Economic freedom and resistance to censorship: when Bitcoin becomes part of the civil infrastructure.
In many countries, controlling money is a means of exercising power. Freezing accounts, blocking donations, limiting withdrawals and imposing currency restrictions are tools typically used by authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent and opposition.
Bitcoin introduces a decisive technical feature: resistance to censorship.
A valid transaction cannot be blocked, cancelled, or prevented by a central authority. This creates a space for economic freedom where none existed before.
Gladstein's studies (HRF, 2025) document concrete cases:
- Nigeria, during the #EndSARS protests, activists' accounts were frozen, but donations resumed thanks to Bitcoin and BTCPay Server.
- Russia, Hong Kong and Belarus: independent media outlets and dissidents used Bitcoin to receive funds after being 'debanked'.
- Ukraine, 2022: over $200 million was quickly received when banking channels were blocked or unstable.
In all these scenarios, Bitcoin does not replace politics, but it does protect the economic capacity to act. It ensures operational continuity for NGOs, journalists, civic associations, and individuals under authoritarian pressure.
Freedom is not abstract; it exists when you can act.
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