Sean Hastings (born 1969) is an entrepreneur,[1] cypherpunk author,[2] and security expert.[3] He is best known for being the founding CEO of HavenCo, the world's first formal data haven.[4]
In 1997, Hastings worked on cryptographic protocols and tools free of U.S. cryptographic export restrictions with Vincent Cate, who started the International Conference on Financial Cryptography in Anguilla that same year.[5]
Hastings founded HavenCo in 2000, originally incorporating in his country of residence, Anguilla,[6] before a second incorporation in the Channel Islands. Hastings was the CEO;[7] 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 the self-proclaimed, unrecognized micronation of Sealand, on the cover of Wired's July 2000 issue,[8] before the company was entirely nationalised by the government of Sealand in 2002, after commercial failure and mounting tensions.[9]
In 2002, Hastings began work on seasteading with Patri Friedman, a project aimed at building floating communities free from the restrictions of current governments.[10] This collaboration continued through 2009, including a talk by Hastings at the Seasteading Institute's annual conference.[11]
Hastings is the cofounder, with Eric S. Raymond, of Green-Span, an open source infrastructure for trust and reputation management, begun in March 2009.
Hastings is also the author, with Paul Rosenberg, of a book, God Wants You Dead (Vera Verba, 2007; ISBN 978-0-9796011-1-8) which takes a look at the lighter side of atheism and anarchy, and was executive producer and an actor for The Last Generation to Die a short film about near future immortality technology.[12]