Cypherpunks

 The cypherpunks list is a forum for discussing personal defenses for

privacy in the digital domain.  It is a high volume mailing list.  If

you want to be added or removed from the list, send mail to

cypherpunks-request@toad.com

There is no automated list processing software; a human (me, Eric

Hughes) will read your message and take the appropriate action.  If

you get two of these welcome messages, it likely means you've double

subscribed and will have trouble getting off the list.  Send mail to

the above address and tell me if this happens.

Do not expect instant turnaround.  Remember, a human is looking at

your requests, not a program.  I try to do list maintenance every

other day or so, but sometimes the delays are longer.

Do not mail to the whole list asking to be removed.  You'll just get

the members of the list thinking you're a newbie and you'll get a note

from me telling you to send mail the the -request address.

If your mail bounces repeatedly, you will be removed from the list.

Nothing personal, but I have to look at all the bounce messages.

There is no digest version available.

There is an announcements list which is moderated and has low volume.

Announcements for physical cypherpunks meetings, new software and

important developments will be posted there.  Mail to

cypherpunks-announce-request@toad.com

if you want to be added or removed to the announce list.  All

announcements also go out to the full cypherpunks list, so there is no

need to subscribe to both.

There is an ftp site for cypherpunks.  It is

soda.berkeley.edu:pub/cypherpunks

This site contains code, information, rants, and other miscellany.

There is a glossary there that all new members should download and

read.  Also recommended for all users are Hal Finney's instructions on

how to use the anonymous remailer system; the remailer sources are

there for the perl-literate.

Enjoy and deploy.

Eric

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Cypherpunks assume privacy is a good thing and wish there were more

of it.  Cypherpunks acknowledge that those who want privacy must

create it for themselves and not expect governments, corporations, or

other large, faceless organizations to grant them privacy out of

beneficence.  Cypherpunks know that people have been creating their

own privacy for centuries with whispers, envelopes, closed doors, and

couriers.  Cypherpunks do not seek to prevent other people from

speaking about their experiences or their opinions.

The most important means to the defense of privacy is encryption. To

encrypt is to indicate the desire for privacy.  But to encrypt with

weak cryptography is to indicate not too much desire for privacy.

Cypherpunks hope that all people desiring privacy will learn how best

to defend it.

Cypherpunks are therefore devoted to cryptography.  Cypherpunks wish

to learn about it, to teach it, to implement it, and to make more of

it.  Cypherpunks know that cryptographic protocols make social

structures.  Cypherpunks know how to attack a system and how to

defend it.  Cypherpunks know just how hard it is to make good

cryptosystems.

Cypherpunks love to practice.  They love to play with public key

cryptography.  They love to play with anonymous and pseudonymous mail

forwarding and delivery.  They love to play with DC-nets.  They love

to play with secure communications of all kinds.

Cypherpunks write code.  They know that someone has to write code to

defend privacy, and since it's their privacy, they're going to write

it.  Cypherpunks publish their code so that their fellow cypherpunks

may practice and play with it.  Cypherpunks realize that security is

not built in a day and are patient with incremental progress.

Cypherpunks don't care if you don't like the software they write. 

Cypherpunks know that software can't be destroyed.  Cypherpunks know

that a widely dispersed system can't be shut down.

Cypherpunks will make the networks safe for privacy.