CypherPunks

A CYPHERPUNK IS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO ADVOCATES FOR THE USAGE OF SOPHISTICATED PRIVACY-PRESERVING TECHNOLOGY AND ROBUST CRYPTOGRAPHY AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EXPRESSION. THESE UNOFFICIAL ORGANIZATIONS SOUGHT TO HARNESS CRYPTOGRAPHY TO ACHIEVE PRIVACY AND SECURITY. THEY INITIALLY COMMUNICATED THROUGH THE CYPHERPUNKS ELECTRONIC MAILING LIST. CYPHERPUNKS, WHO HAVE BEEN ACTIVE AT LEAST SINCE THE LATE 1980S, THOUGHT IT WAS CRUCIAL TO DEFEND PRIVACY IN THE COMPUTER AGE IN ORDER TO SHIELD PEOPLE FROM AN EVER-MORE TOTALITARIAN SOCIETY. "PRIVACY IS NECESSARY FOR AN OPEN SOCIETY IN THE ELECTRONIC AGE. ... WE CANNOT EXPECT GOVERNMENTS, CORPORATIONS, OR OTHER LARGE, FACELESS ORGANIZATIONS TO GRANT US PRIVACY ... WE MUST DEFEND OUR OWN PRIVACY IF WE EXPECT TO HAVE ANY. ... CYPHERPUNKS WRITE CODE. WE KNOW THAT SOMEONE HAS TO WRITE SOFTWARE TO DEFEND PRIVACY, AND ... WE'RE GOING TO WRITE IT." - A CYPHERPUNK'S MANIFESTO, ERIC HUGHES