Cypherpunk, a term that appeared in Eric Hughes' "A Cypherpunk's Manifesto" in 1993, combines the ideas of cyberpunk, the spirit of individualism in cyberspace, with the use of strong encryption (ciphertext is encrypted text) to preserve privacy. Cypherpunk advocates believe that the use of strong encryption algorithms will enable individuals to have safely private transactions. They oppose any kind of government regulation of cryptography. They admit the likelihood that criminals and terrorists will exploit the use of strong encryption systems, but accept the risk as the price to be paid for the individual's right to privacy.

05 Jun 2007