Like other "-punk" philosophies, cypherpunk is a rebellion/protest movement that maintains that privacy, especially on the internet and in a technologically connected world, is a right. When the internet was new its vast possibilities inspired many. The internet in its infancy, however, was completely transparent, data was not encrypted in any meaningful way so individuals, governments, and corporations could surveil online activity easily. The cypherpunks believed the web would be hindered at best, and harmful at worst, if users were not able to communicate and transact privately. Today we have HTTPS and other invitible encryption standards which allow significant gains in privacy and security when computing between machines.
Many people continue to call themselves cypherpunks, protesting a world increasingly disrespectful of individual privacy, chilling government censorship and surveillance, and "sureillance capitalism." Their work continues to expand the access to and implementation of strong cryptography.
Cypherpunks are fundamentally libertarian, believing individuals have a right to communicate and transact with others in a way that cannot be interfered with by third parties.