I didn’t choose to become a Nostr maxi. The system made me one, though I knew deep down it was where it was going to end.

For a while, I was just starting to build a voice on X. Nothing huge — around 2,200 followers — but I was connecting with people, sharing thoughts, and gaining traction on some important topics. X currently is better for wider conversation and bringing people to the light.

One of those posts really took off. I was raising serious questions about the UK’s opaque central bank bailouts — secret rescues of unknown banks, pension funds, and insurers. It resonated.

And not long after…

I was locked out of my account.

No warning. No appeal.

Just two long DMs and a couple of uncomfortable truths — and suddenly I was cut off from everything I’d built.

That’s when it clicked: you don’t own your voice on these platforms. They do.

They give you a feed — but it’s not your feed.

They give you an audience — but only until it becomes inconvenient.

They give you speech — but only if it stays within the Overton window.

That’s not freedom. That’s conditional expression under constant surveillance.