Jon Callas, the Cypherpunk That Built Tools Big Tech Fears

A curious thing about cypherpunks is that, despite the cryptography-for-privacy niche being small in the ’90s, many of them stepped into the world and built amazing products, platforms, and careers. Not everyone can achieve global recognition, but many cypherpunks have. Jon Callas, a participant in the original cypherpunk mailing list, is another well-known figure now, especially in the computer science field.

Jon Callas began his professional journey around 1980 at the University of Maryland, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics, complemented by minors in philosophy and English literature. His career took off when he joined Century Computing as a member of the technical staff, followed by a significant tenure at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) —a major American player in the computer field at the time. At DEC, he contributed to a wide range of projects, from operating system security to cross-platform communications.

In the 1990s, Callas co-founded World Benders, Inc., where he led the development of Meeting Space, a pioneering cross-platform collaboration tool. Later, he became deeply involved in the cypherpunk movement. His work during this period reflected his commitment to secure communications and digital rights, principles that would define his career.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Callas held key roles at various organizations, including Counterpane Internet Security and Wave Systems Corporation, where he focused on network security and cryptographic systems. But other brands ultimately brought him greater recognition.

Apple & PGP

Callas first joined Apple in 1995 as a senior scientist, focusing on security and cryptographic products. During this period, he worked on networking and privacy solutions, including early encryption for Mac OS. He also helped develop PowerTalk, one of the first operating system-integrated encryption tools. That wasn’t popular at the time, however, he salvaged a key component—Keychain, Apple’s password manager—which later evolved into a core security feature.

In 1997, Callas moved to PGP, Inc., a company founded by another known cypherpunk: Phil Zimmermann, the creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). This was the first widely available public-key encryption software for email and file security. Callas became chief scientist, playing a crucial role in shaping PGP’s security architecture.

When Network Associates acquired PGP later that year, he took on the role of CTO for their Total Network Security Division, where he helped standardize OpenPGP. After leaving in 1999, he co-founded PGP Corporation in 2002, serving as CTO and CSO, refining encryption tools and overseeing security for PGP products until 2009.

Callas returned to Apple in 2009 as a “Security Privateer,” developing FileVault 2, Apple’s full-disk encryption system, and working on security approvals for iOS. He briefly left for roles in other security firms but rejoined Apple in 2016 as a Security Design and Architecture Manager, continuing his contributions to cryptographic security there until 2018. His agenda for privacy and security didn’t change, though.\

Silent Circle & Blackphone

Callas co-founded the company Silent Circle in 2012 and its Blackphone in 2013, serving as Silent Circle’s CTO until April 2016. Alongside Phil Zimmermann and other security experts, he helped build Silent Circle into a provider of encrypted communication tools, including secure voice, video, and text messaging services.

The Blackphone, introduced in 2014, and described as “the first cypherpunk smartphone,” was a device designed specifically for privacy, created through a collaboration between Silent Circle and Geeksphone. It ran on PrivatOS, a customized version of Android that removed unnecessary tracking features and provided built-in encryption, VPN services, and smart app permission controls.

Marketed to businesses and privacy-conscious users, the Blackphone was intended to be a secure alternative to mainstream smartphones, prioritizing user control over data. Despite its innovative approach, sales fell short of expectations, contributing to Silent Circle’s financial struggles in 2016.

While the Blackphone project was short-lived, it marked a significant step in privacy-focused technology. Silent Phone, originally an app bundled with the Blackphone, became its spiritual successor and the company’s primary product, offering encrypted voice, video, and messaging services across various platforms, including iOS and Android.\

Ads & Privacy

After these initiatives and roles, Callas never stopped working for security and privacy. In 2018, he joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as a Senior Technology Fellow, where he worked until August 2020. He then transitioned to the cypherpunk-founded Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), serving as Director of Public Interest Technology until June 2023. That same year, he founded Zatik Security, a cybersecurity firm aimed at helping small and medium-sized businesses establish strong security measures. Additionally, since November 2023, he has been a Senior Computer Scientist at the nonprofit SRI International.

Callas has been vocal about the growing threats to privacy, emphasizing that large technology corporations pose a greater risk than governments. His concerns center around the widespread practice of collecting and monetizing personal data for advertising, which creates an economy dependent on user surveillance. He believes that companies prioritizing privacy are more resilient, particularly if the digital advertising industry faces economic instability. The ongoing conflict over ad-blocking, which pits privacy-focused users against ad-driven business models, exemplifies this divide.

His stance highlights a fundamental split in Silicon Valley: while companies like Apple and Microsoft monetize products and services without relying on user data sales, others, such as Google and Facebook, generate the majority of their revenue through advertising. Callas argues that ad-driven companies are at risk if the industry declines, forcing them to rethink their business models. He sees the ad-blocker dispute as a key battle for digital privacy, one that could reshape the tech industry’s relationship with user data, at least in the long term.

Even before that warning about big companies, Callas has been clearly against surveillance or even banning of privacy tools, alleging that they’re just that: tools. And tools can be used by anyone, everywhere, for any purpose. An old message (by him) from the cypherpunk mailing list reads:

“Politically, I’m a Lockeian, and put privacy up there with Locke’s basic trio of life, liberty, and property. As part of this, I fight the stupid notion that because there are bad people out there, rights should be abridged. Crypto[graphy] is a tool, and nigh any useful tool can be misused. If we let that fact stop us from making tools, we’d be using nerf axes and dressing in bubble wrap. If we let the fact that bad guys are using our stuff bother us too much, we’d be against privacy.”

Obyte embodies these privacy and freedom principles by eliminating central intermediaries and giving users full control over their data and transactions. As a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) crypto network without middlemen, it ensures censorship resistance and decentralization, key tenets in Callas’s vision of privacy-first technology. Its privacy-focused features, such as Blackbytes, an untraceable currency, and encrypted chat and chatbots, allow anyone to preserve these fundamental rights.

Obyte’s smart contracts, decentralized assets, and self-sovereign identity (SSI) further enhance user autonomy, allowing trustless interactions without reliance on centralized entities. By prioritizing security and user control, Obyte presents an alternative to centralized ecosystems, reinforcing the idea that privacy-focused models can be both sustainable and resilient against economic shifts in the digital landscape.

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Featured Vector Image by Garry Killian / Freepik

Photograph of Jon Callas by SkyDogCon / X