A self-installation guide for escaping default settings. Tools, papers, systems, histories, and source trails for privacy, autonomy, hacker culture, and networked worlds. https://acid-reader.vercel.app/ 2026-05-19T05:23:19.649Z Code: AGPL-3.0-or-later. Content: CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted. https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/58 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

President Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht after serving approximately 11 years. The case remains a reference point for debates over sentencing proportionality, crypto-libertarian ideology, and darknet enforcement.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/28 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z

Anonymous smart contract platform enters testnet. ZK proofs for everything: anonymous DAOs, anonymous DEXes, anonymous communication. "Code is speech."

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/27 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

First incentivized mix network goes live. Operators stake NYM tokens; cover traffic protects against traffic analysis. A new generation of anonymity infrastructure.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/26 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z

A decentralized governance experiment: Nomos (consensus), Waku (messaging), Codex (storage). Building the infrastructure for network states.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/25 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z

Mobile messenger and Ethereum wallet built on Waku (Whisper v5). Early experiment in decentralized communication infrastructure.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/23 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

First production deployment of zk-SNARKs for private transactions. Shielded addresses hide sender, receiver, and amount.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/24 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Double Ratchet + X3DH key agreement. Adopted by WhatsApp (1B+ users), making end-to-end encryption the default for billions.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/30 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

The DAO — a $150M experiment in decentralized investment — is drained via a reentrancy exploit. Ethereum hard forks to reverse the theft. Ethereum Classic continues the unforked chain. The first major governance crisis of programmable money.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/22 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Fork of Bytecoin (CryptoNote). Community-driven, no premine, no ICO. Adds RingCT for amount hiding. Becomes the reference privacy cryptocurrency.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/29 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Turing-complete programmable blockchain goes live. Smart contracts generalize Bitcoin into a platform for DAOs, DeFi, token systems, and governance experiments.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/47 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Paralelní Polis (Parallel Polis) opens in Prague as a physical cryptoanarchy institute. Hosts Hackers Congress Paralelní Polis (HCPP) — an annual conference on cryptoanarchy, privacy, decentralization, and parallel institutions. Bitcoin-only cafe.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/20 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z

NSA mass surveillance programs disclosed. PRISM, XKeyscore, BULLRUN. The cypherpunk thesis — that governments will surveil everything they can — is proven correct at planetary scale.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/21 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z

A 19-year-old proposes a Turing-complete blockchain. Smart contracts generalize Bitcoin into a programmable world computer.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/41 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z

First 3D-printed single-shot firearm. Files published online, downloaded 100,000+ times before State Department orders removal. Sparks First/Second Amendment collision, ITAR export control litigation, and global debate over digital fabrication of regulated objects. This section studies the political, legal, and cultural history of digital fabrication and regulated files. It does not host or link to weapon files, build guides, or operational instructions.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/57 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z

FBI arrests Ross Ulbricht and seizes Silk Road servers. Investigation relied on operational security failures, not breaking Tor or Bitcoin cryptography. Ulbricht convicted in 2015, sentenced to two life terms.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/19 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

Ring signatures and one-time keys for untraceable transactions. Becomes the basis of Monero.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/51 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

Wikipedia, Reddit, Google, and thousands of websites protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act. Largest coordinated internet protest in history. Both bills withdrawn.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/18 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

Tor hidden service marketplace using Bitcoin. Proves that anonymous commerce works. FBI shuts it down in 2013; Ulbricht sentenced to life.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/39 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

Anonymous splinter group. Hacked Sony, PBS, FBI affiliates, CIA website in a 50-day spree. Exposed by FBI informant Sabu (Hector Monsegur). Most members arrested by 2012. Demonstrated both the power and fragility of leaderless hacker collectives.

https://acid-reader.vercel.app/#history/56 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

Anonymous darknet marketplace opens on Tor hidden services. Uses Bitcoin for payments. Sells primarily drugs but also other goods. Becomes the largest test case for crypto-libertarian anonymous commerce.