Hal Finney (cypherpunk)

Hal Finney (born May 4, 1956) is a developer for PGP Corporation, and was the 2nd developer hired after Phil Zimmerman. In his early career, he is credited as lead developer on several console games (Adventures of Tron, Armor Ambush, Astroblast, Space Attack).[1] He is a 1979 graduate of the California Institute of Technology, holding a BS in engineering.[2]

Finney is also a noted cryptographic activist[3]. During the early 1990s, in addition to being a regular poster on the cypherpunks listserv, Finney ran two anonymous remailers.[4] Further cryptographic activism included running a (successful) contest to break the export-grade encryption Netscape used[5].

In 2004, Finney created the first reusable proof of work system[6] before Bitcoin.[7]

In October, 2009, Finney announced on an essay on the blog Less Wrong that he's been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.[8] Prior to his diagnosis, Finney had been an active runner. Finney and his wife Fran Finney now raise money for ALS research with the Santa Barbara International Marathon.[9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ AtariAge - Programmers - Hal Finney
  2. ^ Hal Finney Bio
  3. ^ "For instance, many ACLU members do not share the generalized antipathy toward government that is a common premise of "cypherpunk" activists like Hal Finney and Tim May." David Brin, The Transparent Society ch2
  4. ^ Prospects for Remailers
  5. ^ "Give Us Some Credit: Your Card is Safe", The Washington Post, 1996
  6. ^ RPOW announcement
  7. ^ Bitcoin, what took ye so long?
  8. ^ Dying Outside
  9. ^ Fight for a Cure for ALS: A Marathoners Story
  10. ^ Hal and Fran Finney Are Running for a Cause
  11. ^ After a Year of ALS, Reality Begins to Hit Home for Hal and Fran Finney

External links