Content of the article, for those who prefer reading on stacker news:

This was originally a response to Lyn Alden's note on her core values, but I thought it made more sense as a standalone long form post.

Technology and Freedom are my two core values, and what I try to propel forward every day. I would call myself a Cypherpunk.

I love technology, the invention of the transistor has propelled humanity forward in an unparalleled way. We went from crude mechanical systems to sophisticated digital realms, reshaping how we live, work, and connect with each other. In the grand scheme of things, humanity has made more progress in the last 100 years than in the previous millennia, thanks to technological innovation.

But at the same time, we have lost a lot of our freedoms in the digital age. The very tools that have brought us together have also given rise to surveillance capitalism and governmental overreach.

Privacy was a given throughout human history, often assumed as just a natural part of daily life without much thought put into it. Communities were smaller, and while gossip might spread, the reach was limited to local areas. People could generally expect their letters to remain sealed, their conversations to stay between those present, and their whereabouts known only to a select few who saw them. This expectation of privacy was straightforward and just an obvious part of life that nobody would have ever thought of questioning.

Now, the concept of privacy has been profoundly transformed for the worst, somehow the majority of society has deemed it the case that privacy (and to some extent freedom in general) is a shady thing that only those with nefarious intentions want. Today, the concept of privacy is under siege, every click, every search, and every movement can be tracked, the notion of keeping any part of our lives private is somehow seen as immoral.

The proliferation of KYC policies, demands that we trade our privacy for convenience or "security" (a word which has lost its meaning over time), leaving us in a perpetual state of surveillance.

The societal shift towards "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" further complicates the situation. This mentality suggests a trade-off between privacy and security, implying that only those engaging in illicit activities would need privacy. It overlooks the fundamental human right to a private life, irrespective of one's actions being right or wrong. The aversion to anonymity online, driven by fears of nefarious activities, has led to a stigmatization of privacy measures. Using VPNs, encryption, or even insisting on cash transactions can raise suspicion, despite their legitimate purposes.

The irony is stark: in our quest for connection and convenience through technology, we've inadvertently surrendered the very essence of our freedom and privacy. As a Cypherpunk, my commitment is to challenge this status quo. I champion the use of cryptography, secure communication, and privacy-enhancing technologies to empower individuals against this invasive trend.

Bitcoin and Nostr are, to me, the best solution to this problem. Bitcoin and Nostr exemplify the principles of creating closed community networks that reestablish trust and privacy in our digital age. By leveraging these technologies, we can recreate the essence of small, close-knit communities where privacy is respected and communication is secure, yet on a global scale made possible by the internet.

Bitcoin allows us to transfer value between any two individuals in the globe without anyone being able to stop it, giving people back some of their control and freedom.

Nostr, on the other hand, if used correctly, is a protocol that enables secure exchange of information, both to the entire world and exclusively to your close-nit community.

However, there's a pivotal piece of the puzzle still missing to complete this vision of decentralized, private, and secure networks or citadels. This missing element is a tool that empowers users to truly own and control their data in a closed community network, at a physical level, directly on a secure device that they control. This tool would not only facilitate intimate conversations and video sharing among trusted members but also lay the groundwork for localized economies, encapsulated within secure digital citadels.

That piece of the puzzle is what I am devoting most of my time building today.