Cypherpunks
The Cypherpunk movement was consolidated and became active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the explosion of cryptography technology and the rise of the Internet.
Its origins can be traced back to the work of pioneering cryptographers like David Chaum in the 1980s, who was already advocating for anonymous and pseudonymous digital money systems.
The term "Cypherpunk" became particularly popular with the creation of an email mailing list in 1992, where the key figures of the movement gathered.
Ideals of the Cypherpunk Movement
The Cypherpunk movement is defined as a group of digital activists who advocate for privacy and individual liberty in the electronic age through the use of strong cryptography. Their main ideals are outlined in the "Cypherpunk Manifesto" (written by Eric Hughes in 1993 and also influenced by Timothy C. May).
Foundational Ideals (1990s)
- Privacy is a Human Right: This is the central pillar. They argue that privacy is not secrecy, but "the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world." In an open society, individuals must have the ability to decide what information they share and with whom.
- Cryptography as a Political Tool: They believe that cryptography should be the main tool to protect privacy. Strong encryption is necessary so that communications and transactions cannot be intercepted by governments or corporations.
- Building Anonymous Systems: They advocated for the development of transaction systems that allow anonymity, similar to how traditional cash functioned. This laid the conceptual groundwork for decentralized electronic money.
- Act, Don't Just Discuss: Their mantra is "Cypherpunks write code." They are committed to actively developing and deploying software and technologies that make their privacy ideals a reality (notable examples include PGP for email encryption, anonymous "remailers", and protocols like SSH).
