Sean Hastings
Sean Hastings (born 1968) is an , cypherpunk author, and security expert. He is best known for being the founding of , the world’s first formal data haven.
Work
In 1997, Hastings worked on cryptographic protocols and tools free of U.S. with , who started the International Conference on Financial Cryptography in Anguilla that same year.
Hastings founded in 2000, originally incorporating in his country of residence, , before a second incorporation in the . Hastings was the CEO; other co-founders included Ryan Lackey and Sameer Parekh. Immediately following its public launch, HavenCo was the subject of a great deal of press coverage, including Hastings’ appearance, along with several cofounders and the “royal family” of , on the cover of ‘s July 2000 issue, before the company was entirely nationalised by the government of Sealand in 2002, after commercial failure and mounting tensions.
In 2002, Hastings began work on with , a project aimed at building floating communities free from the restrictions of current governments. This collaboration continued through 2009, including a talk by Hastings at the ‘s annual conference.
Hastings is the cofounder, with , of Green-Span, an infrastructure for and , begun in March 2009.
Hastings is also the author, with Paul Rosenberg, of a book, God Wants You Dead (Vera Verba, 2007; ) which takes a look at the lighter side of and .