Listen To This Episode:
Simply Bitcoin” hosts Nico and Phil joined the “Bitcoin Magazine Podcast” for a discussion about censorship and global events.
Starting the podcast off with freedom at the forefront, the hosts of “Simply Bitcoin” say, “I think Bitcoin is going to usher in this mental idea that no human being should have the right to censor another human being’s speech. Period. And speech includes your ability to transact with somebody else.”
They go on to posit that Bitcoin could be the Trojan horse for a decentralized internet because communications can go from one person to a server to another person with Bitcoin nodes acting as that server, instead of a centralized hub.
The speakers move on to discuss their concerns about commodity prices and how those relate to the rising costs of everything else. When oil prices rise, the price of shipping goods goes up, resulting in increased prices. Wheat is another commodity that impacts the global food supply. Food scarcity and the ensuing hunger can lead to societal unrest which may bring about Orweillian means of control reacting to actions of hungry citizens. Phil and Nico recognize that even discussing this possibility makes them sound like conspiracy theorists.
Phil and Nico make the bold claim, “In 2003, if social media was around, we would not have invaded Iraq.” Because of the media’s ability to control information as well as the narrative around it, meant they could act as gatekeepers of information. The internet has disintermediated the legacy media and they don’t know how to control information anymore, so they are relying on censorship.
If Bitcoin can bring about a means of communicating and transacting with anyone around the globe without relying on a centralized internet, then it may create a world with incorruptible freedom of speech.