Introduction
First, a little context. Recently, I came across this very interesting book called This Machine Kills Secrets, written by Wired journalist Andy Greenberg. The book sheds light on the secretive lives of some very peculiar characters in the world of technology, and cryptography in particular. The book focuses on modern cryptography, 1990s culture of cypherpunks, Wikileaks, Tor, and the importance of information in today's world. It's easily one of my favorite books now.
One of the many interesting people mentioned in the book, a programmer named Eric Hughes, who co-founded the cypherpunk movement, wrote a prescient manifesto in 1993 calling on like-minded people to use encryption to protect our information, privacy and security and to spread awareness about these issues far and wide. I found that it resonated really well with me and I'm sure it will with you too.
If there's one takeaway from the book and this manifesto, it's this : Cypherpunks write code. If you have the know-how, share it with people. If you can program, create something useful so that others can use it and even improve upon it. I think Eric Hughes captured the spirit of open source software and the need for privacy and security in the then upcoming online world perfectly.
In today's world where we're online 24-7, it's more important than ever before to take control of our data. Big corporations are acting as a third party in nearly all of our online interactions with each other. Think about it, when was the last time you didn't use software written by a big corporation?
Why is this bad?
Because companies rely on your data to earn money. The more data you give them, voluntarily or involuntarily, the more easily they can build a profile on you to track you. And, with better tracking, they can show you more personalized, targeted ads. So they are after more and more of your data.
Why should you care?
With the vast amount of data they have on their customers, large scale abuse becomes a real possibility, ranging from government surveillance to unethical manipulation. Data leaks can also be devastating.
How is this relevant?
Because, this is not a hypothetical anymore. If you haven't been living under a rock for the past few years, you must know all the privacy and security violations committed by some big and small tech companies worldwide.
Why don't more people care about this?
Many people don't care much about digital privacy and security because all the surveillance and tracking happens in the background. So, they're oblivious to it. The only visible indication we sometimes get are the ads that seem to follow us as we surf the web or hop from one app to another.
Does it have to be this way?
Of course not. There are many things we can do to become technologically capable ourselves and depend less on third parties. I will blog about them, among other things, in the future. Meanwhile, think twice before installing that shiny new app or giving out your email address. Also, try to use open source alternatives to commercial applications wherever possible.
For further reading :
A Cypherpunk's Manifesto by Eric Hughes