{"id":6829,"date":"2026-01-22T11:16:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T10:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/business-code.taenzer.work\/between-power-cycles-and-loss-of-control\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T11:17:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T10:17:48","slug":"between-power-cycles-and-loss-of-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/business-code.taenzer.work\/en\/between-power-cycles-and-loss-of-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Between Power Cycles and Loss of Control"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our colleague Goetz<\/a> has returned from 39c3 <\/a>and reports on four days that made one thing unmistakably clear: technology, politics, and power have become deeply entangled. The Congress is no longer a nerd fair\u2014it is a place where the fragility of digital freedom becomes visible, and where it is equally clear how many people are still working to defend it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tickets, Angels, and Access as a Political Statement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As always, the Congress<\/a> takes place from December 27 to 30\u2014and even access itself is a statement. Tickets are limited, and getting one feels like a lottery. Taking on Angel shifts improves your chances; after a certain number of volunteer hours, you receive a voucher for the presale. Those who cannot commit that time are left relying on networks and luck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Computer as an Actor of Surveillance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The talk \u201cAI Agent, AI Spy<\/a>\u201d makes very clear what \u201cagentic\u201d AI means in everyday life. When operating systems and core applications continuously record, analyze, and correlate everything, the computer shifts from a neutral tool to an active observer. Even secure apps like Signal lose their protective effect when the OS constantly captures screenshots and contextual data. Microsoft\u2019s Recall feature in Windows 11 serves as a cautionary example: a feature marketed as productivity-enhancing that, in practice, represents a permanent security and privacy risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link: AI Agent, AI Spy \u2013 Udbhav Tiwari & Meredith Whittaker<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeutrality\u201d as a Weapon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The talk \u201cWho Is Afraid of the Neutrality Requirement?<\/a>\u201d shows how legal concepts are being politically instrumentalized. The neutrality requirement applies to state institutions, but it is increasingly used to attack civil society organizations that take a stand against inhumane policies or right-wing extremism\u2014with the aim of stripping them of legitimacy and public funding. At a time when authoritarian forces are gaining strength across Europe, \u201cneutrality\u201d is becoming a blunt weapon against democratic engagement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link: Wer hat Angst vor dem Neutralit\u00e4tsgebot? \u2013 Hannah Vos & Vivian Kube <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data Rights with the Handbrake On<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The talk \u201cWe, the EU, and 1064 Danes\u2026<\/a>\u201d looks at major European data access laws such as the GDPR, DSA, and DMA. On paper, they are meant to create transparency and give users real control rights. In practice, researchers often end up with fragmented, incomplete, and barely usable datasets\u2014such as YouTube histories. Nevertheless, the project involving 1,064 Danes shows that persistence and legal expertise can still yield valuable insights into platform mechanisms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link: We, the EU, and 1064 Danes\u2026 \u2013 David & LK Seiling<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital Independence Day and a Different Internet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Kangaroo Rebellion: Digital Independence Day<\/a>\u201d combines humor and resistance. The idea: on the first Sunday of every month, volunteers help people find alternatives to the big platforms<\/a>\u2014from X to Mastodon, from Chrome to Firefox, from Amazon to the local bookstore\u2014and then actually leave their old accounts behind. Opting out becomes a collective practice rather than a moral individual decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Links: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Die K\u00e4nguru-Rebellion: Digital Independence Day \u2013 Mark-Uwe Kling & Linus Neumann (#DIT)<\/a>\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initiative DI.DAY<\/a>: [digitalcourage<\/a>]\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cory Doctorow sharpens the argument in his talk \u201cA post-American, enshittification-resistant internet<\/a>.\u201d The \u201censhittification\u201d of the internet\u2014the systematic degradation of platforms in favor of profit and control\u2014is not a technical necessity but the result of political decisions, from trade wars to platform monopolies. Precisely these fractures, however, now open up room for federated systems, open protocols, and an internet that resists total commodification. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link: A post-American, enshittification-resistant internet \u2013 Cory Doctorow<\/a>\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assemblies: Where the Future Is Still Being Repaired<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the Assemblies, the counter-model to a broken digital world continues in hardware and practice. Discussions and hands-on work revolve around open-source security devices, experimental EMR projects, \u201cmake & repair\u201d initiatives, and movements like End of 10\u2014less consumption, more self-empowerment<\/a><\/strong>. Between soldering irons, Linux setups, and spontaneous lightning talks, a sense of community emerges that is almost entirely absent from everyday platform life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the Congress Yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

39C3 is not an experience that should merely be retold when you can explore it yourself. All talks are freely available online\u2014perfect for long winter evenings, team watch sessions, or a personal \u201cDigital Independence\u201d weekend<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting points:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Complete 39C3 media library<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Program overview with talks & lightning talks<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goetz\u2019s final advice: pick a topic that is genuinely bothering you right now\u2014surveillance, platform economics, democratic erosion\u2014and start with exactly one talk. The Congress<\/a> does not replace politics, but it helps to see the state of the world more clearly\u2014and to realize that you are not alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caption:<\/strong> The Building by Starpeak<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our colleague Goetz reports on the annual meeting of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6818,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1730,1737,1721],"tags":[1981,1985,1982,1628,1995,1980,1983,1994,1988,1992,1991,1987,1993,1990,1989,561,1986,1984],"class_list":["post-6829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en","category-inside-businesscode-en","category-news-en-2","tag-39c3","tag-ai-and-privacy","tag-chaos-communication-congress","tag-chaos-computer-club-en","tag-cory-doctorow","tag-data-protection","tag-digital-freedom","tag-digital-independence-day","tag-digital-self-determination","tag-dma","tag-dsa","tag-enshittification","tag-federated-internet","tag-gdpr","tag-net-politics","tag-open-source","tag-platform-power","tag-surveillance"],"yoast_head":"\nBetween Power Cycles and 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