Chaos Computer Club

The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) is a German association of hackers, technologists, researchers, and digital-rights advocates. Founded in West Berlin in 1981 by Wau Holland and others, it developed from a community concerned with the social consequences of telecommunications and computing into one of Europe's most influential independent technology organizations. The club is organized as an eingetragener Verein rather than as a conventional commercial company. Its network includes local groups, commonly known as Erfa-Kreise, in Germany and nearby German-speaking regions. A separate sister organization, Chaos Computer Club Schweiz, emerged in Switzerland in the mid-1980s. The CCC's central themes are freedom of information, privacy, freedom of communication, transparency in government, universal access to computers and communications infrastructure, and the responsible use of technology. It draws on the hacker ethic while rejecting the idea that hacking is synonymous with criminality. In public interventions, the club often argues that systems affecting citizens should be auditable, secure, and designed with individual rights in mind. Members have acted as security researchers, expert witnesses, commentators, educators, and organizers of legal or political campaigns. The organization has frequently criticized surveillance systems, insecure identification technologies, weakly protected databases, and legislation that expands state or corporate control over digital life. The CCC became internationally prominent in 1984 after demonstrating a serious vulnerability in the German Bildschirmtext system. By manipulating the system, hackers caused a Hamburg bank account to transfer DM 134,000 to the club; the money was returned soon afterward. The incident drew attention to the risks of commercial online systems and to the failure of the operator to respond adequately to earlier warnings. Later technical demonstrations addressed GSM SIM-card cloning, biometric authentication, and the security of government surveillance software. These interventions generally combined proof-of-concept technical work with public criticism of inadequate safeguards. The organization is also an important producer of hacker culture and public education. Its annual Chaos Communication Congress is one of Europe's largest hacker gatherings, while the periodic Chaos Communication Camp brings together an international outdoor community. Other events include the workshop-oriented Easterhegg and Karlsruhe's Gulaschprogrammiernacht. The CCC has published the magazine Datenschleuder since 1984 and supports radio and podcast projects associated with Chaosradio. Local groups participate in Chaos macht Schule, a volunteer education initiative focused on technology and media literacy for students, parents, and teachers. Some chapters also organize CryptoParties that introduce practical encryption, privacy, and anonymity tools. The CCC does not operate like a single centralized consultancy or product company. Its influence comes from a combination of technical expertise, decentralized local communities, media activity, conferences, demonstrations, and participation in public debates. Its work has helped make computer security and digital civil liberties prominent issues in Germany and beyond. The club remains active, although the exact number of members, leadership structure, and activities can change over time.

The Chaos Computer Club was established in West Berlin on 12 September 1981 by Wau Holland and other members of the emerging computer community. The founding took place at a table associated with Kommune 1 in the rooms of the newspaper Die Tageszeitung. The founders anticipated that information technology would become central to how people communicate and organize. The club also emerged in a political environment in which the state telecommunications monopoly and restrictions on home computer networking made access to communications technology a public issue. In 1984, the CCC gained broad public recognition through its intervention in Bildschirmtext, a German online information service operated by Deutsche Bundespost. After the system operator did not adequately address warnings about a security flaw, CCC members demonstrated the problem by causing DM 134,000 to be transferred to a club account. The money was returned the following day. The episode established a lasting pattern for the organization: investigate a technical weakness, make the consequences understandable to the public, and use the disclosure to demand better security and accountability. The club expanded its activities during the 1980s and 1990s through publications, local groups, public talks, and technical experimentation. In 1984 it began publishing Datenschleuder, an irregular magazine covering computing, communications, security, and digital politics. In 1987, hackers loosely connected to the CCC were associated with an international cyberespionage case involving unauthorized access to American government and corporate systems and the sale of source code to the Soviet KGB. The case, centered on Karl Koch and others, was not a formal CCC operation but became part of the broader public history surrounding German hacker culture. In 1998, the CCC demonstrated that GSM customer cards using the then-common COMP128 algorithm could be cloned. The test drew attention to weaknesses in mobile-communications authentication. The club later became a recurring critic of biometric identification. In 2008 it published the fingerprint of German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble as a protest against the use of biometric data in identity documents and against the assumption that fingerprints could function as safely revocable secrets. The CCC also developed a visible cultural and educational presence. To mark its twentieth anniversary in 2001, Project Blinkenlights transformed Berlin's Haus des Lehrers into an interactive display resembling a giant computer screen. Related installations followed in Paris and Toronto. The organization established the Chaos Communication Congress as an annual meeting point for hackers, researchers, activists, and technology professionals. It also organized the periodic Chaos Communication Camp and supported local events, radio programs, podcasts, workshops, and school-oriented media-literacy work. A major political and legal episode occurred in 2011, when the CCC analyzed a state surveillance program known as the Staatstrojaner. The organization argued that the software could remotely control a target computer, take screenshots, and install additional code, exceeding the limits set by the German Federal Constitutional Court for source telecommunications interception. It also identified weak command-channel protection and flawed handling of captured data. The report received extensive media attention and intensified debate over lawful hacking, police surveillance, software procurement, and constitutional safeguards. The club has experienced internal disputes as well as public controversies. In 2011, former WikiLeaks spokesperson Daniel Domscheit-Berg was expelled from the national organization, though the Berlin chapter did not follow the same course; the expulsion was revoked in 2012. Andy Müller-Maguhn, who had been involved in the dispute and had served in the club's public leadership, was not reelected to another board term. These events illustrated the decentralized and sometimes contested character of the association. In the 2010s, CCC researchers continued testing consumer security claims, including Apple Touch ID and Samsung's iris-recognition system. The club's broader work has remained focused on privacy, secure design, freedom of information, open technologies, and democratic control of digital infrastructure. It has also continued to provide expert commentary and testimony in German political and judicial contexts. Rather than selling a standardized technology product, the CCC operates as a membership-based civic and technical community whose conferences, research, publications, campaigns, and local groups shape debate about computing and society.

• 2013

  Chaos Communication Congress draws major attendance

  [1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  The congress held in Hamburg attracts approximately 9,000 visitors, demonstrating the scale of the CCC's public event program.

• 2011

  Staatstrojaner analysis released

  [1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  The club publishes technical findings on German government surveillance software and questions its legality and security.

• 2008

  Schäuble fingerprint published

  [1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  The CCC publishes the fingerprint of Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble to criticize biometric identification practices.

• 2001

  Project Blinkenlights launched

  [1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  An interactive light installation turns Berlin's Haus des Lehrers into a large computer-like display for the club's twentieth anniversary.

• 1998

  GSM SIM-card cloning demonstrated

  [1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  CCC researchers demonstrate cloning of GSM customer cards using weaknesses in the COMP128 algorithm.

• 1984

  Bildschirmtext hack publicized

  [1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  The CCC demonstrates a major security flaw in the Bildschirmtext service by transferring DM 134,000 to its account and then returning the money.

• 1984

  Datenschleuder begins publication

  [1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  The club starts publishing its irregular magazine on computing, communications, and digital politics.

• 1981

  Chaos Computer Club founded

  [1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  Wau Holland and others establish the association in West Berlin to address the social and political implications of computer communications.

An independent hacker and digital-rights association combining technical investigation, public education, civic advocacy, and hacker culture.

• Conference

  Chaos Communication Congress

  The CCC's annual flagship conference brings together hackers, security researchers, artists, activists, and technology professionals. Its program combines talks, workshops, installations, demonstrations, and debate about the technical and social consequences of digitization. It is widely regarded as one of Europe's largest hacker gatherings.

• Conference

  Chaos Communication Camp

  Held every four years, the Chaos Communication Camp is the organization's large outdoor gathering for an international hacker and technology community. It extends the congress format into a temporary environment of workshops, experimental infrastructure, cultural programming, and collaborative projects.

• Publication · 1984

  Datenschleuder

  Datenschleuder is the CCC's irregular magazine, published since 1984. It covers computer security, communications, hacker culture, privacy, and technology policy, serving as a durable record of the club's technical and political work.

• Radio and podcast

  Chaosradio

  Produced by the Berlin chapter and related community projects, Chaosradio discusses technical and political subjects in accessible long-form broadcasts. The program has been distributed through local radio and the internet and has inspired further regional and podcast formats.

• Education

  Chaos macht Schule

  Chaos macht Schule is a volunteer education initiative supported by several local CCC groups. It aims to improve digital and media literacy among pupils, parents, and teachers through workshops and public education.

• 2011

  Staatstrojaner surveillance-software controversy

  The CCC's analysis of German government malware alleged that the program could exceed constitutional limits on source telecommunications interception, remotely control computers, and transmit data using insecure mechanisms. The findings prompted extensive debate about government hacking and procurement of surveillance software.

  Source

• 2011

  Domscheit-Berg membership dispute

  Daniel Domscheit-Berg was expelled from the national CCC in 2011, although the Berlin chapter did not impose the same measure. The decision was revoked in 2012, while board member Andy Müller-Maguhn was not reelected after the dispute.

  Source

Read more

• 2008Biometric fingerprint protest

  Germany

  The CCC published a reproduction of Wolfgang Schäuble's fingerprint and supplied material that could be used to fool fingerprint readers, arguing that biometric identifiers are difficult to replace once compromised.

  Outcome. The action intensified public discussion of biometric identity documents and the privacy risks of treating fingerprints as authentication credentials.

  Source
• CryptoParty participation

  Germany · Europe

  Several local CCC groups support or organize CryptoParties that teach practical encryption, anonymity, and privacy-preserving internet practices.

  Outcome. The activities broadened public access to basic digital-security knowledge.

  Source
• Chaos macht Schule

  Germany

  Local groups work with schools and communities on media literacy, technology education, and responsible digital participation.

  Outcome. The initiative established an ongoing educational role for the club beyond technical demonstrations and political advocacy.

  Source

• 2011

  Publication of Staatstrojaner technical analysisOther

  Background

  German constitutional jurisprudence limited the use of government source-wiretapping tools, while the CCC obtained and examined a suspected state surveillance program.

  Action taken

  The club released technical findings alleging unauthorized capabilities, weak authentication, poor encryption, and insecure data handling.

  Aftermath

  The report triggered national political and media scrutiny of state malware and the legal boundaries of digital interception.

  Source

• 2001

  Project BlinkenlightsOther

  Background

  The CCC sought to mark its twentieth anniversary with a project that connected hacker culture, public art, and computing history.

  Action taken

  It converted the windows of Berlin's Haus des Lehrers into an interactive, computer-like light display.

  Aftermath

  The installation became a prominent example of the club's combination of technical experimentation and public cultural programming.

  Source

• 1984

  Public disclosure of the Bildschirmtext flawOther

  Background

  The club had evidence that a widely used commercial online system was insecure and believed the operator had not responded adequately to warnings.

  Action taken

  CCC members demonstrated the flaw publicly by causing a large transfer to the club's account and then returning the money.

  Aftermath

  The incident made the club nationally known and helped establish public vulnerability disclosure as a core part of its identity.

  Source

• 2017

  CCC challenges Samsung Galaxy S8 iris recognition[1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product generation

  The club said that the Galaxy S8 iris-authentication mechanism could be fooled with a sufficiently detailed photograph and a contact lens, highlighting limits of biometric security.

• 2013

  CCC demonstrates weaknesses in Apple Touch ID[1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product generation

  Researchers associated with the club reported unlocking an iPhone 5S fingerprint reader using a replica made from a photographed fingerprint, challenging claims that the system was effectively impossible to defeat.

• 1984

  CCC exposes Bildschirmtext security vulnerability[1]Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product launch

  The club demonstrated that the German Bildschirmtext system could be manipulated to transfer DM 134,000 to a CCC account. The money was returned after the demonstration, which brought national attention to weaknesses in commercial online services.

1. 1Chaos Computer Cluben.wikipedia.org
2. 2Chaos Computer Club official websiteccc.de