The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is about to return to the Norwegian capital June 3-5 for its sixteenth installment since 2009. The convention sequence, hosted by the New York-based non-profit Human Rights Foundation (HRF), will carry collectively humanitarians, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders to spotlight the state of world human rights and spark conversations on learn how to develop freedom amid technological and political oppression. Featured audio system embrace exiled Nicaraguan journalist Carlos Chamorro, Trauma Analysis Basis founder Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, and Jack Dorsey, CEO and co-founder of Block.
The convention will present high-level discussions from these on the entrance strains advocating for human freedom in addition to workshop classes to supply activists with instruments within the pursuit of social liberation. Authoritarianism within the World South can be a subject of explicit concern, each within the context of intolerant governmental regimes in addition to the complicity of globalized markets and provide chains, which, according to the HRF website, usually drive exploitative pressured labor and useful resource extraction.
In a press release to Bitcoin Journal, Christian Keroles, HRF Director of Monetary Freedom, emphasised the significance of censorship-resistant cash in supporting liberty. “The Oslo Freedom Discussion board is a crucial gathering for freedom fighters from the world over to return collectively and plan learn how to develop liberty to extra folks. The Human Rights Basis is dedicated to sharing how Bitcoin and freedom expertise can empower these courageous activists of their resistance to tyranny.”
Bitcoin as a bulwark in opposition to digital authoritarianism
The OFF “Financial Freedom” track, slated for June fifth, will discover the crucial of open supply software program, particularly Bitcoin, for dissidents to withstand authoritarian regimes which purpose to financially deplatform and censor opposition.
In partnership with HRF, Bitcoin Journal will broadcast the unique livestream of the OFF Monetary Freedom Monitor throughout X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
“Bitcoin’s worth, whereas a sign of adoption, just isn’t what’s vital. On the finish of the day, Bitcoin Journal holds freedom as our North Star”, mentioned Bitcoin Journal President Mike Germano. “We imagine in a world, enabled by Bitcoin, the place people are empowered to specific themselves financially or in any other case. We’re proud to associate with HRF, a pacesetter on this dialog, and to carry these conversations to our international viewers of greater than 12 million Bitcoiners.”
Right now, monetary repression is on the rise. The rollout of central financial institution digital currencies (CBDCs), rising monetary surveillance, and the confiscation of wealth by way of outright means (and the extra surreptitious inflation) has made defending monetary freedom extra vital than ever.
The Monetary Freedom Monitor will function leaders within the Bitcoin ecosystem together with:
- Jack Dorsey, CEO of Block
- Abubakar Nur Khalil, Nigerian programmer, CEO of Recursive Capital
- Farida Nabourema, Co-founder of the Africa Bitcoin Convention
- Mogashni Naidoo, Co-founder of the Bitcoin Design Basis
- Craig Raw, Founding father of Sparrow Pockets
- Lyn Alden, Macroeconomist and Creator of “Damaged Cash”
- Matt Odell, Managing Associate of Ten31, Co-founder of OpenSats
- Calle, Open supply software program creator, Creator of Cashu
- Jack Mallers, Founder and CEO of Strike
The complete Monetary Freedom Monitor speaker record and agenda may be seen on the Oslo Freedom Forum website.
Monetary privateness – the ultimate frontier
Bitcoin, as an open ledger seen to all contributors, globally broadcasts all transactions. Given this inherent visibility, preserving the privateness of senders and recipients is of essential significance for these difficult oppressive regimes. The 2024 OFF Monetary Freedom monitor brand shows a visualization of a Bitcoin coinjoin – a way for anonymously facilitating bitcoin funds, calling consideration to explicit consideration to anonymity as a cornerstone of freedom.
This 12 months’s Discussion board will happen in opposition to a backdrop of a renewed crackdown on Bitcoin privateness instruments. Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, founders and CEO of the privacy-focused Samourai Pockets and Whirlpool coinjoin service, have been lately arrested and charged with cash laundering and working an unlicensed cash transmitting enterprise.
Following the arrest, the FBI issued a press release warning People in opposition to the usage of non-KYC (Know Your Buyer) crypto cash transmitting companies. This stance means that monetary surveillance is rapidly turning into an specific aim of regulators within the cryptocurrency house.
Given the non-custodial nature of Samurai’s Whirlpool software program, the arrest could set a harmful precedent for digital freedom. In keeping with Bitcoin Journal contributor L0LA L33TZ, this will likely doubtlessly result in “KYCing any service working communication protocols, from Nostr to WiFi hotspots and telecommunication suppliers… Plans to KYC the web have been round since as early as 2014, when the US Authorities tried to introduce a ‘drivers license for the web,’ just like the deliberate introduction of digital identities around the globe.”
The gravity of such a development can’t be understated. Digital privateness, particularly within the context of Bitcoin, is shaping as much as be the place authoritarian-minded actors have targeted their consideration.
Subscribe to Bitcoin Journal’s Daily Newsletter to be notified when the Oslo Freedom Discussion board, Monetary Freedom Monitor livestream begins.
For inquiries and feedback, please e-mail contact@hrf.org