39C3: Power Cycles (2025) on CCC Event Blog

39C3: Feedback and lost+found

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 06:00:00 +0000

39C3 is over. Sadly. We hope that your journey home went well and that you had a good return to reality.

Those four days of living a utopia were far too short. There was so much more that one could have experienced, so many more things to discover, so many more people to meet, so many more talks to see … To our own regret, the length of the event can’t really be changed. But many other things can be! That is why we want to ask for your feedback. Let us know what you liked, but also what you didn’t like. We appreciate both praise and constructive suggestions for improvement! But you need to be quick: The hub will be put into archive mode on 20 January (exact time not yet determined). Once this happens, access to the hub will be read-only and feedback can no longer be submitted.

On the other hand, four days is enough time to lose quite a lot of things. But not to worry: The great team at the coat check has been looking after found items following the event. If you lost something during the event at CCH, you’re welcome to contact 39c3@c3lf.de. If you do, please describe the lost item as exactly as possible and attach a picture if possible to help us find it.

Image CC BY-SA Martin Müller

39C3: Power Off for Departure!

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Dear creatures and participants,

the end is nigh! Days full of encounters, curiosity, tin solder, discourse, music, code and Chaos are behind us. Thank you for filling this Congress with life. You made this event into what it is.

As much as we would wish Congress to continue forever, now the time has come to pack up, take a breath and say goodbye.

After the closing, assemblies start emptying their spaces. Please take the time to tear down in an orderly and mindful way. Clear your tables quickly so that the Møbelhaus can carry tables and chairs away and that network and power infrastructure can be dismantled. Please leave the hardware for the network on the tables.

If you want to transport larger or bulky things, you can bring these to the side gates designated for your location. At these gates there will be angels who support you with transport aids for heavy and large objects. Just talk to them, they are happy to help and know how the passage will work best. Once everything is in place, the tor angels will issue a pass with which you will be able to drive your vehicle towards this gate for a short time.

Assemblies on X end Y unload via gate A.
Assemblies in hall 4 and foyer 3 + H unload via gate C.
Assemblies in hall 3 and hall H unload via gate D.

Thank you for being considerate, for your solidarity and patience in this last phase. Get home safely, look after yourselves and take a piece of Congress along into your day-to-day life.

See you next time.

Image CC BY-SA Leah Oswald

ChaosPager: Try out our pager infrastructure!

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 17:00:00 +0200

Do you like pagers? Are you interested in how to design a critical infrastructure or would you like to get to know such systems at 39C3? Looking for an easy way to get started in the world of amateur radio?

We at assembly Signalspielplatz, in cooperation with CERT and the radio group DL0TUH, are developing and operating a pager infrastructure that is to be used for alerting CERT operatives in the future. To test this infrastructure, we would appreciate it if you could send us lots of test messages!

Receive Messages

We operate our system on 439.9875MHz. We provide the following RICS for you:

RIC	Description
8	Sender ID (DL0TUH)
1111	Info
1122	Tests
1140	Event Info Hall Zero
1141	Event Info Hall One
1142	Event Info Hall Ground
1143	Event Info Hall Fuse
1150	Event Info all halls
2504	Date & Time (Skyper)

Please note that we cannot guarantee anything during operation, as we also need to conduct tests for our project.

Send Messages

Just call us on DECT number 7300 or visit us at our assembly. You can get your message sent from there. For this, you need to provide the following details:

receipient RIC
sender name
message

Are you not sure which RIC to use for your recipient? For logistical reasons we will not maintain an official callbook, but anyone can leave their contact details in a public (!) analog list at our assembly.

Further updates until the congress

Ahead of Congress you can follow us on Mastodon, were we will post regular updates on our project: @signalspielplatz@mastodon.social

Several questions have already reached us on Mastodon. We have therefore created an FAQ page (in English): https://signalspielplatz.de/FAQ

39C3: Telephony

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

TL;DR

Registration is open – register your number in Guru3
Don’t forget your phone (ISDN, DECT, GSM, SIP)
Remember batteries, charging cables, and CCC SIM card
There will be eSIMs for the GSM network
The dial-in number from outside is: +49 40 5730830 xxxx

Preparations for 39C3 are already in full swing. You have already registered more than 5,600 extensions. We are very excited. We would like to take this opportunity to provide some information about telephony at 39C3 and have compiled the following details on all the technologies you can use to participate in the Congress telephone network. As last year, there will again be a phone helpdesk to assist you with any issues you may have with the various telephone networks. You will find it at the shorter table to the left of the long POC table.

Registering extensions

As every year, you can register your extension(s) in GURU3. We offer DECT, SIP, GSM, call groups, applications, announcements, and special extensions. Please make sure you register your extension in the correct event. You do not need to register for analog or ISDN extensions. Registration has been open since 18 November 2025. Reservations for extensions expire on 24 December. Unredeemed reservations will then be returned to the pool.

DECT

To connect to the telephone network via DECT, you can bring your cordless DECT telephone from home. You can check whether your device works with our system in our wiki: DECT Phone Compatibility List. The necessary steps for setting up your extension can be found in the instructions for registering DECT.

There will also be EPDDI (EVENTPHONE Decentralized DECT Infrastructure), which means: The EVENTPHONE network from the conference – wherever you want it. At the hotel, at home, in the hackerspace, or on the train. You decide. If you have RFP & Router, you can find the documentation for integration here.

SIP

You can also connect to the telephone network using a SIP telephone or a SIP softphone. The access data will be displayed in Guru3 after you have registered an extension. You can also find an overview of tested SIP clients in our wiki: SIP Compatibility List. You will also find General SIP Configuration Instructions there.

SIP extensions cannot make calls to the public telephone network, but they can receive calls.

GSM

Mobile communications (2G/GSM, 4G/LTE, 5G/NR) will also be available again at 39C3. A 3G network will not be offered. Telephony is only available on the 2G/GSM network. Please bring your CCC SIM cards and mobile phones with you. New SIM cards are available at the Phone Helpdesk.

eSIMs 🎉 will be available this year.

The following frequencies will be used to operate the event network:

2G: 1800 MHz, possibly additionally 850 MHz
4G: 1900 MHz (band 2/25 FDD), 2300 MHz (band 40 TDD)
5G: 3700 MHz (band n78 TDD)

Using the mobile network with iPhones is somewhat problematic due to technical challenges. CCC SIM cards of a certain generation are not compatible with the event network in iPhones. The affected SIM cards in iPhones must be updated or replaced. You can contact the phone helpdesk for assistance.

For more information on mobile networks, keep an eye on @c3gsm.

Dawn of ISDN

This year, there will once again be a real ISDN network with an EWSD. An EWSD is a digital (ISDN) exchange by Siemens for public telephone networks, which was in operation between 1980 and today. We have reduced it to a minimum, will set it up at the Congress, and connect it to the PoC network.

To create some excitement, the theatre group has made a short video:

Visitors will have the opportunity to connect to the EWSD via ISDN or analog. For ISDN, if you have an NTBA, please bring it with you. If you don’t have an NTBA, you can borrow one from us. There will be access multiplexers at various locations in the event area where you can connect your phones or other devices. You can find the exact locations in the c3nav maps.

Each of the ports on these multiplexers is already configured. The first two cards in each multiplexer (with two large plugs) provide analog connections. The other cards (with one large plug) provide ISDN connections.

No extension registration in Guru is necessary for an EWSD connection. A fixed extension is already configured for each extension. Additional features such as charge pulse can be configured on request. Please contact the Phone Helpdesk for assistance. More information.

For EWSD information, keep an eye on @c3isdn.

Services in the Phone Network

The familiar services will be available on the telephone network again this year.

Would you like to meet other people? Dial 6528 for Blind DECT.
Don’t know your own phone number? Dial 8330 for ERNA.
Not sure which network you are on? Dial 0310

You can also link your phone number to your account in the Event Hub. To do this, you must enter it in your profile and confirm it. Once your phone number is connected, you can take part in the RFP Challenge, for example, to earn a special badge for finding DECT antennas. To do this, dial 9737 with your DECT phone.

You can find more information in the wiki: Special extensions

What else?

Up-to-date information on the status of our services is now available on our dashboard.

The external dial-in number is: +49 40 5730830 xxxx

With DECT, GSM, Premium SIP, analog, and ISDN connections, you can make phone calls from the event to anywhere in the world. Many thanks to Sipgate for this.

We look forward to seeing you in Hamburg. Don’t forget your phones. Whether analog, ISDN, DECT, or mobile. Remember batteries, chargers, connection cables, and your SIM card.

Thank you. Eventphone.

39C3: Congress Everywhere

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Once again this year, hackspaces and other locations are offering a place to meet, stream Congress talks, hack, have a party and more. Congress is everywhere where people bring it to life. It’s also possible to visit one another.

These Congress Everywhere locations are known to us:

City	Organiser / Website	Day 1 / 27 Dec	Day 2 / 28 Dec	Day 3 / 29 Dec	Day 4 / 30 Dec
Aachen	CCCAC	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00
Basel (CH)	CCC Basel	from 13:00	from 13:00	from 13:00	from 13:00
Berlin	berlinCreators e.V.	ab 11 Uhr	ab 12 Uhr	ab 12 Uhr	ab 12 Uhr
Berlin	Näh’n’Nerdcafe im Vetomat	from around 13:00	from around 13:00	from around 13:00	from around 13:00
Berlin	nGbK	from 11:00	from 11:00	–	–
Bielefeld	Hackerspace Bielefeld	from 13:37	from 13:37	from 13:37	from 13:37
Bremen	CCC HB	from 13:37	from 13:37	from 13:37	from 13:37
Burkhardtsdorf	Netz09	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00
Coburg	Hackzogtum	from 10:30	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00
Dresden	C3D2, Event page	tbd	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00
Erfurt	Bytespeicher	from 10:00	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00
Essen	Chaospott	from 10:00	from 10:00	from 11:00	from 11:00
Frankfurt am Main	CCC-FFM	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00
Köln	C4	from 10:00	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00
Landau (Pfalz)	Zentrum für Technikkultur Landau	from 13:12	from 13:12	from 13:12	from 13:12
Leipzig/Halle	Institut für Schönes Leben	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00
Magdeburg	Netz39	from around 12:00	from around 12:00	from around 12:00	from around 12:00
Neu-Ulm	temporärhaus	from 15:00	from 15:00	from 15:00	–
Nürnberg	K4CG	from 11:00	from 11:00	tbd	–
Regensburg	Binary Kitchen	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00	from 11:00
Uppsala (SE)	Update Computer Club	from 15:00	–	–	–

Your event is not in the list? Send an e-mail to 39c3-everywhere@cccv.de!

We have also once again opened a Matrix room to enable exchange at Congress Everywhere: #congress-everywhere:events.ccc.de.

39C3: School Gymnasiums – the affordable option for sleeping accommodation

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Good news: Once again we were able to convince some nearby schools to let us use their gymnasiums as sleeping spaces. Tickets will cost 5 € per night. They will be sold at the cashdesk from day 0 until day 4, starting at 18:00. Each evening, tickets will be sold for the current night only.

We have reserved a special allocation for angels who have worked some shifts. Gymnasium tickets for angels will be available at Heaven at all times and for more than just the current day.

Showers and toilets will be available on site, you need to bring your own camping mat and sleeping bag.

Please note: these school gymnasiums are simply large empty halls with a flat floor and no padding. No dividing walls, no enclosed spaces, nothing else at all.

The schools are located around 2 km (ca. 20 minutes walking distance) from CCH.

Check out the info pages for more information.

39C3: Lightning Talks

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

TL;DR

There will be two lightning talk sessions
You can submitt your talk here: https://cfp.cccv.de/39c3-lightningtalks/cfp
Dedicated block for talks related to sustainability
5 minutes for a talk
Submissions only with slides
First come, first served! (The exception proves the rule.)

Your chance is here!

Have you always wanted to stand in front of a large audience and bring your knowledge, incredible experience, projects, ideas, hacks, or stories to the stage? Now is your chance! The Lightning Talks at 39C3 open the floodgates for you.

Here are the rules:

You have 5 minutes for your presentation. After that, your time is up, and you are welcome to continue philosophising with all interested creatures in your assembly, while helping out as an angle or hanging out in the lounge, but unfortunately no longer on stage :/
Theoretically, registration is open until 28/29 December. However, time slots are limited and will be allocated on a “first come, first served” basis (The exception proves the rule).

So get typing! Get your slides ready and submit your Lightning Talk! Every idea is welcome. We look forward to hearing about your projects and stories. The Lightning Talks are for everyone: We have three blocks that are broadly open to any creative submission. However, one block is reserved specifically for Lightning Talks with a focus on sustainability. So let us hear why your project, idea or vision is particularly committed to a sustainable future!

Need more information? Get int touch by sending us an email at 39c3-lightningtalks@cccv.de.

Awareness, Auti, Accessibility auf dem 39C3

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

TL;DR

Various support structures are available for you at 39C3.
Awareness: e.g. in cases of discrimination, boundary violations, harassment and (sexualised) violence.
c3auti: Needs and problems of neurodivergent beings
Accessibility: easy access and minor support issues on site.
Contact details can be found in the text below and at help.ccc.de.
In addition, CERT is available for medical care, CrewCrew for security issues and the arbitration board for serious conflicts.
Please read the principles.

All Creatures Welcome

“What brings us together is not what we already know, but what we still want to learn. This exchange of knowledge is only possible if we approach each other with an open mind and with an attitude of mutual respect and support. We want to create an environment characterised by tolerance, respect, curiosity, fun, openness to communicate, friendliness and consideration”, as stated by our principles. The Chaos Communication Congress aspires to be a space where all beings can find a place – as free as possible from harassment, boundary violations and discrimination, and to be needs-oriented and with as few barriers as possible. To get closer to this goal, there are various teams that take care of different aspects and are there to provide support:

The awareness team can be contacted in cases of discrimination, boundary violations, harassment and (sexualised) violence, or if you have previous experience of such issues and need help dealing with them at the event.
The c3auti team is the point of contact for the needs and problems of neurodivergent beings and takes care of the QuietQube. The QuietCube can also be used by beings who are not neurodivergent.
c3accessibility deals with accessibility issues in advance and is also available at the information desk for minor support requests.

In addition, you can also contact

the CERT, the medical and fire safety team,
the CrewCrew, our security team (consisting of women and non-binary persons) and
the arbitration board are also available to assist you.

c3awareness

People can turn to the awareness team when they have experienced discrimination, boundary violations, harassment or even sexualised violence and there is a connection to the event. Sometimes the issue is about break ups, conflicts, or uncertainty about how to deal with a challenging situation. It might also be a case of people just being overwhelmed by the event and its many impressions.

We are partial, meaning that we are on the side of the person who asks us for support. We do not seek to determine what is right or wrong – our focus is always on ‘How are you feeling about this?’. Naturally, we treat all conversations as confidential.

During the conversation, we will work together to find out how attending the rest of the event can be made as pleasant an experience as possible. Sometimes, however, it is not possible to resolve the issue.

Many of the experiences that cause people to contact us did not happen at the event itself but beforehand. However, they do affect participation in the event because the other person may also be there. Boundary violations, including (sexualised) violence, have a lasting impact on people. The experience must be processed, certain situations are difficult to endure afterwards, and trust in other people or that nothing will ‘happen’ can be shaken or destroyed. Those affected often fear that they will not be believed or that they will even be held responsible (or blamed) for what happened. This makes it difficult for them to talk about their experiences. The thought that the person who committed the assault or violence is at the event, or that an encounter with them could occur, can cause anxiety. Often, the consequence is that those affected no longer feel comfortable and sooner or later stay away. We try to counteract this through our work.

Contact

Phone: +49 40 5730830 113
DECT: 113
Matrix: @c3awareness:fairydust.space
Mastodon: https://chaos.social/@c3awareness
Email: team@c3awareness.de

Find out more about our work on our webpage and in our Talk at 37C3.

c3auti

The conference is a great event, but it can quickly lead to sensory overload and exhaustion. Many members of the c3auti team are autistic and are familiar with this situation.

c3auti is a team that specifically focuses on the needs and challenges of neurodivergent beings (Autism, AD(H)D, …), as well as beings who would like to take advantage of these offers. All creatures are welcome.

With the QuietQube we offer a quieter place for low‑key socializing/hacking. In addition to a listening ear, you’ll also find tools such as stimming toys or hearing protection. If you need even more quietness, we’re happy to provide you with a silent/dark retreat via the Silent Room. Just let one of our angels know.

In the event of a melt-/shutdown, call us at 1199 or signal another being to do this for you. We’ll pick you up and escort you along the quickest route to a quiet, secluded place where we can support you. Through our close collaboration, we can also connect you – if you wish – with CERT, Awareness, or CrewCrew (Security).

Contact

These numbers are open from 10:00 to 03:00 (morning to late night) during the event. Outside these hours, CERT can be reached in emergencies by dialing 112 (DECT).

DECT: 2884 generally (“AUTI”) / 1199 in acute situations
Phone: +49 40 5730830 2884 generally / +49 40 5730830 1199 acute
Email: support@c3auti.de
Mastodon: https://chaos.social/@c3auti

Accessibility

For several years now, this team has been working to remove barriers at the Congress. The team has compiled a large amount of information on accessibility on the infopages and is also available to answer any questions or concerns you may have before the event.

In addition to the information desk, there will be a special contact point for all accessibility issues at the event. There you can ask for help if you need assistance with anything specific. You can also let them know if you encounter any further barriers.

The accessibility help desk is a first-level support service, similar to the information desk, but it may have more experience and sensitivity in supporting people with disabilities. Communication cards containing basic information on how to interact with people with disabilities are also available there. Limited short-term assistance may also be provided. If you foresee that you will need constant personal assistance, please bring your own.

You can also make your own hidden disabilities badge at the accessibility help desk or get help creating one.

@c3tactile is working on tactile signage and floor plans. The team is also supplementing the tactile guidance system already in place at CCH. Please keep the strips clear, as well as the escape routes.

And one more request: some people rely on the lifts to get from one floor to another in the CCH. If you do not need to take the lift, please use the stairs and escalators, as the lifts quickly reach their capacity limits.

Contact

DECT: 1155
Phone: +49 40 5730830 1155
Email: 39c3-accessibility@cccv.de
Matrix Room: #accessibility:events.ccc.de

Header ImageImage CC BY-SA 2.0 Leah Oswald_

39C3: Self-organized Sessions

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000

TL;DR

Workshops, group meetings, short talks, … – Our collective term for all of these is Self-organized Sessions.
You can create Self-organized Sessions already, but dedicated rooms will become bookable gradually this time. The start date for each round has now been determined, see below!
An overview of all Self-organized Sessions can be found in the Hub.
If you are interested in a session, log in and mark it as a favourite – this helps us estimate how large the room needs to be.
To create new sessions yourself, use the Hub’s Backoffice.
Assemblies can decide whether they want to open their “rooms” for Self-organized Sessions. To use that feature, please contact the Hub Support.

Self-organization is the magic word

You want to organize a group meeting or a gathering on a specific topic? Run a workshop? Host a competition or a game? Have you organized something outside the building? Would you like to give a short talk or screen a film? Start a follow-up discussion to one of the main talks? Or plan anything else that needs a place at Congress?

Instead of listing all these things individually or making separate categories, we introduced the term Self-organized Session (SoS) a few years ago. As the name says: these sessions are organized by you.

To create a session, click the plus icon in the top-right corner of the Hub homepage and then select “Self-organized Session”. You will be forwarded to the Hub Backoffice. If you don’t have a Hub account yet, you should create one first.

More details can be found in the Events Howto.

Room booking

Self-organized Sessions can take place almost anywhere as long as you follow the rules. This is why the location field is a free-text field. Of course, you should check beforehand whether the place you want to use is actually available. For example, you can meet at a bar or inside an assembly (please coordinate with the assembly in advance!). Areas that cannot be used under any circumstances include escape routes – meaning any type of passageway, corridor, hallway, etc.

If you need a space for more people, you can book one of the rooms listed below, or ask an assembly whether they have space available for your session.

When publishing the session, the system checks whether the selected room is still available at your chosen time; otherwise you will see an error message. Once you have filled in the information and saved and published the session, it will appear in the overview so that other participants can find it. If you selected one of the pre-defined rooms, it will later also appear in the full schedule.

This year, not all slots will be released at the same time. Booking for the central SoS locations will open in multiple rounds, so new sessions can still be added throughout the entire period.

The first round will start on Sunday, December 21st at 11:00 CET.
The subsequent rounds will start in Days 1, 2, and 3 at 11:00 CET, i.e., every 24 hours. So new sessions can be added throughout the entire period.

Also new this year: When you select a room, the free 25-, 50- or 80-minute time slots will be shown. Sessions therefore always start on the full hour or on the half-hour.

The following rooms are available for Self-organized Sessions:

SoS Stage H for up to 200 people, located in the center of Hall H (ground floor),
SoS Lecture E with theatre-style seating (chairs in rows) + banquet seating (5 large, round tables) in the back, approx. 235 seats; (Hall E, 2nd floor),
SoS Workshop D with banquet seating (large round tables – ideal for workshops), approx. 120 seats (Hall D, 2nd floor), and
SoS Lecture 6 with theatre-style seating for approx. 60 people (Hall 6, 1st floor).

These four SoS rooms will become bookable via the Hub at specific times yet to be announced.

Please note that each round follows a “first come, first served” principle. Some slots may already be used for team meetings or, for example, the CCC regional meetup before public booking phases open.

In addition, the following lecture halls are coordinated by assemblies:

You can find further event locations on the venue overview page in the Hub.

Equipment

All rooms listed above are equipped with a projector/screen and a sound system, but sessions will not be streamed or recorded by the VOC.

What is not okay?

Commercial advertising & crypto-shilling
Off-topic content
Discrimination

Closing remarks

We trust you to submit cool and relevant sessions. Slots will be released in phases and will be visible immediately after booking.

If you come across sessions that seem problematic, you can flag them. Our moderation team will review and decide.

If you have any further questions about Self-organized Sessions or workshops, feel free to contact 39c3-sessions@cccv.de, or go to the Infodesk during Congress. When contacting us, please always include a link to the relevant Self-organized Session — preferably the URL of an SoS draft created in the Hub Backoffice, or the public event URL https://events.ccc.de/congress/2025/hub/event/detail/XXX.

Image by Yves Sorge, CC BY-SA 2.0

Secure your eye-catching Congress merch now!

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The word’s on the street that you can now stock up on amazing cloth in the official 39C3 look at our merch store.

In addition to the traditional black, this year’s shirts, zippers, hoodies, and sweatshirts are also available in spring-like shades of misty jade, lavender, and natural raw, in joyful anticipation of future camps. And to top it all off, you can adorn your heads with 39C3-themed embroidered beanies and your kids’ necks with uber-nerdy bibs. And for those who want to shine with subtle hacker shibboleth textiles even in formal settings, there is a lovingly embroidered heavy shirt in black or natural raw – but only while supplies last.

To find out in advance whether this year’s textiles will fit you, you can find comparative measurements for many other hacker events from last year in the Merch Size Comparison Guide.

And as usual, here’s the fine print: You have until December 20th to place your order. Please only order if you have a way to actually receive the goods. This means that you either have a ticket for 39C3, or someone with a ticket can receive the goods for you upon presentation of the pickup code. You have until 10:00 p.m. on day 2 (2025-12-28T22:00:00+01:00) to do so. In legal terms, this is called a forward transaction. After that, the clothes will go back on sale to the general public and we will only be able to distribute them according to availability.

And now, without further ado, click and order to your heart’s content!

Timetables for 39C3, hot off the press: The Fahrplan is out

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0200

After the halfnarp is before the schedule. Thanks to you, and thanks to the many helping hands of the content teams, we can now present to you the first version of the 39C3 Fahrplan!

The official stage programme at the 39th Chaos Communication Congress starts on 27 December, 10:30 with the opening ceremony and shines with a total of 165 talks. These have been lovingly sorted and curated for you into seven topical tracks. There is definitely something for everyone!

To those of you who now have counted manually or even found the gaps in the schedule: That’s right, because we have a few surprise talks that we can only reveal shortly before 39C3. This Fahrplan is version Alpha-0.2. Traditionally there will be minor changes up to and even during Congress. So it’s worth checking back from time to time to see what the content team has prepared for you.

39C3 – Creature ChroniCles Update

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0200

TL;DR

What has changed, in short: In response to the very clear reactions to the exception, the project “Creature ChroniCles” will now be governed by the photo policy in its familiar form. Before every photo, everyone involved will be asked for their consent.

Creature ChroniCles reloaded

In the pre-Congress stress, some things and details unfortunately get lost that seem natural for the people involved, while for others they are far from clear and unambiguous. That did happen to us with the blog article on the “Creature ChroniCles” project. We were too much trapped in our inside view. Most of us know Stella well, and from that perspective we did not see a problem with her project. Sadly, though, we forgot about the view of others who do not know Stella so well.

Therefore, we would first like to thank you for your feedback. It enabled us to learn about the perspectives and problems that can arise in the course of the project – including those that we had not thought of at all.

The last days, full of discussions about the photo policy, have made clear to us how much this policy is appreciated. The photo policy creates a safe space that makes it possible to move anonymously, without chilling effects, and also try oneself out in new ways, in a world that is more and more under surveillance. This diversity, for which there are many more reasons, is what we want to preserve.

The initial wording that said the project was in accordance with the photo policy was incorrect. We regret that. It was, of course, an exception to the photo policy, but one that we thought to be compatible. With this exception we wanted to enable creative freedom to a degree that seemed justifiable. The reactions have shown us that we massively underestimated your discomfort with this, and that we did not sufficiently consider the potentials for abuse. These risks can not be outweighed by the positive effects of pictures being taken preemptively.

The thinking behind asking for retrospective agreement was to avoid a loss of spontaneity and to preserve the originality of a picture. It did become clear, though, that the negative effects weigh stronger and also that the goal can be achieved in other ways. The original concern was that a fleeting moment, for example during the buildup, would be impossible to recreate.

Therefore, and this is probably the most important message to convey, Stella will do without this exception. As you are accustomed to, she will ask all people in a picture if they agree before proceeding. Only under this condition will the picture be taken. After all persons have been drawn over, the first photo will be deleted. No original photo will ever leave Stella’s device. There will be no storing in the cloud or similar. At the end, only the altered pictures will remain. These will be accessible for everyone in an official online picture gallery.

As a rule, skin, hair, clothing, laptops and conspicuous “accessories” will be drawn over. If there are certain aspects that need to be taken care of to ensure your wellbeing, Stella will be happy if you let her know. With regard to assistive devices that might contribute to identification, there will be a clear conversation with the concerned person before any changes or retouching because we are aware that this is a sensitive issue for many that we want to treat with the appropriate respect. In this way we want to maintain the balance between diversity of the participants and anonymity.

If you have never heard of Stella before: She created the designs for the 33C3, 35C3 and the 2023 Camp, and you can find her on Mastodon if you have any further questions: @VeithYaeger@aipi.social. During the project she will be discernible by a pink, fluffy vest.

Perhaps this discussion and this 2.0 announcement can give participants the authority and backing to intervene in a confident but friendly way if they observe that a photo is being taken, and to draw attention to the photo policy. In that case, the whole debate will even have had a positive effect.

Having said all this, we would like to point out that photos are taken at Congress despite the rules, and that not everyone adheres to these rules. Given the number of participants, sadly there is no effective way of preventing that. It is precisely for that reason that we wanted to communicate the exception transparently in order to do better. Unfortunately, we did not manage that very well. Therefore, we would like to use this occasion to ask all participants to respect the photo policy.

Since there also were a few hurtful comments in the discussion, we would like to encourage everyone to communicate in an honest, factual, but also considerate way at any time in the future. We hope that now after this stimulating exchange we have managed to find a good solution for everyone. Because there is so much work on our hands, it can sometimes take a few hours or even days until we react, but be assured: We take your feedback seriously.

Image CC BY-SA 4.0 stella

Call for Interpreters: Translate 39C3!

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Planning for Congress, unsure what to do there, interested in applying your impressive language skills? If you are multilingual and fluent in German, English and maybe other languages, please consider joining the interpreters team, c3lingo.

We interpret ALL talks in the four main halls live and in real-time. German talks are interpreted into English, and vice versa. Our work is streamed to the Internet and transmitted as audio-only streams in the halls, and recordings are published on media.ccc.de. We have another channel where we interpret into more languages, this is transmitted and published in the same way.

That is a lot of material to interpret and in order to succeed, we need YOU. With the “more languages” channel, you have the chance to contribute in an even more special way if you can interpret into another interesting language (from English or German). We mostly feature the French or Spanish language on this channel, but if your skills differ, just let us know – especially if you can bring along a few interpreters for the same target language. Sometimes, we might even use this channel for interesting things that are not (strictly) interpretations.

Don’t be shy. If you are uncertain whether you’re good enough, chances are that you’ll do just fine. In case you‘re struggling, we will take over from you and talk it over later, no harm done.

Here are the steps to join us:

Subscribe to our mailing list: use this form or send an empty e‑mail to “talk-subscribe(at)lists.c3lingo.org”. Write a quick intro to the mailing list after you’ve completed your subscription.
If you are new to interpreting, with us or in general, we invite you to give it a try online before the Congress. Meet us on Senfcall, a popular German BigBlueButton instance. Any web browser will work, but please use a headset or headphones at the very least. Also, be sure you know how to use your audio equipment with your browser. We look forward to welcoming you in our “tryout” meetings at
- 30 November (Sunday), 19:00
- 12 December (Friday), 19:00

So, take this opportunity and help us bring C3 to an even wider international audience.

For more information, you can contact us on Mastodon at @c3lingo@chaos.social and #c3lingo, or via mail to talk(at)lists.c3lingo.org (after subscribing).

See (and possibly hear) you at 39C3!

Image by stb, CC0

39C3: Call for Angels

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:00:00 +0000

39C3 needs your help! No Congress would be possible without the many volunteers, called Angels (German: Engel).

Whether you’re participating for the first time or have already experienced many cycles, helping as an Angel is always a great way to meet new beings, get a look behind the scenes, and create unforgettable experiences for yourself and others.

If you’d like to help, register in the Engelsystem. After your arrival at Congress, come to the Angel registration on the right side of the entrance hall. There you’ll receive your Angel badge and can then freely sign up for shifts for upcoming tasks. Alternatively you can find Heaven in Hall X. If you already own a lanyard for your Angel badge, please bring it and continue using it. You can find more information in the Angel Guide.

For the buildup and especially for the teardown, we always need many helping hands. So if you can come earlier or stay a bit longer after the event, we look forward to your help. Help is particularly needed during teardown, especially from beings who haven’t already exhausted themselves during the buildup and Congress. The buildup begins on 20 December. From then until the start of Congress, there will be numerous tasks each day, especially distributing sofas, tables, and chairs. Please do not come before the 20th, tasks and infrastructure are only available from that day.

To help with the buildup, just come by starting on the 20th! Access to the CCH during buildup is (as usual) via the back side (Tiergartenstraße) through the entrance to Hall H. During the buildup you can find Heaven as Pre-Heaven directly in Hall H. We’ll announce any changes to the buildup information in the Engelsystem and on Mastodon.

Please remember during the event, especially as an Angel, to supply yourself with food and water. We’re happy to support this with Angel water at Heaven. Please bring your own refillable water bottle to save resources. There is also a possibility to receive warm meals. However, please note that the food is limited by the kitchen’s capacity and is primarily intended for Angels who have no alternatives. To coordinate this (and prevent a kitchen DDoS), digital food vouchers for meals will be issued this year via the Engelsystem. We’ll inform you about the exact procedure in the Engelsystem News.

This year the teams paid special attention to provide more detailed shift information. That way you can judge for yourself whether a shift fits you.

If you have further questions, we are there for you in Heaven.

Heavenly regards and see you very soon,
An Angel

More Information

continuously updated on the info pages
an overview in the Angel Guide
on Mastodon at @c3himmel@chaos.social
in the Engelsystem News

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them via email to ticket@c3heaven.de.

Image CC BY-SA 2.0 Leah Oswald

Creature ChroniCles – Artistic documentation of the 39C3

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0200

Update

There is an update to this post available.

Original

This year at 39C3, there will be photos of the Congress with hand-drawn figures. All persons will be digitally overdrawn and thus anonymized. This is an exception to the photo policy. “Creature ChroniCles” is an artistic pictorial documentation of Congress events. Graphic designer Stella (known for her Congress designs for 33C3 and 35C3 and for Camp23) will take photos of interesting scenes and nice interactions/installations throughout the entire duration of 39C3 and then anonymize all persons represented in the photos by painting digitally over all human features. You can see what this looks like in the header image. We ask you to place your trust in Stella, as we do to make this project possible.

Why this project?

The Congress is a special place: 14,000 people come together, share ideas, build crazy installations, and create unforgettable moments. At the same time, it is a safe space where we want to feel unobserved and private – despite the crowds. “Creature ChroniCles” works with this tension: Through graphic anonymization the atmosphere, energy, and the special situations at Congress remain visible, while the identity of all participants is protected. The colourful cartoon characters transform documentary snapshots into an artistic chronicle that allows both memory and privacy. The project also invites reflection: What makes us identifiable? What remains of a moment when we anonymize it? And how can we tell stories without showing the people behind them?

How does it work?

After a photo is spontaneously taken, the consent of the people shown is obtained and the anonymization process is explained. Authorization takes place after the photo has been taken, because experience has shown that the authenticity of the moment is lost if the people know in advance that they are being photographed. Once approval has been given, the “creaturization” is done by hand on a drawing tablet. This ensures that the anonymity of the people in the photo is preserved. Instead of the people, colourful cartoon figures will then bring the images to life. Care will also be taken of laptops, clothing, or other details that might remove the anonymity. If the people who provide the poses for the later Creatures do not agree to be part of the project, the original photo will of course be deleted immediately.

Photo Policy and Transparency

The project is a pre-arranged exception to the photo policy. Still no secret photos are taken – every person photographed is approached immediately and informed about the project. Communication is transparent and takes place on an equal footing. If anyone refuses, the photo will be deleted immediately without discussion. Stella is aware of her responsibility towards the participants and takes the protection of privacy seriously. The project depends on mutual trust and respect – just like Congress itself. Where possible, people will be asked in advanced before any pictures are taken.

After Congress

All finished images will be made available to Congress participants in a gallery immediately after completion. The original photos will be deleted after the drawings have been anonymized – these photos will not be stored.

Want to participate?

If you would like your assemblies to be documented in this way, or if you have discovered great places that should be captured in a picture, or if you have any other questions or requests, please contact Stella at DECT no. 7161. You can show the “Creature ChroniCles” to relatives and friends later or reminisce with them if the Congress blues strike you next January :).

FAQ about “Creature ChroniCles”

A constantly updated FAQ about Creature ChroniCles can be found in the hubs wiki.

Edit note

In the first version of this post, Creature ChroniCles was described as being in accordance with the photo policy. This was corrected in two steps on the evening of the 20th and at noon on the 21st, and is now explicitly described as a defined exception to the photo policy.

Image CC BY-SA 4.0 stella