Before you could hold your own Bitcoin keys, you needed a world where encryption was accessible to the individual.
That world didn’t exist—until Phil Zimmermann built it.
In 1991, Zimmermann released Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)—a free, open-source encryption program that let anyone communicate privately over the internet. It was a direct challenge to government control, and a rallying cry for the cypherpunk revolution.
Without PGP, the cypherpunk movement might have never taken root.
Without the cypherpunks, there would be no Bitcoin.
The Launch of PGP: A Digital Act of Civil Disobedience
When Zimmermann released PGP, strong encryption was considered military-grade technology. Exporting it from the U.S. without a license was a federal offense.
But Zimmermann believed privacy was a human right. So he published the source code online and in book form—daring the U.S. government to stop him.
The result? A multi-year criminal investigation by U.S. authorities.
Zimmermann never backed down.
He turned encryption into a tool for the people, not just governments or corporations.
The Cypherpunk Spirit
Though not a Bitcoin developer himself, Zimmermann’s ideas were embraced by the cypherpunk community, where names like Tim May, Hal Finney, and Eric Hughes were building the philosophical groundwork for digital cash.
Hal Finney, the first person to receive a Bitcoin transaction, was also an early PGP developer and collaborator with Zimmermann.
PGP wasn’t just a piece of software.
It was a manifesto written in code—an assertion that you don’t need permission to be free.
The Bitcoin Connection
Bitcoin depends on asymmetric cryptography—the same public-private key model that PGP popularised.
- Your Bitcoin wallet uses similar math to protect your funds.
- Your private key is your sovereignty.
- Your public key is your address to the world.
Zimmermann’s work helped prove that this model could be trusted, distributed, and secured in the hands of ordinary users.
Bitcoin didn’t invent encryption. It stood on the shoulders of those who did.
Legacy of Resistance
Phil Zimmermann’s work reminded the world that privacy is not secrecy—it’s power.
By making encryption personal, he sparked a movement that led to anonymous communication, secure messaging, and eventually, Bitcoin itself.
“If privacy is outlawed, only outlaws will have privacy.”
– Phil Zimmermann
Zimmermann gave the cypherpunks their sword.
Satoshi gave them their money.
And together, they reshaped the world.