Privacy Isn’t Defense - It’s How We Build New Worlds // Rachel-Rose O’Leary (DarkFi)

Sat, May 2, 2026, 12:00 AM

In this interview, Rachel-Rose O’Leary (DarkFi) presents privacy as a way to expand freedom and open new possibilities beyond surveillance. She discusses the shift toward community-driven neo-cypherpunk ideas and the need to move crypto beyond its current niche. She also shares a vision of a decentralized, anonymous internet built for communities and new forms of freedom. Timecodes 00:00 – Introduction: Rachel-Rose O’Leary (DarkFi) 00:20 – Privacy as a way to expand the future beyond surveillance 01:12 – DarkFi tools and anonymous ecosystems 02:17 – From cypherpunk to neo-cypherpunk and lunar punk 03:30 – Shift from individualism to community-driven systems 04:20 – Moving beyond critique toward new futures and possibilities 05:01 – Crypto’s disconnect from users and niche culture problem 05:59 – Reaching new audiences and cross-cultural adoption 07:29 – Vision of the future internet: anonymous “dark forest” --- This conversation is part of Privacy Academy Interviews, a peer-to-peer knowledge project exploring the most important ideas in Web3, privacy, and digital freedom. Learn more: https://academy.web3privacy.info A W3PN Media House production. Directed by Federico Marchi https://x.com/BabyBitProd Interview by Peter Farbey https://x.com/0xfarbey Let privacy be with you!