Alex Gladstein on Why Bitcoin Matters for Freedom

Mr Obnoxious - Un pódcast de Peter McCormack

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Interview location: Skype
Interview date: Thursday 6th Dec, 2018
Company: Human Rights Foundation
Role: Chief Strategy Officer

All too often price dominates the discussion with Bitcoin: an ETF approval will be great for the price, we need institutions, when is the next bull run? Also, naysayers criticise Bitcoin when the price crashes, calling it a speculative asset with no utility. Is price a distraction from the potential for Bitcoin?

Right now the use case for Bitcoin is limited for those in the developed world. Sure it is fun to send Bitcoin, perhaps it is easier than using a bank for sending value to someone in another country, but price volatility limits the use case for payments. In the developed world, holding Bitcoin will benefit most if it does become a globally recognised, accepted and used as a form for money. Right now, some would argue the most significant opportunity is in the developed world or with those living in either authoritarian countries or under governments with poor fiscal policies.

A regular criticism of fiat is the ability for governments to print money on demand, leading to inflation and a reduction in the value of the local currency. This has been seen most evidently with the failed socialist policies of two successive Venezuelan presidents.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are an opportunity for people living under these regimes to create and protect value, and trade while reducing their exposure to the risks of their domestic currency.

Other use cases exist, from Bitcoin being used to pay women unable to get bank accounts in Afghanistan to companies using Bitcoin to transact outside of capital controls. The common theme is that cryptocurrencies offer freedom from rules, whether those are state or legacy processes.

In this interview, I talk about why Bitcoin matters for Freedom with Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation. We discuss what fundamental human rights are lost under authoritarian regimes, how Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies increase freedom and how Dem Tech (Democracy Tech) could lead to a wave of investment in cryptocurrencies.

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Timestamps:
00.03.59: Intro and welcome
00.04.40: Background to The Human Rights Foundation
00.09.49: Romantic fantasies with Cuba
00.12.25: Similarities and differences between Cuba and Venezuela
00.18.56: What people don’t understand about living under authoritarian regimes
00.21.46: Surveillance centralised state v decentralised alternatives
00.25.43: How blockchains are used by governments for surveillance
00.30.57: US government sanctions against Bitcoin addresses
00.33.47: Bitcoin privacy
00.41.07: How cryptocurrencies are being used in authoritarian regimes
00.47.12: What is holding back adoption of cryptocurrencies
00.54.14: How Bitcoin removes rules
01.04.23: Arguments against mass surveillance
01.05.57: Opportunities with Dem Tech
01.10.10: What gives Alex hope
01.12.35: Thoughts on the North Korean blockchain conference
01.16.49: Thoughts on IBM and Ripplecoin in Saudi Arabia
01.20.16: Why people should care about Bitcoin
01.23.42: How you can follow Alex and support The Human Rights Foundation

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Helpful Links:

Connect with Alex:
- On Twitter @gladstein
- On LinkedIn
- On Crunchbase
- At The Human Rights Foundation

Connect with the Human Rights Foundation:
- Website: https://hrf.org/
- On Twitter
- On Facebook

Presentations by Alex:
- Why Decentralized Technology Matters for Freedom
- The Cutting Edge of Human Rights
- The power of decentralised governance
- From Wechat to Bitcoin

Interviews with Alex:
- Noded Podcast
- Unconfirmed

Human Rights Foundation activity:
- Programmes
- Events
- Research
- Donate

Mentioned in the interview:
- Inside the bluster and lies of Petro, Venezuela's cryptocurrency scam
- China has started ranking citizens with a creepy 'social credit' system
- Despite Being The Most Watched City In The World, London Is No Safer For All Its CCTV
- Chainalysis
- Maker DAO
- Wei Dai
- Orwellian
- Book: The Looming Tower
- North Korea to Host Another Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference
- Jamal Khashoggi: All you need to know about Saudi journalist's death
- Saudi Arabia accused of torturing women's right-to-drive activists in prison
- Ripplecoin work in Saudi Arabia
- Yemen crisis: Why is there a war?

Other relevant WBD podcasts:
- WBD049: Coin Center's Peter Van Valkenburg on Preserving the Freedom to Innovate with Public Blockchain
- WBD040: Personal Privacy and Safety in the Surveillance Age with Jameson Lopp
- WBD034: Why Crypto Privacy is Important with Monero's Riccardo "FluffyPony" Spagni
- WBD019: How Venezuelans are Using Bitcoin to Counter the Effects of Hyperinflation with Alejandro Machado

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