Fighting financial oppression with Bitcoin: Human rights activists gather at Oslo Freedom Forum 2024
The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) will return to the Norwegian capital from 3 to 5 June for its 16th event since 2009. Hosted by the New York-based nonprofit Human Rights Foundation (HRF), the conference series brings together humanitarians, artists, technology entrepreneurs, and world leaders to highlight the state of global human rights and spark conversations about how to expand freedom amid technological and political oppression do. Key speakers included exiled Nicaraguan journalist Carlos Chamorro, Trauma Research Foundation founder Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Block CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey, and others.
The conference will feature high-level discussions from those on the front lines advocating for human freedom, as well as workshop sessions to provide activists with the tools to pursue social liberation. Authoritarianism in the Global South will be a topic of particular concern in the context of illiberal government systems as well as the complicity of globalized markets and supply chains. According to the HRF website, this often drives exploitative forced labor and resource extraction.
From the statement Bitcoin Magazine, Christian Keroles, HRF’s Director of Financial Freedom, emphasized the importance of censorship-resistant funds in supporting freedom. “The Oslo Freedom Forum is an important gathering of freedom fighters from around the world to come together and plan how to expand freedom to more people. The Human Rights Foundation explains how Bitcoin and freedom technologies can empower the brave activists who are resisting. I’m doing my best to share what’s happening.”
Bitcoin as a bulwark against digital authoritarianism
OFF’s “Financial Freedom” track, scheduled for June 5, will explore the need for open source software for dissidents, namely Bitcoin, to financially deplatform opponents and resist authoritarian regimes seeking to censor dissent.
In collaboration with HRF Bitcoin Magazine We broadcast exclusive live streams of the OFF Financial Freedom Track via X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
“Bitcoin’s price is a signal of adoption, but it’s not the key. In the end, Bitcoin Magazine “We make freedom our North Star,” he said. Bitcoin Magazine President Mike Germano. “We believe in a world where Bitcoin allows individuals to express themselves financially and in other ways. We are proud to partner with HRF, a leader in this conversation, to bring it to a global audience of more than 12 million Bitcoin users.”
Financial repression is on the rise today. The launch of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), increased financial surveillance, and the confiscation of wealth through overt means (and even more covert ones). inflation) Protecting your financial freedom has never been more important.
The Financial Freedom Track features leaders in the Bitcoin ecosystem, including:
- Jack Dorsey, Block CEO
- Abubakar Nur Khalil, Nigerian programmer, CEO of Recursive Capital
- Farida Nabourema, Co-Founder, African Bitcoin Conference
- Mogashni Naidoo, Co-Founder, Bitcoin Design Foundation
- Craig Raw, Sparrow Wallet Founder
- Lyn Alden, macroeconomist and author of “Broken Money”
- Matt Odell, Managing Partner at Ten31 and Co-Founder of OpenSats
- Calle, open source software creator, creator of Cashu
- Jack Mallers, Founder and CEO of Strike
The full Financial Freedom Track speaker list and agenda can be found on the Oslo Freedom Forum website.
Financial Privacy – The Final Frontier
Bitcoin, a public ledger visible to all participants, broadcasts all transactions globally. Given this inherent visibility, protecting the privacy of senders and recipients is critical to challenging oppressive regimes. The 2024 OFF Financial Freedom track logo visualizes Bitcoin CoinJoin, a method of facilitating Bitcoin payments anonymously, drawing special attention to anonymity as a cornerstone of freedom.
This year’s forum will be held against the backdrop of a new crackdown on Bitcoin privacy tools. Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, founders and CEOs of privacy-focused Samourai Wallet and Whirlpool CoinJoin services, were recently arrested and charged with money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transfer business.
Following the arrests, the FBI issued a statement warning Americans not to use non-KYC (Know Your Customer) cryptocurrency transfer services. This stance suggests that financial surveillance is becoming an explicit goal for regulators in the cryptocurrency space.
Given the non-custodial nature of Samurai’s Whirlpool software, this arrest could set a dangerous precedent for digital freedom. According to Bitcoin Magazine Contributor L0LA L33TZ, this could potentially “KYC the communications protocols that run any service, from Nostr to Wi-Fi hotspots and telecom providers… The KYC plan for the Internet was launched in 2014 when the U.S. government attempted to introduce ‘drivers. ‘License for the Internet’ is similar to the plan to introduce digital identities globally.”
The severity of that trend cannot be underestimated. Digital privacy, especially in the context of Bitcoin, is shaping up to be an area of focus for authoritarian-minded actors.
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