How can Bitcoin be used to promote free speech?

[Trevor Lyman]

Bitcoin is censorship-resistant; we need to build on that to create something that enables free speech.  How can we do that?

[marrcelo]

Bitcoin is censorship-resistant; we need to build on that to create something that enables free speech.  How can we do that?

But if you want more freedom and privacy, the own Bitcoin is a money of resistance to the censorship. You can use social networks and decentralized message apps.

Use Bitcoin or Lightning for payments without intermediary to not be tracked.

[Multani Boy]

But if you want more freedom and privacy, the own Bitcoin is a money of resistance to the censorship. You can use social networks and decentralized message apps.
Use Bitcoin or Lightning for payments without intermediary to not be tracked.

That is really general statement. In my opinion Bitcoin most clear cut use case has to do with funding. For example Human Rights Foundation accepts BTC donations which it uses to fund opposition groups in Nigeria Russia Belarus Hong Kong etc. Specifically because moment they speak out against their respective governments their bank accounts will be frozen.

Most true to its "free speech" origins use of BTC has little to do with "posting on social media" and has much more to do with maintaining funding for journalists and dissidents that banks wont work with. It is "free speech" infrastructure, more than payments. Because if the government cuts you off financially you'll soon be silenced.

Bitcoin is censorship-resistant; we need to build on that to create something that enables free speech. How can we do that?

Build on that: Nostr is a protocol (i.e. nobody owns it). You can build other things on Nostr. For instance, it is already integrated with Lightning so you can tip/zap Nostrers. And if creators post over Nostr directly, they can be tipped over LN, avoiding platform payment processors (which are the basis of the threat to demonetize/remove them). Which is why Jack Dorsey funds it, to push censorship resistant payments to creators.

​Probably the most clear cut example of censorship resistant money being a free speech enabler that has actually happened is the 2022 Canada Freedom Convoy. When the govt froze protesters bank accounts through GoFundMe/tradfi, BTC donations were still coming through. Nothing could stop those since there was no central account.


I took this information from these links

https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/why-bitcoin-is-freedom-money/

https://decentrasuze.substack.com/p/jack-dorsey-backs-bitcoin-and-nostr

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=875364.0

[BlackBoss_]

Bitcoin is censorship-resistant; we need to build on that to create something that enables free speech.  How can we do that?

I remember I saw a similar thread, Bitcoin and free speech, just yesterday or some days ago.

Was it deleted and you continue to create a newest one?

It's exactly you with a 100% thread like this one created on 6 October, it was deleted.
https://bitlist.co/search?author=Trevor%20Lyman&limit=20

[marrcelo]

-snip-

Most true to its "free speech" origins use of BTC has little to do with "posting on social media" and has much more to do with maintaining funding for journalists and dissidents that banks wont work with. It is "free speech" infrastructure, more than payments. Because if the government cuts you off financially you'll soon be silenced.

Had not thought in this, make sense. I agree that the strongest use until now is really the financing of people and groups that are being  censored. With Bitcoin, the financier manages keep privacy and anonymity, what offers more protection.

The example of the Human Rights Foundation and of Canada is very clear. The part of social networks and decentralized messages still  is in the beginning, but also can evolve. The two paths complement themselves.

[348Judah]

Bitcoin is censorship-resistant; we need to build on that to create something that enables free speech.  How can we do that?

What you said already from the above statements you made clarifies the ability to make you have say over your assets in Bitcoin, what else do we want when we already have the freedom to control our digital assets and be in charge, seeing bitcoin as a sensorship resistant is another added advantage for old because no influence is going to be effective as of a centralized authority then what we wanted and how we want it to control our asset in Bitcoin, which is one of the highest order at which we can have our say

[pooya87]

For example Human Rights Foundation accepts BTC donations which it uses to fund opposition groups in Nigeria Russia Belarus Hong Kong etc.

That is a U.S. based terrorist organization that funds terrorist groups disguised as "opposition" in only certain countries so that these US proxies can carry out regime change operations or at least deal damage. These countries are only those that refuse to bow down to the US regime and its global oppression. Otherwise you never see them say anything about for example France which right now is shooting kids on the streets as we speak and has already maimed thousands of schoolchildren.

All US based terrorist organizations that perform such operations overseas use pretty words such as "human rights", "democracy" and so on.
Be careful not to fund them...

[macson]

Bitcoin is censorship-resistant; we need to build on that to create something that enables free speech.  How can we do that?

But for what? Bitcoin is a decentralized currency, it gives you the freedom to manage your assets or the freedom to transact without having to worry that one party can intervene --- that's what is meant by being censorship-resistant in Bitcoin. If you think that we need something to be built for free speech, I don't think that's what Bitcoin was pointed out for by Satoshi --- the focus was more on an alternative to fiat, where you can use it for payments, and it should stay that way.

[Multani Boy]

For example Human Rights Foundation accepts BTC donations which it uses to fund opposition groups in Nigeria Russia Belarus Hong Kong etc.

That is a U.S. based terrorist organization that funds terrorist groups disguised as "opposition" in only certain countries so that these US proxies can carry out regime change operations or at least deal damage. These countries are only those that refuse to bow down to the US regime and its global oppression. Otherwise you never see them say anything about for example France which right now is shooting kids on the streets as we speak and has already maimed thousands of schoolchildren.

All US based terrorist organizations that perform such operations overseas use pretty words such as "human rights", "democracy" and so on.
Be careful not to fund them...

Fair point, I think I was focused on the ability of BTC to fund causes that may be censored (not paying enough attention to who would be on the receiving end, or the implications of that) and agree with what you say regarding the US and what they have done in Iran.

Maybe a better example might be the Canada Freedom Convoy, in that once they got their fundraising cut off, they were still able to receive BTC donations. I think that'd be a better example of funding censorship-resistance, if that makes any sense.

[devouring-DARKNESS]

That is really general statement. In my opinion Bitcoin most clear cut use case has to do with funding. For example Human Rights Foundation accepts BTC donations which it uses to fund opposition groups in Nigeria Russia Belarus Hong Kong etc. Specifically because moment they speak out against their respective governments their bank accounts will be frozen.

Anyone tell you they are funding opposition groups in Nigeria for the good of the country is lying to you, they are either just paying of people or funding something mischievous under the guise of helping out. This is exactly how terrible actions are sugar-coated to sound like they are coming from good intent, it's also annoying that mainstream news outlets have also adopted using deceptive wordings like this one, if they tell you they are funding any opposition here they are lying to you, that's fine but they shouldn't claim it's because they are trying to foster Human rights.

[Multani Boy]

Anyone tell you they are funding opposition groups in Nigeria for the good of the country is lying to you, they are either just paying of people or funding something mischievous under the guise of helping out. This is exactly how terrible actions are sugar-coated to sound like they are coming from good intent, it's also annoying that mainstream news outlets have also adopted using deceptive wordings like this one, if they tell you they are funding any opposition here they are lying to you, that's fine but they shouldn't claim it's because they are trying to foster Human rights.

I think that there is a perfectly legitimate use case for bitcoin, however I think you are correct that the Human Rights Foundation example was poor, given the political ambiguity associated with it.

I think that using the term “opposition group” implies that supporting that group is a good thing. And while this may often be true, there might be sinister political interests at work which are obscured in such a portrayal. I agree that I need another example that does not have any of these ambiguities.

[henmark]

Bitcoin is censorship-resistant; we need to build on that to create something that enables free speech.  How can we do that?

What you said already from the above statements you made clarifies the ability to make you have say over your assets in Bitcoin, what else do we want when we already have the freedom to control our digital assets and be in charge, seeing bitcoin as a sensorship resistant is another added advantage for old because no influence is going to be effective as of a centralized authority then what we wanted and how we want it to control our asset in Bitcoin, which is one of the highest order at which we can have our say

I believe he wants to have the ability to "say anything without consequences", and that is not really what Bitcoin is for. No matter how much we control our money, that doesn't mean that consequences can't happen. People mistake what free speech is, and why it matters. In the USA, for example, you can go to Trump and tell him to fuck off to his face, and nothing will happen. In Europe, you can say immigrants are a problem, and you would be jailed more than an immigrant who stole something from someone.

So free speech is there to protect you from places like Europe; it is there to make sure you can say whatever you want without going to jail for it; that is real freedom. But that doesn't mean it has no consequences; you say something, and then friends do not want to talk to you, or you are an actor, and you say something, and you are no longer offered jobs. Consequences can happen; as long as there is no legal consequences, that is free speech.

[VivaMan]

‎I think Bitcoin can help in promoting speech by allowing  individual to receive and send money without asking permission from authority like bank or government.

[Justbillywitt]

Bitcoin is censorship-resistant; we need to build on that to create something that enables free speech.  How can we do that?

But for what? Bitcoin is a decentralized currency, it gives you the freedom to manage your assets or the freedom to transact without having to worry that one party can intervene --- that's what is meant by being censorship-resistant in Bitcoin. If you think that we need something to be built for free speech, I don't think that's what Bitcoin was pointed out for by Satoshi --- the focus was more on an alternative to fiat, where you can use it for payments, and it should stay that way.

Bitcoin was built complete to give people alternative in financing options, when centralized system would want to frustrate it. These financing could be campaigns that pass information to the public or demand for accountability from the government, that centralized authorities would want to frustrate, by not granting you access to finance to continue with it.

Something happened in my country in the years 2020. There was a plan for a nationwide protest tagged “End SARS” it was a campaign against police brutality. The government tried everything they could to frustrate the organizers from having access to financing. There were restrictions on the accounts of the organizers just to make sure they abandoned the planned protest. But they couldn’t because in the last minute the organizers started receiving fundings through bitcoins. That was when it dawned on the government that they couldn’t stop the protest. The protest went ahead as planned and the aim was achieved.

If not for bitcoin the people wouldn’t have been able to express themselves in the streets and pass their message to the government. Imagine if bitcoin wasn’t there, the protest would have been stopped when the organizers accounts were frozen. This is the way bitcoin can aid free speech. Indirectly what op is proposing is already embedded in bitcoin. We don’t need to build anything else.

[Odogwu-Blockchain]

By been your own bank, you got the free space and time to run whatever you want and then decide how ever you want to present your spending and speech about it. That's how this will work.

If user can't decide what will happen to his portfolio, then his speech is silent - that's the case of centralization, you are under the control of the government where your speech has no audacity.

[shinratensei_]

Bitcoin is censorship-resistant; we need to build on that to create something that enables free speech.  How can we do that?

But for what? Bitcoin is a decentralized currency, it gives you the freedom to manage your assets or the freedom to transact without having to worry that one party can intervene --- that's what is meant by being censorship-resistant in Bitcoin. If you think that we need something to be built for free speech, I don't think that's what Bitcoin was pointed out for by Satoshi --- the focus was more on an alternative to fiat, where you can use it for payments, and it should stay that way.

That's exactly the point isn't it? censorship-resistant bitcoin could be used to promote free speech for funding real journalists, activists, etc. The upstanding people that usually faces persecution, it's used to promote freedom of speech without the risk of the funding being frozen. Even right now bitcoin is already being used to promote free speech and it has been the preferred way of fundraising to support freedom of speech across many countries.

[pooya87]

Maybe a better example might be the Canada Freedom Convoy, in that once they got their fundraising cut off, they were still able to receive BTC donations. I think that'd be a better example of funding censorship-resistance, if that makes any sense.

Yeah, that's a perfect example. I remember this being discussed in this board at the time when the Canadian government shut down the bank account of all those truck drivers and pushed them into the open arms of Bitcoin. It highlighted one of the most important characteristics of Bitcoin which is being censorship resistant.

[Hewlet]

That is really general statement. In my opinion Bitcoin most clear cut use case has to do with funding. For example Human Rights Foundation accepts BTC donations which it uses to fund opposition groups in Nigeria Russia Belarus Hong Kong etc. Specifically because moment they speak out against their respective governments their bank accounts will be frozen.

Anyone tell you they are funding opposition groups in Nigeria for the good of the country is lying to you, they are either just paying of people or funding something mischievous under the guise of helping out. This is exactly how terrible actions are sugar-coated to sound like they are coming from good intent, it's also annoying that mainstream news outlets have also adopted using deceptive wordings like this one, if they tell you they are funding any opposition here they are lying to you, that's fine but they shouldn't claim it's because they are trying to foster Human rights.

Well, the hidden intent might not be good but from the angle they OP is coming from, they are able to render such form of assistant because bitcoin gives provision for it.

There are several activists that are doing really well in the society that if you come out openly to support, you might attract negative sentiment to yourself but through bitcoin you can still support them and ensure they are not completely shot out from making their voice heard. Certainly, abuse is a possibility but we’ve got to also look out for the positives also.

[devouring-DARKNESS]

Well, the hidden intent might not be good but from the angle they OP is coming from, they are able to render such form of assistant because bitcoin gives provision for it.

There are several activists that are doing really well in the society that if you come out openly to support, you might attract negative sentiment to yourself but through bitcoin you can still support them and ensure they are not completely shot out from making their voice heard. Certainly, abuse is a possibility but we’ve got to also look out for the positives also.

Yes, bitcoin will make support for a lot of different things possible, it's like a tool, it has no fashion on what it's going to be used for,sure it could very well be what's making paying for terrorism possible but it can also be used to promote a good cause even though it is done anonymously, after all not everyone wants people to know they are the one rendering support plus OP is right send money to the wrong person (perspective) and your assets could be frozen, we have to be careful with how we do things these days.

[Multani Boy]

Yeah, that's a perfect example. I remember this being discussed in this board at the time when the Canadian government shut down the bank account of all those truck drivers and pushed them into the open arms of Bitcoin. It highlighted one of the most important characteristics of Bitcoin which is being censorship resistant.

The notable aspect here is that Bitcoin allowed people to donate via an alternative means when their normal donation methods were not working. There was no need for a bank or payment platform to approve the donations, which made Bitcoin censorship resistance practically useful.