In this context I'd like to bring attention to a foundation of a secure internet since 25(!) years.
GnuPG
Only with this *open source* project the mass adoption of PGP and encryption in general really took off.
Everyday it's used (mostly in the background) to ensure privacy and software integrity. So let's not forget the founder of GnuPG:
Werner Koch
I don't know much about him, but I was always impressed how he as a solo dev ran this project with almost no funding and not giving up.