Protocol Berg v2: Ann Brody, Costanza Gallo - Goodbye Cypherpunk values Adapting to the new world
Thu, Oct 2, 2025, 12:00 AM
This talk would explore the original cypherpunk ethos from an Anthropological lens discuss how it can evolve to stay relevant by considering the evolving global scenarios: to remain relevant, cypherpunk principles must expand beyond technical resistance alone and engage with broader societal concerns from a social science lens. It will argue for reframing privacy and censorship resistance as essential to collective safety and freedom, and for cypherpunk values to break from web3 discourse and gain a central place in the broad mainstream discourse. Protocol Berg v2 12-13 June 2025 Berlin https://v2.protocol.berlin
Speakers
I work for the Swarm Foundation where I recently led the project Wikipedia on Swarm, to make a web3 censorship resistant copy of Wikipedia. Prior to that, I was community manager with the Golem Network. I have a MSc in Law, Anthropology and Society from the London School of Economics, where I focused on the interplay between State Secrecy and Democratic Governance. But my passion for freedom of speech goes way back: my father was a satirical cartoonist and a political journalist, he was often the target of censorship attempts so it’s a family affair.
Ann Brody is a dedicated researcher with a focus on blockchain communities and governance, blending insights from Communication Studies and Anthropology in her work. Her primary research interests revolve around Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), decentralized governance design, crypto politics, and ideologies. Ann thrives at the intersection of industry and academia, where she actively contributes to various projects in the field.