{"id":10362,"date":"2023-07-11T06:18:44","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T06:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/?p=10362"},"modified":"2022-05-17T04:52:07","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T04:52:07","slug":"what-is-a-cypherpunk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-cypherpunk","title":{"rendered":"What is a Cypherpunk?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Alternar tabla de contenidos\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-cypherpunk\/#history_of_the_cypherpunk_movement\" >History of the Cypherpunk movement<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-cypherpunk\/#apparition_of_the_cypherpunks\" >Apparition of the Cypherpunks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-cypherpunk\/#the_decade_of_the_90s\" >The decade of the 90\u2019s<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-cypherpunk\/#footprints_of_the_cypherpunks\" >Footprints of the Cypherpunks<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Tiempo de lectura:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutos<\/span><\/span><p>In the world of cryptocurrencies, you\u2019ve probably heard of\u00a0<strong>Cypherpunk<\/strong>. Maybe you have an idea of what it is or maybe not. Today we will tell you all about this very interesting\u00a0<strong>movement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>When we talk about Cypherpunk we refer to a movement without a specific leader. This movement defended the use of\u00a0<strong>cryptography<\/strong>\u00a0to guarantee the security and\u00a0<strong>privacy<\/strong>\u00a0of all digital users.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand we have a cypherpunk. This would be the way to call an\u00a0<strong>activist<\/strong>\u00a0who defends this movement. Using the best of cryptography and technological advances to\u00a0<strong>protect<\/strong>\u00a0others, this is what cypherpunks stand for.<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"history_of_the_cypherpunk_movement\"><\/span><strong>History of the Cypherpunk movement<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<p>With the advent of the\u00a0<strong>Internet<\/strong>, it was understood that, far from being intended as a secure system, the Internet was designed as a<strong>\u00a0precise<\/strong>\u00a0tool. Not at all a method of protection. Among the first fighters to push for<strong>\u00a0security<\/strong>\u00a0was<strong>\u00a0Ralph Merkle, creator of the famous\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-merkle-tree\/\">Merkle tree<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite his young age, he was able to create the\u00a0<strong>foundations<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0<strong>cryptographic<\/strong>\u00a0systems that are still in use today. One of his main creations was the first asymmetric cryptographic system. Merkle\u2019s work was joined by\u00a0<strong>Martin Hellman and Diffie<\/strong>. Between them, these three developers created the first publicly available\u00a0<strong>cryptographic systems<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>It was at this stage that the Cypherpunk movement began to\u00a0<strong>take shape<\/strong>, when its development finally had a great deal of weight on which to build.<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"image_410068050\" class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\">\n<div class=\"img-inner dark\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-large size-large lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Qu%C3%A9-es-un-Cypherpunk.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Qu\u00e9-es-un-Cypherpunk.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Qu\u00e9-es-un-Cypherpunk-300x205.jpg 300w\" alt=\"Qu\u00e9-es-un-Cypherpunk\" width=\"768\" height=\"526\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Qu\u00e9-es-un-Cypherpunk.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Qu\u00e9-es-un-Cypherpunk-300x205.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Qu\u00e9-es-un-Cypherpunk.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"apparition_of_the_cypherpunks\"><\/span><strong>Apparition of the Cypherpunks<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<p>Although the technology made great strides in the\u00a0<strong>70<b>\u00b4s<\/b><\/strong>, it was not enough for the specialists. At that time\u00a0<strong>DES<\/strong>\u00a0(Data Encryption Standard) fell short of the large number of security applications that were pending. Being such an\u00a0<strong>early stage<\/strong>\u00a0for the technology, the low\u00a0<strong>computational power<\/strong>\u00a0complicated the implementation of new developments in\u00a0<strong>asymmetric<\/strong>\u00a0cryptographic systems.<\/p>\n<p>In spite of so many difficulties, all those interested in promoting the development of the system continued to look for new<strong>\u00a0ways<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0<strong>evolve<\/strong>. By the end of the\u00a0<strong>80<b>\u00b4s<\/b><\/strong>, the<strong>\u00a0ARPANET<\/strong>\u00a0had become a major worldwide information network.<\/p>\n<p>With all the development boom, brilliant personalities such as\u00a0<strong>David Chaum or Silvio Micali<\/strong>\u00a0began to stand out. They focused on the development of\u00a0<strong>cryptography<\/strong>. Although there were many who clung to this development,\u00a0<strong>Chaum<\/strong>\u00a0stood out for being the most rebellious and for seeking the maximum of technology.<\/p>\n<p>At this time he was in the midst of a\u00a0<strong>struggle<\/strong>\u00a0between\u00a0<strong>government<\/strong>\u00a0control and the defense of people\u2019s\u00a0<strong>freedom<\/strong>. Since the only means to drive this security was cryptography, he set about creating highly secure\u00a0<strong>systems<\/strong>. These included blind signatures, cryptographic credentials and group signatures.<\/p>\n<p>This is how David Chaum became\u00a0<strong>the first cypherpunk<\/strong>\u00a0in history. The name Cypherpunk started to be heard in the mid\u00a0<strong>80\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0when cryptography was barely known by spies and governments. At that time people were beginning to know the term cryptography and wanted to take it to\u00a0<strong>applications<\/strong>\u00a0in situations beyond the military. Being the beginning of new technologies, a\u00a0<strong>method of data protection<\/strong>\u00a0was needed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the_decade_of_the_90s\"><\/span><strong>The decade of the 90\u2019s<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<p>When the 90\u2019s arrived, the<strong>\u00a0Internet<\/strong>\u00a0that we use every day was already known. This network, nothing comparable to the one we use today, was already\u00a0<strong>active<\/strong>\u00a0all over the world. Impossibilities such as\u00a0<strong>sharing information<\/strong>\u00a0from anywhere were already feasible.<\/p>\n<p>The term was finally coined in\u00a0<strong>1992.<\/strong>\u00a0It emerged as a play on words during a\u00a0<strong>meeting<\/strong>\u00a0of a group formed by Tim May, John Gilmore and Eric Hughes. \u201cCypherpunk\u201d is the union formed by prominent activist Jude Milhon. The word is divided between \u201c<strong>Cypher<\/strong>\u201d for cypher and \u201c<strong>Punk<\/strong>\u201d for rebel. If we translate it into Spanish we understand the name of the group as \u201c<strong>rebels of the cipher<\/strong>\u201c.<\/p>\n<p>In this meeting there were about\u00a0<strong>thirty<\/strong>\u00a0people discussing privacy, anonymity, politics, among other topics. During these years the internet had advanced so much that\u00a0<strong>mail<\/strong>\u00a0already existed. Not only did it exist, but it was also used as a space to\u00a0<strong>debate<\/strong>\u00a0and meet. Thanks to this technological advance,\u00a0<strong>the Cypherpunk mailing list<\/strong>\u00a0was created at this meeting.<\/p>\n<p>On this list of over\u00a0<strong>2000<\/strong>\u00a0subscribers were figures such as Adam Back,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/who-is-nick-szabo\/\">Nick Szabo<\/a>, Jude Milhon, among many others. This list became the table on which a multitude of\u00a0<strong>cryptography projects<\/strong>\u00a0were created. From 1992 to the present, this list has participated in the creation of projects such as Open Privacy or the Electronic Frontier Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Not only was it involved in projects, but it was also the base where the \u201c<strong>Cryptoanarchist Manifesto<\/strong>\u201d and \u201c<strong>Cyphernomicon<\/strong>\u201d were created. Other\u00a0<strong>blockchain\u00a0<\/strong>oriented developments such as the\u00a0<strong>HashCash<\/strong>\u00a0created by Adam Back also took place there.<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"footprints_of_the_cypherpunks\"><\/span><strong>Footprints of the Cypherpunks<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<p>Now that we know the history of the cypherpunks, we can start with the traces they have left in technology. Below we will look at their main\u00a0<strong>achievements<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Internet.\u00a0<\/b>Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web, was a well-known member of the cypherpunk movement. Throughout his life, he advocated the use of data worldwide. His idea was a network accessible to all users beyond the government.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Remote access.\u00a0<\/b>When the Internet was created, remote access was one of the main requirements for its proper functioning. Protocols such as FTP and Telnet were created, but they were not secure enough. The solution to the problem came with Tatu Yl\u00f6nen when he created the SSH protocol. This is how it ended up becoming the default protocol for remote connection on the Internet. Thanks to the high security it provides, it is still the most widely used protocol today.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Defense of rights.\u00a0<\/b>The creation of EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) marked a new stage in digital rights. This achievement is attributed to Mitch Kapor, John Gilmore and John Perry Barlow. Three members of the Cypherpunk movement who, like many others, fought for digital rights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This was not the only achievement regarding digital rights.\u00a0<strong>The Free Software Foundation founded<\/strong>\u00a0by Richard Stallman was also a\u00a0<strong>digital rights\u00a0<\/strong>oriented organization. Its main goal was to maintain the source code of all programs in order to create total freedom for users who wanted to modify them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<p>After this tour through the Cypherpunk history, you will have noticed that\u00a0<strong>there are many reasons to thank this group of people<\/strong>\u00a0who have done so much for our freedom. This article is a small thank you to each one of those who have been or are part of this exciting movement, thank you very much Cypherpunks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Tiempo de lectura:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutos<\/span><\/span>In the world of cryptocurrencies, you\u2019ve probably heard of\u00a0Cypherpunk. Maybe you have an idea of what it is or maybe not. Today we will tell you all about this very interesting\u00a0movement. When we talk about Cypherpunk we refer to a movement without a specific leader. This movement defended the use of\u00a0cryptography\u00a0to guarantee the security and\u00a0privacy\u00a0of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[185],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blockchain-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}