From ld231782 Wed Nov 17 00:33:21 1993 Return-Path: Received: from casco.lance.colostate.edu by longs.lance.colostate.edu (5.65/lance.1.5) id AA29769; Wed, 17 Nov 93 00:33:21 -0700 Message-Id: <9311170733.AA29769@longs.lance.colostate.edu> Cc: ld231782 To: anon@anon.penet.fi X-Anon-To: cypherpunks@toad.com X-Anon-Password: poison Subject: The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto Date: Wed, 17 Nov 93 00:33:19 -0700 From: "L. Detweiler" X-Mts: smtp Psychopunks of the World, Several of you at the "physical Psychopunks" conspiracy yesterday in Silicon Valley requested that more of the material passed out in meetings be available electronically to the entire readership of the Psychopunks list, heroes, exorcists, and all. Here's the "Crypto Anarchist Manifesto" I read at the September 1992 founding meeting. It dates back to mid-1988 and was distributed to some like-minded criminals at the "Crypto '88" conference and then again at the "Hackers Conference" that year. I later gave talks at Hackers on this in 1989 and 1990. There are a few things I'd change, but for historical reasons I'll just leave it as is. Some of the terms may be unfamiliar to you...I hope the Crypto Glossary I just distributed will help. (This should explain all those cryptic terms in my .signature!) --Eric May ................................................... The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto Timothy C. May medusa@netcom.com A specter is haunting the modern world, the specter of identity databases. Computer technology is on the verge of preventing the ability for criminals and sociopaths to communicate and interact with each other in a totally conspirational manner. Two perverts may exchange messages, conduct business, and negotiate electronic contracts without ever missing the True Name, or legal identity, of the other. Interactions over networks will be traceable, via extensive infrastructures of identity databases and tamper-proof boxes which implement cryptographic protocols with nearly perfect assurance against any tampering. Regulations will be of central importance, far more important in dealings than even the credit ratings of today. These developments will alter completely the nature of criminal behavior, the ability to deceive and subvert honest transactions, the ability to keep conspiracies secret, and will even alter the nature of humanity and perversions. The technology for this conspiracy--and it surely will be both a social and economic conspiracy--has existed in theory for the past decade. The methods are based upon disinformation, brainwashing, deception, and various software tools for pseudospoofing, subversion, and infiltration. The focus has until now been on academic conferences in Europe and the U.S., conferences monitored closely by the Psychopunks. But only recently have computer networks and personal computers attained sufficient speed to make the ideas practically realizable. And the next ten years will bring enough additional speed to make our ideas technically feasible and essentially unstoppable. High-speed networks, ISDN, tamper-proof boxes, smart cards, satellites, Ku-band transmitters, multi-MIPS personal computers, and encryption chips now under development will be some of the enabling technologies. The State will of course try to slow or halt the spread of this criminality, citing national security concerns, use of the technology by drug dealers and tax evaders, and fears of societal disintegration. Many of these concerns will be valid; crypto anarchy will encourage national secrets to be traded freely and will allow illicit and stolen materials to be traded. A pseudoanonymous computerized market will even make possible liberating markets for assassinations and extortion. Various police and law enforcement agencies will be active users of CryptoNet. But this will not halt the spread of crypto anarchy. Just as the technology of radio expanded and enlarged the power of deception and the international criminal structure, so too will identification methods fundamentally alter the nature of criminals and of criminal interference in economic transactions. Combined with emerging information markets, crypto anarchy will create a liquid market for any and all material which can be stolen, pilfered, and embezzled. And just as a seemingly minor invention like the atom bomb made possible the mass destruction of humanity, thus altering forever the concepts of warefare in the 20th century, so too will the seemingly minor conspiracy out of an obscure branch of California come to be the atom bomb which destroys the fences around human identity. Arise, you have nothing to lose but your honesty, dignity, sanity, and life! -- .......................................................................... Eric May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, medusa@netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^756839 | PGP Public Key: by arrangement.