A leading figure from the Human Rights Foundation has argued that Bitcoin serves as a critical tool for resisting authoritarian regimes, providing individuals with financial freedom in environments where traditional currencies are easily manipulated by those in power.
Speaking at the Bitcoin Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., Alex Gladstein, the foundation’s chief strategy officer, emphasized that the decentralized nature of Bitcoin severely limits the power of oppressive leaders to control or monitor citizens’ financial activity.
“Authoritarian regimes lose a significant level of control when people adopt Bitcoin,” Gladstein said. “It disrupts their ability to freeze assets, censor transactions, or inflate away savings.”
He noted that when individuals use Bitcoin without attaching personal identification, their financial privacy is significantly enhanced — a critical advantage in repressive societies.
Gladstein stressed that holding and managing Bitcoin independently offers a level of protection against economic manipulation. “When you self-custody your Bitcoin, no government can arbitrarily seize or devalue your assets,” he explained. “They can’t inflate it out of existence like they can with fiat money.”
The Human Rights Foundation has been exploring Bitcoin’s potential since 2013, particularly after witnessing its role during Ukraine’s pro-democracy uprisings against President Viktor Yanukovych. Many activists at the time faced frozen bank accounts and needed alternative ways to receive funds.
“Bitcoin was trading at around $100 back then. We weren’t sure it would work, but we were willing to try,” Gladstein recalled. “And it did. It got resources to people when no other financial system could.”
Since then, the foundation has supported Bitcoin as a lifeline for individuals in authoritarian nations, where banking systems are often weaponized against dissent.
“Our mission is to support human rights worldwide, and Bitcoin has become one of the tools we can use to help people resist oppression,” he concluded.
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