Last night I gave a talk at a Minneapolis Blockchain Initiative event run by 
I mostly talked about censorship and the need for censorship-proof media, emphasizing how tech like IPFS and blockchain can meet this need. The arrest in France of Telegram founder Pavel Durov was fresh in everyone's minds. And today Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly admitted that the company repeatedly caved to government pressure to censor social media during the pandemic. Even though everybody already knew this, the admission was still significant.
Blaming Durov for the content of user communications on Telegram is like blaming the CEO of AT&T for the conversations criminals have while using AT&T infrastructure. If someone uses Telegram to transmit an illegal image, that person alone is responsible for their actions. If someone uses their freedom in a harmful way, the problem isn't the freedom. The problem is the person's harmful action.
We're at a critical juncture as a society with censorship and related issues. The internet is already largely censored and riddled with propaganda. AI promises to make that far more automated and comprehensive. As this happens, the powers that be will use every excuse at their disposal to further curtail free speech. No one is going to protect us from this theft of our freedom. No one in power is looking out for our interests.
Right after I posted this video, an old friend contacted me to tell me that he was worried that rogue nations could use crypto to evade trade sanctions. He asked how my project would prevent funds from flowing to sanctioned countries. I explained my position, that individuals are responsible for their actions. If a person violates a sanction, it's that person's responsibility. The corporate or financial infrastructure they used to commit the crime isn't the crime itself.
At this point, most people have been convinced by censorship and propaganda that censorship and propaganda are okay. Desirable, even, in the name of safety. I completely disagree. I think being able to talk freely with each other must be the basis for any genuine conversation about what to do about any issue, including safety.
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