A Cypherpunk Privacy Reading List

Curated by ZCash Foundation
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Privacy matters, as a value and a goal. It matters deeply — even existentially. People often say that privacy is a human right. But why? What makes it so important? Protecting your privacy can be as simple as closing the door. No one campaigns against the existence of solid wood. But usually it’s not quite that simple, because privacy is more than a practical concern. We find ourselves grappling with questions as contentious as they are ancient: Who has power? Who ought to? How is that power constrained in actuality? The philosophical and political dimensions of privacy end up affecting the tools that you and I are able to use — often, the tools that we have access to at all. Are you intrigued? The following 16 links compose an eclectic reading list, meant as a convenient starting point for anyone who wants to explore the cypherpunk approach to privacy.
  1. Article

    The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto – Timothy C. May (1988)

    > “Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world” Privacy hinges on autonomy and consent; it combines both safety and freedom. Hughes and his contemporaries defined the cypherpunk perspective that eventually gave rise to cryptocurrency.

  2. Article

    Why I Wrote PGP – Philip Zimmerman (1991)

  3. Article

    A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto – Eric Hughes (1993)

  4. Article

    Modem Grrrl – Jude Milhon (1995)

  5. Article

    A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace – John Perry Barlow (1996)

  6. Article

    A World of Strong Privacy: Promises and Perils of Encryption – David Friedman (1996)

  7. Article

    Privacy and Technology – David Friedman (1999)

  8. Article

    The Case for Privacy – David Friedman (2005)

  9. Article

    Why I’m weird about privacy – Ryan Barrett (2011)

  10. Article

    We Should All Have Something To Hide – Moxie Marlinspike (2013)

  11. Article

    Shepherd of the Masked – Kazerad (2014)

  12. Book

    Queer Privacy - Sarah Jamie Lewis and contributors (2017)

    ISBN 1365978141

  13. Article

    Your Secret Right to Cash – Peter Van Valkenburgh (2017)

  14. Article

    Is (just) some privacy worth anything? – Tony Sheng (2018)

  15. Article

    The Case for Electronic Cash – Jerry Brito (2019)

  16. Article

    Privacy is power – Carissa Véliz (2019)

  17. 2
    1. Website

      EFF’s Surveillance Self-Defense

    2. Website

      Zcash Community Forum - Articles about Privacy and Security Recommendations