The Cypherpunk Legacy

“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.” – Cypherpunk Manifesto, 1993.

They saw it all coming. The manifesto wasn’t just about privacy; it was a blueprint for survival in a world increasingly hostile to it. Cryptography wasn’t an experiment. It was—and still is—the only tool strong enough to stand against surveillance and centralized control.

The manifesto nailed the essence of trustless systems. It wasn’t about asking permission or hoping for kindness. It was about creating protocols and tools so robust that no authority could compromise them. Anonymous mail forwarding? It’s the precursor to modern P2P systems. Digital signatures? The foundation of trust in a decentralized world. Electronic money? Say hello to Bitcoin.

But here’s the thing: The manifesto didn’t quite dig into the economics of this brave new world. Today, we’re paying for decentralization, literally—blockchain transactions, staking, infrastructure. It’s not a flaw. It’s the price of freedom, the cost of building systems that don’t rely on centralized actors. If you’re still grumbling about paying for decentralization, read The Cost of Decentralization. Spoiler: you’re already paying for centralized systems. You just call it a subscription.

Looking ahead, the Cypherpunk vision is more relevant than ever. Surveillance grows, AI powers expand, and data is the new oil. But we’ve got tools the manifesto dreamed of—blockchains, DAOs. If we double down on their principles, the future won’t just be private—it’ll be unshackled. Privacy isn’t dead. It’s just waiting for us to catch up.