Cypherpunk Bitstream Hosts Share Importance of Payments, Dropgangs, and ‘Meatspace’ Allies

The Cypherpunk Bitstream podcast is a relatively new program that’s just released its fourth episode. The hosts, known as Frank Braun and The Real Smuggler, are so-called ‘privacy extremists’ and dyed-in-the-wool crypto-anarchists concerned with exposing cypherpunk ethos to a wider audience. Braun and Smuggler took time out recently to discuss their journeys to crypto-anarchy, the … Read more

Early Cypherpunk Emails Reveal a Blueprint for Bitcoin

The cypherpunks, a ragtag group of tech tinkerers, cryptographers, and privacy advocates, were obscure in their 1990s heyday. And it would have remained that way in perpetuity were it not for a certain Satoshi Nakamoto launching a digital currency in 2009 encapsulating their core beliefs. We don’t know if Satoshi was a cypherpunk. But what … Read more

The Many Facts Pointing to Ian Grigg Being Satoshi

Financial cryptographer. Cypherpunk. Inventor of Ricardian contracts and early utilizer of triple-entry accounting systems, which would later be exemplified in Bitcoin. Ian Grigg may have claimed that Satoshi was a team effort and is now dead, only living on in bitcoiners everywhere, but some seem to think it’s him. In this installment of “the many … Read more

Iran, Hong Kong, India: Failed Protests Point to Need for Crypto-Anarchy ‘Second Realms’

What is the second realm? It’s both an abstract and concrete “place” parallel to here, where temporary autonomous zones (TAZ) provide a chance to escape the burning surveillance spotlight of the state and brutal law enforcement culture, and allow for at least temporary exercises of human rights and freedom. A TAZ may allow for free … Read more

Another Self-Proclaimed Satoshi Fails to Sway Crypto Community

Another person has attempted to claim the title of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. According to a blog post published on August 18, this new person aims to expose his “real-life identity” through a series of written memoirs. The final ‘reveal’ will allegedly give the public the true answers to the decade long mystery. … Read more

Weaponized Money: Thoughts on the Creation and Control of Bitcoin

Some tin-foil hat conspiracy theorists believe government devised and built bitcoin as weaponized money to enslave the people. They think Big Brother made the technology to subjugate everyone, and that politicians are somehow benefiting from the technology. In an odd twist of logic, these people believe bitcoin represents a state-sponsored tool for control. Also read: Regulations … Read more

New ‘Trust Machine’ Blockchain Film Tackles Politics of Technology

Tinseltown turns its gaze back to technology in “Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain,” which opens on Oct. 26 at Cinema Village in New York City. However, unlike most popular media representations of the cryptocurrency revolution, Alex Winter’s new documentary film doesn’t dwell on the price of bitcoin or its frequently alleged ties to criminal … Read more

Cypherpunk Essentials: A Beginner’s Guide to Crypto Privacy

The following op-ed on crypto privacy was written by Reuben Yap. He is the Chief Operations Officer of Zcoin. A corporate lawyer for ten years, specializing in institutional frameworks, Reuben founded one of SE Asia’s top VPN companies, bolehvpn.net. He graduated with a LLB from the University of Nottingham. One of blockchain’s most notable and valued … Read more