Manifesto
A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto
Editorial introduction
Hughes describes privacy as control over disclosure rather than universal secrecy. His cash-purchase example separates the information needed to complete a transaction from the buyer’s identity. Cryptography, anonymous communication and electronic money become practical means of limiting unnecessary disclosure.
The manifesto calls for people to build and distribute privacy-preserving systems rather than rely on institutional goodwill. It also treats privacy as a cooperative social undertaking. Its argument concerns the architecture of transactions and communication, not a guarantee that a particular service keeps no records.
“Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world.”
Eric Hughes · short excerpt from the linked source
A question to take into the text
What does a seller actually need to know about a buyer?
Source & permissions
Read the source · activism.net historical copy ↗
The full work is not mirrored here. The introduction above is 0xNull editorial commentary, not the author’s own words.