars (about 19 million dollars today).

Data processing accelerates genocide

But even after the census data was collected, the Nazis continued to use Hollerith punch cards for their atrocities. For example, DEHOMAG technology was used to decide when ghettos should be emptied and when they became too crowded. According to Black, without the cooperation of IBM, the Nazis would not have been able to carry out the genocide in the ghettos and camps in such an organized manner. Regarding the close working relationship he said:

“The punch cards, machinery, training, servicing, and special project work, such as population census and identification, was managed directly by IBM headquarters in New York, and later through its subsidiaries in Germany, […] , Poland, Holland, France, Switzerland, and other European countries.”

(-Edwin Black, 2012, Interview with Huffington Post)

Data can be dangerous when it falls into the wrong hands

Data collected by governments can be harmless. Sometimes it is even important to ensure a certain level of order and security. However, there is never any guarantee of what will happen to that data if, for example, there is a change in government. That’s why it’s especially important to maintain control over our personal data. Also, always be aware of who we’re entrusting it to.

It’s good to remember that any step that ensures privacy is a good step. It brings more control back into your own hands. Therefore- use secure messengers, send emails encrypted if possible and search with a private search engine like Startpage.

This blog entry is part of Startpage‘s series “Turning Points in Privacy“. For one month, we’ll present hard-hitting data breaches from our history.

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