The ‘godfather of crypto’ risked lifetime in jail, laying foundation for Bitcoin

Cointelegraph

Published Jul 20, 2022 09:44AM ET

Updated Jul 20, 2022 02:40PM ET

Widely credited as the inventor of digital cash, David Chaum is sometimes known as the father of online anonymity or the godfather of cryptocurrency, whose work inspired the near-mythical group called the Cypherpunks from which Bitcoin emerged.

Beginning his studies in computer science in the late 1970s, when encryption was classified at the same level as nuclear technology, Chaum quickly realized that the technology would be crucial to ensure the continuation of privacy and democracy in the digital age. More recently, he founded xx Network, a privacy-focused blockchain whose connected xx Messenger Chaum hopes will withstand attacks even by quantum computers of the future.

David Chaum was 10 years ahead of the Cypherpunks in his understanding of cryptography and digital privacy.
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The first cryptocurrency team, Ecash, circa 1994. Source: chaum.com
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