He Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is scheduled to return to the Norwegian capital from June 3 to 5 for its 16th installment since 2009. The lecture series, organized by the New York-based nonprofit Human Rights Foundation (HRF), will bring together aid workers, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and global leaders to highlight the state of human rights globally and spark conversations about expanding freedom amid technological and political oppression. Featured speakers include an exiled Nicaraguan journalist. Carlos Chamorrofounder of the Trauma Research Foundation Dr. Bessel van der Kolkand Jack DorseyCEO and co-founder of Block.
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 tools in the pursuit of social liberation. Authoritarianism in the Global South will be an issue of particular concern, both in the context of illiberal government regimes and the complicity of globalized markets and supply chains, which, according to HRF websiteThey often drive the exploitation of forced labor and resource extraction.
In a statement to bitcoin Magazine, Christian Keroles, Director of Financial Freedom at HRF, emphasized the importance of censorship-resistant money to support freedom. “The Oslo Freedom Forum is an important gathering for freedom fighters from around the world to come together and plan how to extend freedom to more people. The Human Rights Foundation is committed to sharing how bitcoin and freedom can empower these brave activists in their resistance to tyranny.”
bitcoin as a bulwark against digital authoritarianism
The SHUTDOWN “Financial Freedom” Trackscheduled for June 5, it will explore the imperative of open source software, specifically bitcoin, for dissidents to resist authoritarian regimes that seek to financially oust and censor the opposition.
In partnership with HRF, bitcoin Magazine will broadcast the exclusive OFF Financial Freedom Track live stream throughout x.com/BitcoinMagazine”>x (twitter), Youtube, bitcoin-magazine/”>LinkedIn and facebook.com/BitcoinMagazine”>facebook.
“The price of bitcoin, although it is a sign of adoption, is not what is important. At the end of the day, bitcoin Magazine “It has freedom as our north star,” he said. bitcoin Magazine President Mike Germano. “We believe in a world, enabled by bitcoin, where people have the power to express themselves financially or otherwise. “We are proud to partner with HRF, a leader in this dialogue, and to bring these conversations to our global audience of over 12 million Bitcoiners.”
Today, financial repression is on the rise. The launch of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), the increase in financial surveillance and the confiscation of wealth by direct (and the most surreptitious) means inflation) has made protecting financial freedom more important than ever.
The Financial Freedom Track will feature leaders in the bitcoin ecosystem, including:
- Jack Dorseyblock executive director
- Abubakar Nur KhalilNigerian programmer, CEO of Recursive Capital
- Farid NabouremCo-founder of the African bitcoin Conference
- Mogashni NaidooCo-founder of the bitcoin Design Foundation
- Craig CrudoFounder of Sparrow Wallet
- Linda Aldenmacroeconomist and author of “Broken Money”
- Matt OdellManaging Partner of Ten31, Co-Founder of OpenSats
- streetCreator of open source software, Creator of Cashu
- Jack MallersFounder and CEO of Strike
The full Financial Freedom Track speaker list and agenda can be viewed at the Oslo Freedom Forum website.
Financial privacy: the final frontier
bitcoin, as an open ledger visible to all participants, globally transmits all transactions. Given this inherent visibility, preserving the privacy of senders and recipients is critically important to those challenging oppressive regimes. The 2024 OFF Financial Freedom track logo shows a visualization of a combination of bitcoin coins, a method of anonymously facilitating bitcoin payments, drawing attention to anonymity as a cornerstone of freedom.
This year's Forum will take place against a backdrop of renewed crackdowns on bitcoin privacy tools. Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, founders and CEO of privacy-focused coinjoin service Samourai Wallet and Whirlpool, were recently arrested and charged with money laundering and operating a money transmission business without a license.
Following the arrest, the FBI issued a statement warning Americans against using cryptocurrency transmission services other than KYC (Know Your Customer). This stance suggests that financial surveillance is quickly becoming an explicit goal of regulators in the cryptocurrency space.
Given the non-custodial nature of Samurai's Whirlpool software, the arrest may set a dangerous precedent for digital freedom. According bitcoin Magazine L0LA L33TZ, Contributor, This can potentially lead to “KYCing any service that operates communication protocols, from Nostr to WiFi hotspots and telecom providers… Plans for KYC on the Internet have been around since 2014, when the US government “The US attempted to introduce a 'licensed controller for the Internet', similar to the planned introduction of digital identities around the world.”
The seriousness of such a trend cannot be underestimated. Digital privacy, especially in the context of bitcoin, is emerging as where authoritarian-minded actors have focused their attention.
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