Cypherpunk's Manifesto (1993)

The Cypherpunk's Manifesto is a foundational document written by Eric Hughes in 1993 that outlines the core principles and philosophy of the cypherpunk movement. The manifesto begins with the famous declaration "Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age" and proceeds to explain why privacy through cryptography is essential for maintaining freedom in the digital world. It emphasizes that privacy is not secrecy - privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world.

The document presents several key arguments about the nature of privacy and electronic systems, including the necessity of anonymous transactions, the role of cryptography in ensuring privacy, and the importance of writing and deploying code that protects individual rights. Hughes argues that privacy in an open society requires anonymous transaction systems and that we cannot expect governments, corporations, or other large organizations to grant us privacy - we must defend it ourselves through cryptography and digital innovation.

The manifesto has become a cornerstone of digital rights activism and has influenced numerous movements and technologies, including the development of Bitcoin, secure communication protocols, and various privacy-enhancing technologies. Its principles continue to resonate in contemporary debates about digital privacy, surveillance, and individual rights in the information age. The document's emphasis on taking active measures to protect privacy rather than merely hoping for it has inspired generations of cryptographers, developers, and digital rights advocates to create tools and systems that embody these principles.