Thirty-two years ago, WIRED published its second edition featuring cypherpunks Tim May, Eric Hughes, and John Gilmore on the cover. The article, penned by Steven Levy, documents the origins of the Cypherpunk movement dating back to 1975, when Whitfield Diffie pioneered public-key cryptography with Martin Hellman and Ralph Merkle. Before this, cryptographic tools were suppressed by the NSA under arms regulations. Public-key cryptography empowered individuals to securely communicate without government oversight, a vital aspect of personal freedom. The article also highlights Phil Zimmermann's development of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), which faced U.S. government scrutiny for using RSA technology without permission. His act of making PGP public demonstrated a commitment to accessible privacy technologies. As a result, there may not have been Bitcoin without the principles established by the Cypherpunks, arguably setting the stage for modern cryptocurrency.

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