{"id":5052,"date":"2025-10-14T15:16:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T15:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/14\/cypherpunks-dont-just-write-code\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T15:16:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T15:16:11","slug":"cypherpunks-dont-just-write-code","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/14\/cypherpunks-dont-just-write-code\/","title":{"rendered":"Cypherpunks (Don\u2019t Just) Write Code"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bitcoin Magazine<\/a><\/p>\n

Cypherpunks (Don\u2019t Just) Write Code<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Inspired by a conversation with Fedi\u2019s Obi Nwosu\u2013about the often single-line focus in Eric Hughes\u2019 \u201cA Cypherpunk\u2019s Manifesto\u201d (1993)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Cypherpunk Manifesto Wordcloud by Obi Nwosu generated via\u00a0www.wordclouds.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPrivacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age. Privacy is not secrecy.
A private matter is something one doesn\u2019t want the whole world to know, but a secret matter is something one doesn\u2019t want anybody to know.
Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world.\u201d
\u2014\u00a0Eric Hughes, \u201cA Cypherpunk\u2019s Manifesto\u201d (1993)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a>It\u2019s All About Privacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In\u00a0The Cypherpunk Manifesto<\/em>,\u00a0privacy<\/strong>\u00a0is mentioned twenty-four times.
It is the\u00a0central theme<\/strong>, the\u00a0foundation<\/strong>, and the\u00a0driving purpose<\/strong>\u00a0of the entire call to action.<\/p>\n

Yet, in popular discussions, people often focus on a single line:<\/p>\n

\u201cCypherpunks write code.\u201d
\u2014\u00a0Hughes, 1993<\/em><\/p>\n

That focus usually comes from those of us who\u00a0do<\/em>\u00a0write code \u2014 and we understand that the line means Cypherpunks write code\u00a0to protect privacy<\/strong>.
But this narrow focus leaves out the rest of the Cypherpunk community \u2014 the broad majority who also play essential roles in achieving that goal.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Privacy Needs Everyone\u2019s Cooperation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cFor privacy to be widespread it must be part of a social contract\u2026
Privacy only extends so far as the cooperation of one\u2019s fellows in society.\u201d
\u2014\u00a0Hughes, 1993<\/em><\/p>\n

Cypherpunks\u00a0don\u2019t just write code<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Code is meaningless without users, advocates, and educators \u2014 and, at times,\u00a0privacy-focused lawyers<\/strong>\u00a0to defend those who write it.
If only coders are considered Cypherpunks, we create a smaller, more vulnerable anonymity set \u2014 easier to target, easier to silence.<\/p>\n

We should want\u00a0some<\/strong>\u00a0Cypherpunks to write code.
But we should also want Cypherpunks who:<\/p>\n

Write<\/strong>\u00a0about privacy<\/p>\n

Speak<\/strong>\u00a0about privacy<\/p>\n

Make art, music, and media<\/strong>\u00a0about privacy<\/p>\n

<\/a>Privacy Needs People Who Fight Anti-Privacy Regulation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cCypherpunks deplore regulations on cryptography, for encryption is fundamentally a private act.\u201d
\u2014\u00a0Hughes, 1993<\/em><\/p>\n

We also need Cypherpunks who:<\/p>\n

Lobby<\/strong>\u00a0against anti-privacy legislation<\/p>\n

Defend<\/strong>\u00a0digital rights in court<\/p>\n

Lead<\/strong>\u00a0organizations that uphold privacy principles<\/p>\n

<\/a>Beyond Code: The Broader Cypherpunk Mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Cypherpunks build\u00a0digital<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0analog<\/strong>\u00a0tools alike \u2014 from encryption software to the physical practices of confidentiality and discretion. They also require cypherpunks to design systems for actual use cases, test software, build testing infrastructure, manage projects, document, and\u00a0educate<\/strong>\u00a0on privacy tools.<\/p>\n

In an ideal world,\u00a0everyone<\/em>\u00a0strives to be a Cypherpunk in the way their skills and passions best serve the cause of privacy.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Manifesto Update, \u201cKid Gloves or Megaphones\u201d (Hughes, 1996)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cCode alone doesn\u2019t cut it. Not code alone, not code widely distributed, not even code widely used. Some measure of toleration in society for activities conducted in private is\u00a0necessary<\/em>\u00a0for long-term success.\u201d
\u2014\u00a0Eric Hughes, \u201cKid Gloves or Megaphones,\u201d 1996<\/em><\/p>\n

Three years after writing\u00a0A Cypherpunk\u2019s Manifesto<\/em>, Eric Hughes revisited that same \u201cCyperpunks write code\u201d focus. In a message to the Cypherpunks mailing list, he reminded the community that\u00a0privacy cannot survive in code alone<\/strong>. Privacy needs public understanding and social tolerance. This message reads almost like a Cypherpunk Manifesto update or bug fix. And yet, people still focus on that single \u201cCyperpunks write code\u201d line from the 1993 manifesto.<\/p>\n

Hughes warned that if privacy tools exist only in the shadows, society will turn against them. Without transparency, trust collapses; without trust,\u00a0privacy becomes marginal<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 something for outlaws, not citizens. He saw clearly that\u00a0social consensus is the real encryption key<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnless there is a public consensus that people generally should be able to use their own cryptography, then such use will become marginalized. Legislatures will outlaw, the public will disapprove, and vigilantes will hunt down improper use.\u201d
\u2014\u00a0Hughes, 1996<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not enough to build strong code; we must also build\u00a0strong narratives<\/strong>\u00a0that defend it in public. The Cypherpunk mission isn\u2019t to hide \u2014 it\u2019s to\u00a0speak up<\/strong>, The movement survives not by retreating into encrypted caves, but by carrying the message outward \u2014 loud, human, and unashamed. That\u2019s how privacy wins: not just with math, but with megaphones.<\/p>\n

I would add, in whatever way you choose to speak up within whatever your skills, strengths, and constraints are in the world.<\/p>\n

<\/a>More Cypherpunks, More Privacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe Cypherpunks are actively engaged in making the networks safer for privacy.
Let us proceed together apace. Onward.\u201d
\u2014\u00a0Hughes, 1993<\/em><\/p>\n

Networks are not just computer systems \u2014 they are\u00a0people, places, and communities<\/strong>. Privacy depends on the cooperation of everyone within them.<\/p>\n

Everyone is needed. Everyone is necessary.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Written in reflection of Eric Hughes\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0\u201cA Cypherpunk\u2019s Manifesto<\/a>\u201d (1993)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a guest post by HeidE. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

This post Cypherpunks (Don\u2019t Just) Write Code<\/a> first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine<\/a> and is written by HeidE<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bitcoin Magazine Cypherpunks (Don\u2019t Just) Write Code Inspired by a conversation with Fedi\u2019s Obi Nwosu\u2013about the often single-line focus in Eric Hughes\u2019 \u201cA Cypherpunk\u2019s Manifesto\u201d (1993)\u00a0 Cypherpunk Manifesto Wordcloud by Obi Nwosu generated via\u00a0www.wordclouds.com \u201cPrivacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age. Privacy is not secrecy.A private matter is something one doesn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5052","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bitcoin"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}