CCC is very different to DEF CON, and I wouldn't say it's a "hackers" vs "industry" split either, because BlackHat is the more industry focused conference in th

CCC is very different to DEF CON, and I wouldn't say it's a "hackers" vs "industry" split either, because BlackHat is the more industry focused conference in the US, DEF CON has traditionally been the one for the hackers. I think the differences between CCC and DEF CON are roughly: - CCC is much more political, more about making statements about privacy, etc. There are often journalists there, and there's much more of a balance between political/cultural/privacy issues, and the tech side of hacking. - CCC is based in the European hacker counter-culture which is quite different to the US hacker counter-culture. - CCC is a bit more community focused, being very low-budget, accessible ticket prices, more hostels than hotels, etc.