Replying to Avatar Lyudmyla Kozlovska

I think only a few, like #SatoshiNakomoto, could have imagined in 2010-2016 that the internet would be so centralised and controlled. This happened because we allowed it to happen while states developed authoritarian style policies towards technologies and its developers, investors.

We delegated the right to abuse power and had no control over the policymaking process in democracies. This should not be allowed to happen again. I'm talking about myself as well: I thought it would be impossible for governments to control #freedomtech. But you see it happening.

That's why we're not talking to you on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. We are discussing it here on #Nosrt, which is a hope for an answer to censorship. But it's not being created in authoritarian states. Most of the developers, donors to this startup are in democracies.

To be clear: I do believe, and have experienced first hand, that protecting money is one of the most important issue.

That is why I defend ability to operate in a legitimate way in democracies for privacy payments developers. We have new technologies because there was and still is an opportunity for such people to develop and grow in democracies.

So I'm advocating and want to bring people into the coalition who understand these risks, particularly around financial freedom. People who are willing to have difficult but important conversations with policymakers proactively, not when it's too late.
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El Guiri 1y ago

I stopped using Google in 2012 as it was so obvious that it was censoring and narrowing base of results. Now it’s just a joke.

I admire what you are doing and agree there are countries where a greater level of freedom from tyranny exists, allowing development of decentralised tools etc but many devs are still anonymous for a reason. Lack of anonymity in western countries can result in suicide. Whilst I hope that people like yourself can help improve the system, I consider it sufficiently co-opted that it’s a very hard thing to do. Building new systems and opting out of the old potentially diminished centralised power and associated tyranny

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Lyudmyla Kozlovska 1y ago

Not everyone is ready to give up from different things. Why should we give up, but not defend our rights?

Imagine at some point your right to use #nostr or other thing you like to use, invested your time and money will be limited or taken, will you just give up again?

You life will be spent on something you created but won’t be able to benefit.

Why we should give up?

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El Guiri 1y ago

Absolutely but centralisation and perverse incentives have created a situation of either fight or create new and better. I cannot think of any centralised system that has given up power willingly.

One of the greatest failings in western society in the past 30-40 years has been the unfettered rise of monopolistic behaviour and companies using political clout and resources to simply destroy competition in the market. Maybe that would be a good place to start.

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El Guiri 1y ago

There is another element here and that is perception. Someone who was brought up with totalitarianism may see some of the freedoms in some “democracies” and consider that worth fighting for whereas people within those systems merely see the deficiencies and consider new systems or methods to be more important to pursue

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Lyudmyla Kozlovska 1y ago

It is not only perception, it is about experience and privileges we have and can enjoy or just don’t have access.

Probably for you writing in English is nothing special, at the same time I know a lot of fathers in authoritarian states who are scarified their lives to give at least the basic education for their children.

Corrupt regimes don’t allow to grow personalities. It is not perception, it is our reality and painful experience.

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El Guiri 1y ago

That is definitely a big problem. A less educated society is easier to control which is why dictatorships usually purge free thinkers. How to minimise tyranny is a great challenge to humanity.

The education element was so stark in South Africa. After apartheid ended, understandable to give jobs and opportunities to the previously abused black population but the havock it caused due to lack of education was obvious at first. An awfully messy transition that should never have needed to happen.

It is an indictment of centralised power that one calls these basic rights “privileges”. The fight seems endless between those fighting for freedom and rights and those trying to remove them. One would think humanity can do better. At least we have better tools now!