Erich Moechel is an Austrian journalist and author. He is the co-founder of quintessenz, an association for the restitution of civil rights in the information age and a member of the International Board of Advisors of Privacy International. He is one of the founders of the infamous International Big Brother Awards. Over the course of the years, Moechel has made his name as a media critic and columnist, has been invited several times to EU-parliament as an expert on the Surveillance of Telephone Networks. As an investigative journalist he broke several high profile stories, including the discovery of the Enfopol papers, which aimed to standardize European telecommunications surveillance. As an expert he is often invited to various TV programs and he frequently writes for the Austrian broadcasting association ORF.at. He is also an expert in telecommunication technology and wireless radio transmissions.