David Chaum
Cryptographer, founder of DigiCash
- Known for
- Ecash, blind signatures, mix networks[1]
- Years active
- 1980s–present (pre-Bitcoin pioneer)[1]
- Key contribution
- Blind signatures for private digital cash[1]
- Notable date
- 1990: founded DigiCash[1]
Photo: David Chaum by Primepq (Wikipedia user), CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped.
No quote yet: we only publish quotes we can verify word for word against the original.
Bio
David Chaum is an American computer scientist and cryptographer who earned his doctorate at UC Berkeley in 1982. His dissertation has been described as the first known proposal for a blockchain protocol.[1]
He invented the blind signature, mix networks and the Dining Cryptographers protocol, and built ecash. He founded DigiCash in 1990; in 1995 it created eCash.[1]
His work shaped the cypherpunks: in 1992 Hal Finney wrote that Chaum offered “a completely different direction to go in, one which puts power into the hands of individuals.”[2]
Timeline
Connections
Hal Finney inspired by the work of (1992 post) David Chaum. Source
Elsewhere on CHC
Sources
Checked Oct 15, 2026 · All people