![Crypto Terms Glossary: What is Cypherpunk? Crypto Terms Glossary: What is Cypherpunk?](/img/145/390/what-is-cypherpunk-sm.webp)
The cypherpunk movement includes individuals (cypherpunks) and entities who generally advocate the widespread use of cryptography, blockchain, and related privacy-preserving technologies as a means for engendering social and political change. The movement began through communication on a mailing list in the late 1980s, which discussed cryptography, encryption, privacy, and security as means of empowering society on a far-reaching scale. The cypherpunk community represented some of the earliest adopters of Bitcoin in the late 2000s and early 2010s.