The prediction, in brief:

The ultimate Crypto Anarchy tool would be anonymous digital money … Ultimately, the lessons taught by the Cypherpunks, as well as the tools they produce, are designed to help shape a world where cryptography runs free – a Pac-Man-like societal maneuver in which the digital technology that previously snatched our privacy is used, via cryptography, to snatch it back.

Predictor: Cypherpunks

Prediction, in context:

In a 1993 article for Wired magazine, Steven Levy writes about encryption issues, explaining the Cypherpunks’ point of view:”Cryptographic techniques can also potentially assure anonymity in more prosaic exchanges. For instance, in a system designed to protect privacy, a prospective employer requesting proof of a college degree will have access to records with that information – but will only be able to verify that sole datum. Cypherpunks even discuss certain cases in which a person’s name would be one of the pieces protected – for instance, a police officer checking one’s license need not know a driver’s name, but only whether he or she is licensed to drive. The ultimate Crypto Anarchy tool would be anonymous digital money, an idea proposed and being implemented by cryptographer David Chaum. (Chaum also first proposed the idea of remailers – a good example of how the Cypherpunks are using academic research from the crypto community to build new privacy tools.) In essence, the Cypherpunks propose an alternative to the continuation of the status quo, where cryptography is closely held and privacy is an increasingly rare commodity. Ultimately, the lessons taught by the Cypherpunks, as well as the tools they produce, are designed to help shape a world where cryptography runs free – a Pac-Man-like societal maneuver in which the digital technology that previously snatched our privacy is used, via cryptography, to snatch it back.”

Date of prediction: May 1, 1993

Topic of prediction: Communication

Subtopic: Security/Encryption

Name of publication: Wired

Title, headline, chapter name: Crypto Rebels

Quote Type: Paraphrase

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.02/crypto.rebels_pr.html

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney