Since the first Congress in 1984, it has established itself as a seismograph in the friction zone between the tectonic plates of computer security, digital freedom, and critical reflection on technology's impact on society. The vibrant worlds of hacking and underground culture, independent media, art and technology have convened annually during the Christmas and New Year period ever since.

Once again this year, the CCC is inviting all interested parties to Hamburg. If you recognise yourself in our declaration of incompatibility, you are welcome to join us in our quest to blur the boundaries between technology, politics, art and creativity, and to fuel the melting pot of direct action.

The Congress sees itself as an international, non-commercial, inclusive event that, despite its size, is completely self-organised. Its aim is to encourage attendees to think and participate, hack and tinker, network and develop ideas in a stimulating yet safe environment for everyone. Our aim is to bring together individuals who are driven by a desire to help and a sense of curiosity. We strive for a hype-free focus on collaboration and we routinely tear down boundary posts. We aim to foster a collaborative environment characterised by respectful and hierarchy-free interaction.

At Congress, you can go from relaxing in a laid-back atmosphere at a party to being intellectually stimulated by lectures and workshops on a wide range of topics and to immediate realise of prototypes flowing from spontaneous ideas, all within in a few literal steps. In keeping with this year's motto, ‘Power Cycles’, the community wants to ponder how things will play out after the ongoing self-dismantling of the major world powers and the role we will play as shockwave riders in the maelstrom of cyclically rotating world orders.

There are plenty of topics: How can society counter the domination fantasies of multinational private secret services with pre-cog fantasies? How can we combat the widespread resignation to the intrusive ‘AI’ overlords who empower the elite to force self-thinking people out of creative professions? How can we power-cycle disorganised, planet-eating processes in order to rethink them in a new, more sustainable way? How can we build digital futures worth living in, where TikTok and Instagram are mere footnotes, and where people who develop open software, protocols and interfaces, as well as those who implement solidarity-based concepts in technology, are valued more highly than attention-seeking influencers?

In addition to the hundreds of decentrally organised thematic groups, or 'assemblies', and the thousands of volunteers, or 'Angels', the expected 16,000 attendees are also encouraged to actively participate in the Congress! The 39C3 Call for Participation begins at the start of September.

We are calling on all interested parties: join an assembly, become an Angel, and rummage through the project boxes to find stories worth telling and workshops worth sharing. Do not forget to follow our event blog's feed for updates. Information about the ticket sales process, directions, and ways to get involved will be published there over the next few weeks.

Image by Leah Oswald under CC BY-SA 2.0.