The Cypherpunks were interested in harnessing cryptographic tools to build anonymous communication networks and markets without government censorship.

In 2009, Cypherpunk Hal Finney became the first person to transact Bitcoin as well as the first maintainer of the Bitcoin software code base.

Public key cryptography, or the use of encryption to secure information against unwanted access by third parties, was discovered in 1973. Research on and access to encryption technologies were highly embargoed.

FROM CYPHERPUNKS TO WEB3:

The Cypherpunks were united by a belief that people should be able to live free from state interference in private matters, and a conviction that this freedom could be achieved through the use of digital encryption technology that allowed people to communicate without being surveilled.

Engineer Paul Baran made a number of breakthroughs that are relevant to the public, decentralized technologies to this day, including “message blocks” (a component in blockchain technology) and advocacy for private digital networks via cryptography.

This presented the idea of Bitcoin, a “peer-to-peer electronic cash” representing the first public, permissionless, cryptographically secure peer-to-peer protocol.

A PRE-HISTORY OF THE CYPHERPUNKS:

FROM CRYPTOGRAPHERS TO CYPHERPUNKS (1990S - 2008):