Lupus Arcanus | Sombra

You don't know my name. You don't know my face. You don't know where I live or what I do when I'm not writing these words.

That's the point.

I go by Sombra—Spanish for shadow. On X, you'll find me as @LupusArcanus—the hidden wolf. I didn't choose these names because they sound cool (though they do). I chose them because they embody the principle I'm here to defend: the right to participate in public life without surrendering private existence.

The Wolf Watches

Why a wolf?

Because wolves are guardians. They watch the boundaries. They protect what is theirs, not through aggression, but vigilance.

The privacy movement needs more wolves.

For too long, privacy advocates have been painted as paranoid hermits, tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorists, or criminals seeking to hide their crimes. The surveillance state loves these caricatures. They make it easy to dismiss privacy as a fringe concern, a luxury for the weird and the guilty.

But privacy is not fringe. It is foundational.

I'm here to make that case—clearly, consistently, and without apology.

What You'll Find Here

This site is a sanctuary for ideas that need protecting.

On Privacy. The philosophical case for why financial privacy is a human right, not a criminal tool. Why "nothing to hide" is an argument made by people who haven't yet been targeted.
On Zcash. The most important privacy-preserving cryptocurrency in existence. Not because I say so, but because the cryptography says so.
On CrossLink. Zcash's upcoming hybrid consensus upgrade—the fusion of proof-of-work security with proof-of-stake finality.
On Freedom. The broader implications of financial sovereignty. What it means to transact without permission. Why the ability to move value privately is the foundation of all other freedoms.

Why Pseudonymous?

Some will ask: if privacy is legitimate, why hide your identity? Isn't writing under a pseudonym an admission that you have something to hide?

Yes. I do have something to hide. I have my identity.

Not because I'm doing anything wrong. Because my ideas should stand on their own merit, not on my credentials or my appearance. Because I refuse to give the surveillance state one more data point. Because I believe in demonstrating the principles I advocate.

Satoshi Nakamoto gave us Bitcoin without ever revealing who they were. The Federalist Papers were written under "Publius." Some of history's most important ideas came from people who understood that identity and argument are separate things.

I write from the shadows because the shadows are where freedom lives.

The Mission

Educate. Make privacy technology accessible to everyone. You shouldn't need a cryptography degree to understand why Zcash matters or how CrossLink works. I'll break down the complex into the comprehensible.
Advocate. Make the case for privacy as a right, not a privilege. Counter the narratives that paint privacy as suspicious. Shift the Overton window until "why do you want privacy?" becomes as absurd as "why do you close your bathroom door?"
Build. Support the Zcash ecosystem through education, promotion, and participation. The best privacy technology in the world means nothing if no one uses it.

Join the Watch

I'm not building a following. I'm building a network.

Every person who understands privacy's importance strengthens the cause. Every user who adopts Zcash expands the anonymity set. Every voice that speaks for financial freedom makes it harder to dismiss.

You can follow along on X at @LupusArcanus. You can subscribe to occasional transmissions from this site. You can simply read, learn, and apply what resonates.

However you engage, know this: the wolf watches, but the wolf also welcomes.

A Final Word

The world is moving in two directions simultaneously.

One direction leads to total surveillance—every transaction tracked, every movement logged, every relationship mapped. This is the default trajectory. It requires no effort. It happens if no one resists.

The other direction leads to privacy by design—systems built to protect rather than expose, technology that serves users rather than surveilling them. This path requires intention. It requires builders. It requires advocates. It requires you.

I know which direction I'm walking.

The question is: are you coming?

Welcome to the shadows.

— Sombra

Why I Write from the Shadows