Lets join our efforts. With newly elected EU parliament we want to have a proper education campaign on privacy of communication and transactions.

During our latest campaign we secured support of MPs and MEPs in defense of privacy:

https://tbbacherle.eu/2024/06/18/open-letter/

But now we need to work on submission on that issue and your expertise is very much appreciated.

I had the honour of sharing my personal experience with Melanion Capital & Jad #Comair on their podcast about how easy it is to weaponise the financial data of every resident and citizen of Western countries.

The refusal to protect banking secrecy has led to a massive failure in the protection of human rights. #Bitcoin p2p transactions have become the only available tool for the financially repressed and excluded as a consequence of the abuse of AML/CFT laws.

We live in a time when financial institutions have been given the right to police activities of citizens. If your rights are violated by the police, you have the possibility of defence/remedies. However, with financial institutions, there are no such mechanisms due to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations.

I experienced this first hand when three authoritarian regimes abused my and Open Dialogue Foundation banking data getting it from #Belgium and #Poland.

Banking records obtained by three regimes became a weapon against me and anyone who worked, received our support in different countries or championed our human rights work at the time. I able to continue my human rights work and hold accountable perpetrators of violations of my rights thanks to #freedomtech Bitcoin.

Ironically, AML/CFT laws were created to fight criminals, oligarchs, dictators corrupting western countries. In reality - AML/CFT laws have become the most effective tool for #TransnationalRepression, breaking down all barriers to protect the right to #privacy of #correspondence, #transactions, #movements. If you think that this only applies to dictatorial or authoritarian countries, you are sorely mistaken.

Want to learn more? Listen our 🎙️ Ep32 of ‘Bitcoin Equities Talks’ with Melanion Capital

https://x.com/MelanionCap/status/1810303322319949884

https://nostrcheck.me/media/8f6568deec0120acb2a4d1e4e311c881d306c396a9288b0a07f564d20f186268/192edc1ffecf61696e1151b283d7000a2dca0f4cedaeb0b5c8be694ff988e8a9.mp4

I don’t mind disturbing people from their zone of comfort to defend human rights and #freedomtech #bitcoin, even if they think it is offensive to them, because I brought this discussion to public.

Im not publishing my communication with Norwegian authorities because you as citizen can send just the same email as I did and get the same evidence, with no need to guess or speculate.

I fight with real dictatorships, who tried to sue me for every my report and publication in the social media. So I know the price of the word I publish.

I don’t need to ask emails from ministry - Im in touch with them, no one if hiding its position in the Norwegian government or parliament. They are very clear about how they want to regulate a ban of cryptocurrency mining.

There are problems that 1) no proper response and advocacy, public campaign in defense of #bitcoin;

2) it allows without any obstacles to produce very restrictive regulation to bitcoin mining which will affect people like me, end-users, and others- developers, investors, bitcoin miners since it will be used as a regulatory example.

Texas bitcoiners have a lot of challenges with local and federal policymakers too, but they ADDRESS THEM, they really fight for their rights and GETTING RESULTS.

That is my main point :) you work and show PoW. Or you don’t work and there is no PoW.

I don’t need to be expert on Norwegian bitcoiners. PoW is very efficient mechanism - you can just see that there is no defence for bitcoin, it is just a fact.

Your message, if I put it more politely, is “leave me alone and let it be as it is” doesn’t address my points, just exposing even more your ignorance.

I don’t ask anyone to attend meetups, or doing abstract things in a social media. It will not help.

Instead, as an expert on introducing reforms in different jurisdictions, Im raising awareness that:

🔹There is a clear need to provide with a well grounded expertise policymakers, journalists and communities.

🔹There is a clear necessity to ask policymakers to conduct public consultation before introducing the draft of the restrictive regulation.

It is not about your books or podcast or even your mountain cabin mining.

#FreedomTech should not be in a grey zone just because of someone’s arrogance - and I don’t care if it is arrogance of bitcoiners, who don’t care or prefer to move to other jurisdictions, or regulators who are dare to conduct public consultations and learn about #bitcoin.

I hope it’s more clear now.

the main question what has been done at all change it?

Majority of the comments on my post with conclusions “let them ban it and then we will see”.

I truly believe it is a huge mistake and misunderstanding of the consequences.

Everyone who said in the past - let’s do not care about human rights, how bad regulations affects human rights and just move to other jurisdictions at the end of their experience understood - regimes able to reach them in the every place in the world.

Same here: Norwegian regulatory standards will be used as an example for the EU single market, through OECD globally. To prove it more context - Swedish government implemented what Norway is doing right now. So what is the result? Sweden is pushing restrictive regulations against bitcoin mining at the EU level.

#Bitcoin is the same human right as others, it is people behind the technology, its developers, investors, miners and end-users. Bitcoin is not getting funds from the authoritarian world, simply because it is a threat to dictatorship by default. So why you should allow to restrict it while you have all privileges to impact your regulators and change their approach?

It is a matter of responsibility, investment of your time and resources, just like US bitcoin community is doing, and achieving significant success. Without just being complaining or being ignorant.

We can be bearish, but the main question if we are trying at all change it?

Majority of the comments on my post with conclusions “let them ban it and then we will see”.

I truly believe it is a huge mistake and misunderstanding of the consequences.

Everyone who said in the past - let’s do not care about human rights, how bad regulations affects human rights and just move to other jurisdictions at the end of their experience understood - regimes able to reach them in the every place in the world.

Same here: Norwegian regulatory standards will be used as an example for the EU single market, through OECD globally.

#Bitcoin is the same human right as others, it is people behind the technology, its developers, investors, miners and end-users. Bitcoin is not getting funds from the authoritarian world, simply because it is a threat to dictatorship by default. So why you should allow to restrict it while you have all privileges to impact your regulators and change their approach?

It is a matter of responsibility, investment of your time and resources, just like US bitcoin community is doing, and achieving significant success. Without just being complaining or being ignorant.

I don’t think there is a need to predict, just enough to follow public discussion: what media wrote, what politicians said and what communities know about bitcoin mining. I remember times two years ago when attitude to bitcoin mining was neutral or far from negative.

But now we need to address the current situation, prevent this dangerous regulatory approach.

For the moment, we need to concentrate on Norway. ideally to do advocacy for the EU level too - with newly elected members of the parliament and commissioners.

That is correct. That is why we believe, public consultations should happen before government will introduce its report.

No, Im from Ukraine.

Write a request to your legislators and regulators to prevent this ban. You still can do it, not just complain here.

Not everyone has a privilege to leave. I do respect more position of the US based bitcoiners who prefer to join efforts, invest their resources and time to defend industry and win.

This is what we see right now. And we got responses that “no plans to conduct public consultations”. Public hearing with just presenting reports doesn't equal to public consultations, which has to impact on the report presented in that public hearing.

It doesn’t work who is the most influential. It works when majority of community will activate local communities and educate them, will contact to legislators and regulators with requests to include their opinions during regulatory process, effectively convincing them to be on bitcoin mining side. It sounds probably abstract, but look at the US - bitcoin community investing there its time, resources and getting results. Why we in the EU/EEA can’t do the same?

You have a right to wait until it is banned and then what? Complain? Move to other jurisdictions? Or you think that with all negative publicity and just few voices in defense negative government report will transform suddenly into a positive law?

In a free society you have privileges to correct wrong regulatory opinions. You can defend your industry, or just wait to see if really someone attempts to limit it. It is your privilege.

I don’t have such privileges and have the only financial tool to lose/be negatively labeled and affect lives of many people I defend from financial exclusion/repression.

And all of that just because there is almost no will from Norwegian bitcoiners to defend themselves.

I don’t think it the most reasonable answer. Look what bitcoin community is achieving in the US - they defend industry NOW, because they want to see scalability of their #freedomtech now, not in abstract future because of someone’s ignorance.

We were asking about public consultations on that issue - it is a part of the regulatory process. We got an answer that they don’t have any plans to conduct such consultations.

My post about that - no public consultation while preparing governmental report on the ban of mining cryptocurrencies.

The fact that parliament will discuss publicly already written negative report of the government, without input of industry and end-users, doesn’t give you much.

Have a look at the very end of the article:

https://www.stortinget.no/no/Saker-og-publikasjoner/Publikasjoner/Innstillinger/Stortinget/2023-2024/inns-202324-383s?all=true#m2

Also check public statements:

🔻According to the Digitalization Minister Karianne Tung: „The purpose is to regulate the industry in such a way that we can close the door on the projects we do not want” .

https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/9zgyxq/regjeringen-slaar-ned-mot-krypto-datasenter-uoensket-i-norge

🔻Government ministers claim that:

- they want “serious actors” - data centers “to secure storage of images and communication”, for example – „who are important to society, and the society-serving computer industry is important to Norway“;

- they don't know “how many data centers operate cryptocurrency mining in Norway today, but they are going to get an answer to that”;

- they “don’t want cryptocurrency mining companies” since they look at them as „actors who are looking to "shop" for cheap electricity in Norway“ and “(...) businesses seeking to exploit Norway for cheap energy extraction”.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-miners-face-pressure-norway-071921322.html?guccounter=1