This talk offers an anthropological analysis of the original cypherpunk ethos, examining its historical foundations, core values, and ideological commitments. While the cypherpunk movement emerged as a response to centralized power through technical resistance, this talk argues that for cypherpunk principles to remain relevant in today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, they must expand beyond purely technological solutions. The presentation will explore how privacy and censorship resistance (once framed narrowly as tools for individual autonomy) can be reimagined as crucial to broader notions of collective safety, political agency, and social freedom.

In doing so, this talk will critique the ways in which contemporary Web3 discourse has diluted cypherpunk ideals, often reducing them to market-driven narratives and individual financial sovereignty. By disentangling cypherpunk values from the speculative excesses of Web3 culture, this talk advocates for a renewed vision in which privacy-enhancing technologies are positioned as indispensable to democratic governance and human rights.

This talk will also highlight the importance of integrating social science perspectives to revitalize cypherpunk’s original commitments. Drawing from anthropology, political theory, and media studies, it will demonstrate how a humanities-aligned framework can deepen cypherpunk’s engagement with social justice, marginalized communities, and emergent global crises. Ultimately, this discussion calls for a recalibration of cypherpunk values, one that places privacy and security at the heart of mainstream political discourse while remaining attuned to the social conditions that shape technological adoption and resistance.