Manifesto: Privacy, Freedom & Decentralized Infrastructure
A declaration of principles for privacy-preserving technologies and decentralized networks
This manifesto outlines the foundational beliefs and principles guiding our commitment to privacy-preserving technologies and decentralized systems.
Privacy and Freedom
Privacy is not an accessory to freedom; it is its foundation. Where privacy disappears, freedom becomes performative—visible, measurable, and ultimately manageable. A society under constant observation cannot freely think, speak, or organize itself.
Transparency must concern those who hold power. Individuals, communities, and everyday life require spaces of opacity in order to exist without fear or coercion.
The Architecture of Surveillance
Digital systems increasingly shape how societies function. Built in the name of security, optimization, or compliance, they quietly transform observation into a default condition.
Even when messages are encrypted, their traces remain. Patterns of communication—timing, frequency, and direction—can reveal more than words themselves. Metadata becomes a map of social life, enabling prediction, influence, and indirect control.
Economy and Constraint
Economic participation is no longer neutral. Financial infrastructures record, classify, and sometimes restrict access to resources. Decisions made far from those affected can determine who may transact, organize, or participate.
Economic autonomy depends on technological choice. Without alternatives, dependency becomes structural.
Infrastructure as Safeguard
Freedom does not persist on intention alone; it requires practical support. Privacy-preserving and decentralized networks provide a defensive layer against unnecessary exposure.
Nym Mixnet represents one such approach. By obscuring traffic patterns and disrupting traceability, it reduces the ability to draw conclusions about who communicates with whom, when, and how. Its purpose is not secrecy for its own sake, but balance—between openness and protection.
Decentralization and Trust
Systems concentrated around single points of control are inherently fragile—technically, socially, and politically. Durable infrastructure emerges from decentralization, openness of design, and public verifiability.
When control over communication and coordination is distributed, resilience increases. Dependence decreases.
Collective Autonomy
Autonomy is rarely achieved alone. People become more capable when they can exchange knowledge, coordinate, and act together without disproportionate risk.
Anonymity, responsibly designed and used, allows participation without forced exposure. It enables presence without compulsion.
Beyond Control-Centered Systems
No single model can serve all societies indefinitely. Systems built primarily around control and dependency limit the range of possible futures.
Alternative forms of organization and communication need not replace existing structures; they provide choice. They create space for experimentation, adaptation, and self-determination.
Responsibility and Continuity
Freedom is not self-sustaining. It depends on awareness, education, and ongoing care. Tools alone are insufficient without understanding how and why they are used.
Supporting open, privacy-preserving, and decentralized infrastructure is a constructive contribution to a resilient digital society—one capable of enduring change without sacrificing autonomy.
Participation and Infrastructure
Decentralized systems exist only as long as they are actively supported. Anonymity and decentralization are not abstract ideals, but outcomes of shared participation and sustained infrastructure.
Those who wish to contribute to a more decentralized and privacy-preserving internet can support the operation of networks designed with these principles in mind. Within the Nym Mixnet, this includes participating through delegation, helping maintain diversity, resilience, and long-term stability of the network.
The Nodes section provides an overview of available nodes from our community that are open for delegation. All nodes can be found in the official Nym explorer.
The Future We Build
Freedom does not await permission. It is created through informed participation, cooperation, and care.
Every contribution to privacy, decentralization, and resilient infrastructure strengthens the possibility of societies capable of flourishing without coercion.
We do not ask for freedom.
We participate in building and safeguarding it—together.
Frequently Asked Questions
This manifesto outlines the foundational beliefs and principles guiding our commitment to privacy-preserving technologies and decentralized systems. It serves as a declaration of our philosophical approach to digital freedom.
Privacy is not an accessory to freedom; it is its foundation. Without privacy, freedom becomes performative and manageable. A society under constant observation cannot freely think, speak, or organize.
Decentralization distributes control and reduces single points of failure. Durable infrastructure emerges from decentralization, openness of design, and public verifiability, increasing resilience and reducing dependency.
You can support these principles by contributing to decentralized infrastructure through delegation (see our Nodes page), educating others about digital privacy, and using privacy-preserving technologies like the Nym Mixnet.