On being a cypherpunk

[coderman]

On 3/13/06, Damian Gerow <dgerow at afflictions.org> wrote:
> ...
> I've known for years (it was on the website holding the subscription form)
> that cypherpunks write code.  But I've never seen discussion behind the
> phrase, only of the phrase itself.
>
> I suppose in one sense, the statement, "Cypherpunks write code," answers the
> question itself.  But aside from the obvious, I'm curious to know what
> individual reasons people have.
>
> If you (yes, you, the person reading this right now) write code, why do you
> do it?


i suppose an abridged description would be:

i write code to facilitate personal privacy because i feel privacy is
important and worthwhile for many reasons.

i write code for those who want to take responsibility for their own
privacy because governments and businesses will not give them the
tools to do so.

i write code to assist private communication because the ability to
communicate freely is a fundamental and necessary aspect of any social
context.

i write code because it gives me a great deal of satisfaction to build
something useful to myself and others.