In the last almost 12 years, blockchain technology has attracted the attention of various sectors in various branches, due to its characteristics such as traceability, transparency and that it is immutable.
While blockchain is recognized for being the technology behind cryptocurrencies, the uses of blockchain go far beyond serving as the foundation for digital money, and it has been adopted and used by various industries, including the government .
In turn, cryptocurrencies have also gone from being just digital money and have managed to fulfill one of the purposes that cyberpunks and Satoshi Nkamoto once envisioned them for, financial freedom and access to financial systems for unbanked people.
You just have to turn your gaze and observe how cryptocurrencies and blockchain are helping countries like Hong Kong, Ghana, Venezuela and Argentina to fight against the different types of oppression that these countries are facing, both financial level and freedom of expression.
Blockchain technology to combat oppression
The uses of the technologies underlying cryptocurrencies have expanded since their early beginnings, from being a part of Bitcoin, to creating decentralized networks in various ways and with applications in more and more sectors, such as finance, education, mining and many more. Some of these applications even have implications in the eternal struggle for freedom of expression.
Blockchain works as "a system that organizes the participation of servers around the world." This system consists of an accounting ledger with different identical copies existing at the same time, in which if one copy is eliminated or altered, the others continue to exist without any problem. Let's imagine that if a government wants to censor information, there will be several copies of it in different parts of the world.
Blockchain technology is distributed in nature, making it an uncensored tool. What has been used to protect human rights in various parts of the world.
The libertarian traits of the blockchain
Currently several authoritarian governments manage to monitor the online activity of their citizens and through the use of censorship software they can restrict users' access to certain unwanted sites.
According to a study conducted by Freedom House in 2019, internet freedom fell for the 14th consecutive year. The study highlighted that 3 out of 5 internet users were subjected to some kind of censorship by the State, and even by companies that provide the internet or by the social network they use.
Faced with this problem, blockchain seems to be presented as a solution since thanks to its decentralization it generates that no person, institution or government can take control of a blockchain and all the data stored there.
But not only blockchain helps freedom since cryptocurrencies have also granted freedom to citizens by giving people the possibility to be real owners of their money.
According to Freedom House, " when the adoption of cryptocurrencies is close to 100%, governments and central banks will have effectively lost the ability to threaten the control of wealth or financial exclusion."
Venezuela and its relationship with cryptocurrencies
Venezuela is not only experiencing the most serious humanitarian crisis on the American continent in recent years, it is also facing a high degree of censorship and authoritarianism from its government.
Hyperinflation in Venezuela is currently the largest in the world, the drop in its GDP already exceeds 80%, more than 90% of Venezuelans are in extreme poverty.
The Bolivarian Republic remains under a sharp authoritarianism in which the electoral processes lack transparency and have repeatedly been accused of being unfair, for this reason it is almost impossible for citizens to carry out political reforms to improve their economy and any dissident voice it is simply silenced.
Besides being in the middle of a destroyed economy, the government of Venezuela prohibits Venezuelans within the territory of the country access to international financial markets and banking Given these restrictions blockchain and criptomonedas are presented as a lifeline to the crisis that exists in the nation .
Proof of this is that the trade of Bitcoin Cash, and other cryptocurrencies is only increasing day after day in Venezuela.
In nations that have an unstable economy and politics, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are presented as a financial tool as a means of exchange resistant to censorship. Through digital assets, citizens can send and receive money, save in a much more stable and reliable currency such as the Bolívar, and even serve as a payment method for a service.
Censorship and control in China and Russia
Although China and Russia have a stronger economy than Venezuela, their authoritarian governments represent a problem for the freedom of their citizens.
In China, the government can massively monitor transactions made by its citizens through payment platforms such as Alipay and WePay. For this reason, opponents of the government are using cryptocurrencies to finance their projects since it is not possible for the government to monitor this type of asset .
Meanwhile in Russia, the government has chosen to freeze the bank accounts of those who oppose its government, from an NGO to a candidate. However, with Bitcoin doing this type of action, therefore raising funds through cryptocurrencies has become a viable alternative for opponents .
Blockchain and freedom of expression
Blockchain technology for its part, gives people the right to express complaints on a protected platform, without fear of censorship or retaliation. This technology cannot be manipulated by a third party and the ideas expressed publicly, which are registered in these systems, and cannot be deleted or edited.
The governments of China and Russia are known for their strict censorship of anti-government propaganda. Both states have learned the impossible task of censoring not only cryptocurrencies, but any information stored on a blockchain.
In these countries there are a large number of news pages and blogs built on blockchain platforms in order to transmit opinions, criticisms and any type of news, out of the reach of their authoritarian leaders.
A long way to go
Without a doubt, Bitcoin Cash is still an incipient technology and does not offer usability, or impressive speed of transactions for the tastes of more developed countries. But, as the world is far from perfect, there are places where Bitcoin Cash is the best option, since its fight against censorship, distribution and its pseudo anonymity is what has saved many lives in countries where freedoms do not they are a right but a privilege .
According to Freedom House, more than 50% of the world's population lives under an authoritarian regime, which is equal to 4.5 billion people around the world. These people could use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin Cash, and blockchain technology to regain their freedoms.
If we invest the time and resources to develop user-friendly wallets, more crypto exchanges, and better educational materials for Bitcoin Cash and the blockchain. We would have the potential to make a real difference for the 4.5 billion people who cannot or cannot trust their rulers. access the banking system. "For them, Bitcoin Cash can be a way out . "
Crypto currency will give the average person and the wealthy person control over his own money, not the banks, not the government, himself alone.