thumb|[[Parallel Polis#Use in cryptoanarchism|Parallel Polis, or the Institute of cryptoanarchy in Prague, 2024]]
Crypto-anarchy, crypto-anarchism, digital anarchism, cyberanarchy, or cyberanarchism is a current of anarchism focusing on the protection of privacy, political freedom, counter-surveillance, hacktivism and economic freedom. The adherents of this philosophy use cryptographic software for confidentiality and security while sending and receiving information over computer networks. In his 1988 "Crypto Anarchist Manifesto", Timothy C. May introduced the basic principles of crypto-anarchism, which include encrypted exchanges ensuring total anonymity, total freedom of speech, and total freedom to trade. In 1992, he read the text at the founding meeting of the cypherpunk movement.
Terminology
The prefix "crypto-" originates from the Ancient Greek word κρυπτός kruptós, meaning "hidden" or "secret". This differs from its use in terms like 'crypto-fascist' or 'crypto-Jew' where it signifies that an identity is concealed from the world; rather, many crypto-anarchists are open about their anarchism and promotion of tools based in cryptology.
Motives
One motive of crypto-anarchists is to defend against surveillance of computer networks communication. They try to protect against government mass surveillance, such as PRISM, ECHELON, Tempora, telecommunications data retention, the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy, Room 641A, the FRA and so on. Crypto-anarchists consider the development and use of cryptography to be the main defense against such problems.
A 2022 study examined whether crypto-anarchism can be a useful tool in addressing socio-political issues. Their findings revealed that crypto-anarchism does not have a significant influence on actual politics, but studying it can be useful for creating political movements geared toward Internet users.
Anonymous trading
Bitcoin is a currency generated and secured by peer-to-peer networked devices that maintain a communal record of all transactions within the system that can be used in a crypto-anarchic context. Adrian Chen says the idea behind bitcoin can be traced to The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto. Silk Road was an example of an illegal drug market on which bitcoin was the only accepted currency.
In "The Cyphernomicon", Timothy C. May suggests that crypto-anarchism qualifies as a form of anarcho-capitalism:
Another quote in "The Cyphernomicon" defines crypto-anarchism. Under the title "What is Crypto Anarchy?", May writes:
Virtual and network states
A network state is a theoretical community of users—called “subscriber citizens”—connected via the internet, who accumulate enough capital, territory, or political clout to achieve diplomatic recognition as a state.
For crypto-anarchists, creating such a virtual or network state to increase freedom and reduce physical coercion has been a consistent talking point since at least 1992, when Timothy May initially discussed a version of these ideas in his article, Libertaria in Cyberspace. May said:<blockquote>This is the most compelling advantage of "Crypto Libertaria": an arbitrarily large number of separate "nations" can simultaneously exist. This allows for rapid experimentation, self-selection, and evolution. If folks get tired of some virtual community, they can leave. The cryptographic aspects mean their membership in some community is unknown to others (vis-a-vis the physical or outside world, i.e., their "true names") and physical coercion is reduced.
Everard formulated the idea of disaggregating various elements of the nation state while considering what voluntarily procured "virtual states" in a market environment would look like. He suggests that virtual states based in cyberspace will take over the “goods and services economy” aspect of the state apparatus. In the final treatment, he did not believe the "state" would face an extinction-level event, only that its power may be diminished in some areas but strengthened in others.
Criticism
Some scholars criticize that crypto-anarchism is referencing the term "anarchism" in its regards to freedom as a primary value in them, whereas the political thoughts of crypto-anarchism are closer tied to libertarianism as to anarchism:<blockquote>However, it is different in the case of crypto-anarchism. It is a thought and activity not based on anarchism of the turn of the 20th century, in which the idea of freedom had a social dimension. Freedom in anarchism of that time was treated as a value manifested in and towards other people, rather than in competition between individuals. Crypto-anarchism therefore has a different – libertarian – genesis, and libertarianism is not treated by social anarchists as anarchism. Nevertheless, the idea of freedom can be treated as a primary value in crypto-anarchism, and although it would be realised in the virtual world, it could also be realised in the real world.</blockquote>
See also
- Jim Bell — originator of the idea of assassination politics
- Crypto Wars
- Computer security
- Technolibertarianism
- Cody Wilson
- Defense Distributed