# "Envisioning the dark forest" by ZKArmor x DarkFi // Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress 2

- Channel: [Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress](https://streameth.org/ethereum-cypherpunk-congress)
- Date: 2026-01-09
- Duration: 12:14
- Topics: web3, privacy, now, crypto, cryptography, blockchain, data, security, human right, rights, tech, technology, internet, open source, free, freedom, ethereum, hackers, ethics, cypherpunk, dev, developer, dapp, decentralization, bitcoin, computer, surveillance, cyber, peer2peer, p2p, love, solidity, zk, zero knowledge, education, academy, w3pn, congress, ethereum cypherpunk, buenos aires, argentina, vitalik buterin, privacidad, filecoin, foundation
- Watch: https://streameth.org/watch/yt-HhZiVBeIrTI
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhZiVBeIrTI

## Description

Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress by Web3Privacy Now is the world's largest cypherpunk and human rights event.

4500 people gathering in Buenos Aires to celebrate privacy with internet freedom leaders like Richard Stallman, Vitalik Buterin, Roger Dingledine, and Eva Galperin. 

Join us in building a free internet for all.

Website: https://web3privacy.info/
Congress site: https://congress.web3privacy.info/

## Transcript

[applause] Um, hi. So, I'm Armor. So, I'm a Darkfy art director. So, if you're not familiar with DarkFi, um it's basically an L1 focused on um uh anonymity and uh you know, like trying to like bring uh smart contracts uh but you know, anonymously. All right. So, um so this talk is going to focus on the optics of uh Lunar Punk and mostly the dark forest. So um all right so um I would say that this talk is uh some kind of followup to the article by uh my colleague Rachel Rosalieri named matic warfare so um if you haven't read this article essentially uh it summarizes the idea that um mimemetic uh you know like um memes around privacy um are infected by an anti-me which frames privacy as suspicious. Um and so she proposes to uh move from uh this like reactive uh privacy vision uh which you know also focuses on this idea of like defense to a more like proactive uh and generative uh you know anonymous zones. Uh so in that sense we're like you know um focused on the means sorry focused on the end rather than the means meaning that you know like privacy like the point of privacy is sovereignty right so that's also like you know where you know um our slogan in dark is uh anonymous uncensored sovereign and the last part is you know sovereign because that's you know what uh this tool these tools are out. Um, all right. So, basically the promise of the cipher punks has been delayed. Um and we had you know like the beginning of the internet and the beginning of crypto and in both cases uh basically we've been you know like taken over with um you know by uh institutions which essentially sterilized uh the space and uh you know rendered it uh toothless. Um but actually you know like we need to uh uh stay true to this idea of independence of cipher space. Um so the way I see this is that anonymity solves two problem. Um you know like one of them is you know the prison of peer pressure. Uh you know like that's the way you just end up like not even being able to like you know create new ideas. Um but it's also um you know like uh surveillance also creates a certain like enclosure space you know that's what we can you know see with like you know current you know social media slop etc. And so um the idea is like we need to like bring back you know this capacity for you know what's called in um uh you know in ecology fragility which is you know simply the capacity for an organism to uh move um in any direction. And so we're just, you know, like born just in time to um um be in these like uncompromised free pip hyperspaces essentially that are render possible to um thanks to anonymous engineering. Uh okay. So yeah, basically this is what this talk is going to talk about like you know the vision of the dark forest discourse and you know how it we can like represent it aesthetically speaking. All right. So um basically the first thing that comes to mind when you think about uh you know cipher punk is um you know whether the hood or the balaclava and you know they are like symbols of like old cipher punk um you know so you're like an individual protecting you know oneself um you know in a hostile environment for example like um you know city with like you know lots of CCTV stuff like that and so this aesthetics about hiding uh from a system but in that sense you know it's like reinfor reinforces you know the power of the surveillance state by making the central focus uh you know this idea of like oh I have to like hide from it okay so instead we shift to a representation of a desirable future based on based on the metaphor of the dark forest um so it has you know many different meanings but in dark we use this says um you know that surveillance is essentially a desert that's destroying any possibility of creating alternative future and um so basically I would say that the dark forest could be seen um not as a singular but as a plural so it's like dark forest with an s um all right so um coming back on the question of um you know the balaclava uh and these would this would be essentially like you know the aesthetics of fear um and I wouldn't dismiss completely um fear I think actually you should distinguish fear between um two different two different sides of this so there's you know a certain like uh learned helplessness of fear which is you know like the fear of the you know surveillance systems essentially uh which just you know like brings to um you know anhilistic approach. Um but on the other hand there's you know like a an inner fear of um you know the necessity of overcoming these systems and you know moving away from our zone of comfort and you know taking a leap entering the dark forest. Um, okay. So, basically the idea is that the dark forest should be seen as a vision from the outside, right? Like the dark forest is dark to uh praying eyes, but actually um you know, when you enter the forest, you know, it's um teeming with life, you know, it's intense, complex, it's mysterious. Um and so actually um I'm not sure. Yeah, we can barely read that. Can you read this? Actually, I guess so. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, um you know, as defined by uh Ernster, it's both cozy and uncanny, but um so yeah. So, I think the main point I want to make here is that the dark forest is the protection. In that sense, the balaclava or the hood expands to the collective to the collective level. This place isn't hostile. When you enter this space, you're protected and you can create, you know, for if you want to a temporary temporary identity. Um, but yeah, I think that's the main point that I want to u make in this presentation is that the protection, you know, moves from the individual to the collective and that the aesthetic should actually um well reflect that. Okay. So I've um you know noted down a few like you know uh concept. My god the image is chopped. Um so yeah essentially so yeah you know it has you know it's like affirmative you know it's like very colorful also. Um I like this concept of also arch of futurism. So it's like you know mixing um you know ancient traditions with like you know new technology um you know embracing you know essentially like you know life's organic forms a certain like affirmative humanism and you know like the important of like nature essentially because you know um like uh what's the quote again um you know that nature smiles on encryption and So you know I think it's important to like rever and uh to embrace that also you know like visually. Okay. So just um you know that's like a collage of like you know like all the characters that you can find essentially like you know the dark forest. So you have, you know, like the, you know, obviously some milades, you know, Nosika, like a bunch of like, uh, pagan witches and druids, uh, you know, Lane, uh, the Agorist, Pepe, all that stuff. And obviously alien also, you know, because if you're in the uncanny, then you need, you know, you will always also like find like some kind of like unknown life. And that's where like the mystery of the dark forest also, you know, like comes in. How much time do I have? Okay, I'll just keep talking. All right. So, okay, that's good. Um Okay, so how does that translate translate into our design? Okay. Um Okay, that's completely chopped. Well, that's fine. Uh okay, so this is actually a app named D RC. So, uh it's like a completely anonymous chat. uh you can you know easily download it. And uh basically we're you know trying to like move away from uh you know material design and uh all this like very bland design and just go into like something um you know experimental and also maximalist try to like also like bring back the promise of uh um you know like the late 90s when it comes to um you know some kind of like maximalist design. Actually, this is the the background of the the chat is actually animated. All right, that's the QR code and otherwise you can easily find it on um if you look for darkf on code, you will also have the uh will easily find the release. Oh, and uh oops. And yeah and so basically for now this is just a chat but then you know the plan is to actually implement this also with our uh you know anundonow framework obviously a wallet uh you know because darkf is an L1 and um and yeah like basically you know this is like fully customizable um so yeah that's like basically a concept art like you know what's coming essentially um And yeah, that's it. [laughter] All right. [applause]