Aline Blankertz

Aline Blankertz is a German data economist and digital rights campaigner. Blankertz practiced economics at the consultancy Oxera in Oxford and in Berlin for 7 years in total. She worked on questions of competition policy and market power. In 2022, Blankertz joined the non-profit organization Wikimedia Deutschland. She subsequently moved to work for the German non-profit organization Rebalance Now on antimonopoly advocacy. Blankertz is of the view that AI applications should prioritize the needs of people over corporate interests. Blankertz expressed support for public initiatives for alternatives to Big Tech but she also warned against ill-designed public projects to create digital infrastructure paid for by taxpayer money. Specifically, she expressed concerns about the EU’s Gaia-X project, aimed at competing against Amazon. Blankertz pointed out that such projects will not work if there is no demand for the subsidized cloud product. In 2025, Blankertz expressed concern about TikTok relying on AI for content moderation in Germany and laying off people. Content moderation requires local knowledge to be effective according to the economist. Blankertz is a frequent commentator on the EuroStack initiative to set up a European cloud infrastructure and to cut dependency on US Big Tech.

Advising lawmakers Blankertz intervened in the German parliament as an expert on digital matters. She also provided trainings on economics to European judges.

Personal life Blankertz lives in Berlin and is a mother of two children.