{"id":459362,"date":"2022-06-08T08:08:27","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T05:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/human-rights-activists-take-aim-at-privileged-crypto-critics-in-letter-to-congress\/"},"modified":"2022-06-08T08:08:27","modified_gmt":"2022-06-08T05:08:27","slug":"human-rights-activists-take-aim-at-privileged-crypto-critics-in-letter-to-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/human-rights-activists-take-aim-at-privileged-crypto-critics-in-letter-to-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"# Human rights activists take aim at privileged crypto critics in letter to Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4123c5d8a29\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4123c5d8a29\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/human-rights-activists-take-aim-at-privileged-crypto-critics-in-letter-to-congress\/#%E2%80%9D_Human_rights_activists_take_aim_at_privileged_crypto_critics_in_letter_to_Congress_%E2%80%9C\" >&#8221; Human rights activists take aim at privileged crypto critics in letter to Congress &#8220;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9D_Human_rights_activists_take_aim_at_privileged_crypto_critics_in_letter_to_Congress_%E2%80%9C\"><\/span>&#8221; Human rights activists take aim at privileged crypto critics in letter to Congress &#8220;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"post-content\" data-v-2a0745c6>Human rights activists from 20 countries have submitted an open letter to the United States Congress in support of a \u201cresponsible crypto policy\u201d and praising Bitcoin and stablecoins as essential tools aiding democracy and freedom for tens of millions.<\/p>\n<p>The letter comes just a week after an anti-crypto open letter was sent to Congress purporting to be from the scientific community but whose lead signatures included well known crypto critics and authors from high income, democratic countries.<\/p>\n<p>The group of 21 activists cl<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ing back include those from countries which have either seen recent conflict or have otherwise unstable economies such as Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Nigeria, Venezuela, Cuba and even North Korea. The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.financialinclusion.tech\/\">letter<\/a> states:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWe write to urge an open-minded, empathetic approach toward monetary tools that are increasingly playing a role in the lives of people facing political repression and economic hardship.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>They add they are humanitarians and advocates of democracy who have used Bitcoin (BTC) to assist at risk people \u201cwhen other options have failed\u201d and wish to defend an open monetary system.<\/p>\n<p>The group says they have also relied on Bitcoin and stablecoins in the \u201cstruggle for freedom and democracy\u201dand that \u201ctens of millions of others\u201d living under authoritarian regimes or in volatile economies also use cryptocurrencies for the same reason.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cBitcoin and stablecoins offer ungated access to the global economy for people in countries like Nigeria, Turkey, or Argentina, where local currencies are collapsing, broken, or cut off from the outside world.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.cointelegraph.com\/uploads\/2022-06\/f91a27d0-9695-4923-a7fb-8963247f1b83.jpg\"><figcaption style=\"text-align: center;\">Human rights activists who signed the open letter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The group provided multiple instances from around the world of how cryptocurrencies are assisting people, citing examples from Cuba, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Nigeria which have all seen high crypto adoption due to inflation or lack of proper financial infrastructure. <\/p>\n<p>Cryptocurrencies further \u201chelped keep the fight against authoritarianism afloat\u201d the group added, providing an example of the role crypto played when financial systems broke down after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Related: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Crypto seen as the \u2018future of money\u2019 in inflation-mired countries<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The activists took aim at \u201cthe anti-crypto <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/concerned.tech\/\">letter<\/a>\u201d addressed to Congress on June 1 supposedly backed by 1,500 computer scientists and engineers that called on Congress to avoid creating a \u201cregulatory safe haven for these risky, flawed, and unproven digital financial instruments.\u201d Lead signatories included professional or long term crypto critics like David Gerard, Molly White and Stephen Diehl. <\/p>\n<p>The human rights coalition said nearly all the authors of that letter are from countries with \u201cstable currencies, free speech, and strong property rights\u201d and they most likely haven\u2019t experienced hyperinflation or \u201cthe cold grip of dictatorship\u201d.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe horrors of monetary colonialism, misogynist financial policy, frozen bank accounts, exploitative remittance companies, and an inability to connect to the global economy might be distant ideas [to those in the West]. To most of us and our communities \u2014 and to the majority of people worldwide \u2014 they are daily realities. If there were \u201cfar better solutions already in use\u201d to overcome these challenges, we would know.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The campaign was organized by the crypto think-tank the Bitcoin Policy Institute and signatories to the letter include activists from Feminist Coalition (Nigeria), Anti-Corruption Foundation (Russia), the Belarus Solidarity Foundation (Belarus), Ideas Beyond Borders (Iraq), the Digital Citizen Fund (Afghanistan), and notably, the Russian chess grandmaster and chair of the Human Rights Foundation Garry Kasparov.<\/p>\n<p>The human rights group acknowledged that proliferating crypto scams exist but said conflating useful FinTech products with these schemes is not the solution instead, education was needed to help people tell the difference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hope that you and your colleagues do not craft or implement policy that hurts our ability to use these new technologies in our human rights and humanitarian work\u2026we hope you choose a different policy path, one that allows us to save, connect, and gain freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/news\/human-rights-activists-take-aim-at-privileged-crypto-critics-in-letter-to-congress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8221; Human rights activists take aim at privileged crypto critics in letter to Congress &#8220; Human rights activists from 20 countries have submitted an open letter to the United States Congress in support of a \u201cresponsible crypto policy\u201d and praising Bitcoin and stablecoins as essential tools aiding democracy and freedom for tens of millions. The&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":459363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.cointelegraph.com\/images\/1200_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjItMDYvZTk0Y2ZiMmItMzI4YS00YTk4LWI5MDktY2IzN2U4NzE1NWYyLmpwZw==.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[110413,74858,5088,52214,55229,70934,67874],"class_list":["post-459362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-bitcoin-industry","tag-bitcoin-regulation","tag-activism","tag-congress","tag-law","tag-regulation","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=459362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/459363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=459362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=459362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=459362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}