The Timely Comeback of The Cypherpunks
The Cypherpunks are a niche movement of advocates for the widespread use of cryptography and other technologies that enhance privacy and self-sovereignty. The movement started off at the end of the 80s when the emergence of the web coupled with state interference and control gave rise to privacy concerns in the tech communities thus spurring a backlash.
The development of privacy and freedom-oriented solutions is ever more crucial in the hyper-digitalised world we live in today. The price to pay for holding back is slouching into an Orwellian reality in which control, surveillance, and persecutions will become the “new normal”. If we want to protect our basic rights, we need to actively seek out and support better alternatives and get in touch with what Cypherpunks are doing today.
Who Are Cypherpunks and Why You Should Know About Them
The Cypherpunk movement was born at the end of the 80s, and was initiated by Eric Hughes, Timothy C. May, and John Gilmore. The movement focuses on privacy issues on the open web, and their main goal is to prevent the unnecessary exposure of personal information that is commonly required by transactions to protect people’s right to privacy.
“We the Cypherpunks are dedicated to building anonymous systems. We are defending our privacy with cryptography, with anonymous mail forwarding systems, with digital signatures, and with electronic money. Cypherpunks write code. We know that someone has to write software to defend privacy, and since we can’t get privacy unless we all do, we’re going to write it. We publish our code so that our fellow Cypherpunks may practice and play with it […]. Cypherpunks deplore regulations on cryptography, for encryption is fundamentally a private act. The act of encryption, in fact, removes information from the public realm. Even laws against cryptography reach only so far as a nation’s border and the arm of its violence. Cryptography will ineluctably spread over the whole globe and with it the anonymous transactions systems that it makes possible” (May, ed. Ludlaw).
The Cypherpunk’s efforts have brought about incredibly valuable solutions that aim at protecting the privacy and freedom of users. Some of the most notable solutions being Tor, BitTorrent, WikiLeaks, Zcash, Bitcoin, and smart contracts. The Cypherpunks have played and continue to play a critical role in our society, and although they are unbeknownst to most, their efforts are ever more invaluable in a time defined by digitisation and rampant surveillance capitalism.
Our privacy rights get breached every day by big corporations and governments alike that sacrifice our wellbeing and future for their private interests. These are no news to anyone but the lack of viable alternatives or the simple lack of knowledge have often daunted users with feelings of resignation. However, new solutions are emerging and the Cypherpunks are getting more active than ever- this time on NEAR Protocol. So fear not, and keep reading.
The Cypherpunk Guild: Building the Future of Privacy on NEAR Protocol
Early this year, the Cypherpunk movement landed on NEAR Protocol and launched the Cypherpunk Guild, an incubator for privacy oriented solutions. Arto Bendiken and Frank Braun, two well established and committed Cypherpunks, were the initiators of this project and received a whopping 100,000 NEAR to build the future of privacy on NEAR.
This partnership between Cypherpunks and NEAR Protocol is a testament to NEAR’s values and commitment to people’s privacy and control over their own money, data and governance, and it is great news for disenfranchised users too. The Cypherpunk guild is working hard to onboard new talent that understands the importance of privacy to protect and enhance human agency and rights.
The Cypherpunk guild has been very active and only after a couple of months from its launch it has brought home Suter Shield, an anonymised PayPal for cryptocurrency. It has contributed to funding Zecrey Protocol, a project that aims at bringing privacy to digital assets, and launched a series of funding opportunities for developers interested in building the future of privacy i.e creating privacy-enhanced social networks, privacy DeFi infrastructure, private wallets and more.
Why We Should All Join the Cypherpunk Community
Fighting for privacy is essential to protect our basic freedoms to speak, create, exchange, and innovate. Without privacy, we do not only become more vulnerable to attacks but also controllable and manipulable. The current trends of big corporations and governments are bringing about a dystopian reality in which people will become mere subjects to administer and punish, instead of active and creative participants. To arrest these trends more people need to actively join the fight, either as coders or mindful consumers.
If you write code and you are appalled by the current intrusion of big companies and governments on our private lives you should not feel alone nor powerless. Your skills can help revert this state of affairs and contribute to the creation of privacy-enhancing solutions. Groups like the Cypherpunk guild are excellent resources to put your skills to good use and to connect with like-minded people.
Following the development of the Cypherpunk guild, is not only interesting for coders but also for users that are sick and tired of having their privacy violated. Learning about alternatives is important as it keeps away feelings of resignation and keeps up the determination of fighting for what we value and want as a society and individuals.
Cypherpunk Guild Twitter handle: Cypherpunk Guild Twitter handle: @Cypherpunk Guild Website: cypherpunkguild.org
