‘Bitcoin Is the Revolution’: An Interview With Alex Gladstein

[seje]

‘Bitcoin Is the Revolution’: An Interview With Alex Gladstein


Alex Gladstein is chief strategy officer at the Human Rights Foundation, vice president of strategy for the Oslo Freedom Forum and the preeminent advocate for Bitcoin as a tool for human rights activists around the world to fight back against censorship and government oppression. We talked over the phone just before he was appearing at a semi-exclusive Cafe Bitcoin Clubhouse with Lightning Network founder Elizabeth Stark and uber-podcaster Peter McCormack about bringing bitcoin (BTC, +1.35%) to billions of people worldwide (that is, not just the billionaires).

Gladstein, who began at HRF in 2007, has described Bitcoin as an “escape hatch from tyranny” and a “Trojan Horse for freedom.” In a recent contribution to Bitcoin Magazine, “Check Your Financial Privilege,” he lambasted the arrogance of wealthy bitcoin critics who live in liberal democracies and take the stability of reserve currency status for granted.

He introduces readers to a Nigerian entrepreneur, a Sudanese doctor and an Ethiopian businessman, whose stories illuminate the revolutionary impact that a permissionless, borderless, non-discriminatory monetary system could have on the billions who cannot open a savings account, send money abroad or receive payment over the internet.

The HRF, which began accepting bitcoin donations in 2014, has long recognized the digital currency’s potential as a force for individual liberty. In June 2020, it launched the Bitcoin Development Fund to support software developers working to strengthen the Bitcoin network so that it can serve as a financial tool for human rights activists, civil society organizations and journalists around the world. Grants have been awarded to developers and privacy-focused projects, including CoinSwap, JoinInbox, Zeus and Fully Noded.

Read more: Human Rights Foundation Gives Out $210K in Bitcoin Development Grants
In 2009, Gladstein helped launch the Oslo Freedom Forum, HRF’s series of conferences under the slogan “Challenging Power.” HRF began holding bitcoin-human rights workshops in 2017, connecting global activists with philanthropists, policymakers, artists and innovators. Gladstein guides the organization’s growth, fundraising and media, focusing on advocacy for the Bitcoin network.

https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-is-the-revolution-alex-gladstein