Presumed-guilty financial scrutiny

“If you think they'll have restraint, I think you're making a grave error.”

Can your wallet, your node, or even your hardware become “unlicensed financial activity” overnight? I walk through HRF’s latest Financial Freedom report on new laws in places like the UAE and Belarus, then riff on how these tactics bleed into Western “financial stability” narratives, KYC social media, and digital ID. Along the way we explore the tools—from DIY hardware to Lightning and e‑cash—that might be the thin line between being banked, blocked, or truly sovereign.

References from the episode

• HRF’s Financial Freedom Report #100 (Link: https://hrf.org/latest/hrfs-weekly-financial-freedom-report-100/)
• Alex Gladstein’s essay “Why Bitcoin Is Freedom Money” (Link: https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/why-bitcoin-is-freedom-money/)
• HRF’s Bitcoin for Nonprofits webinar (Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0sjqwSFQo8HGMsWIIDRyhx34TsoonOSTfYoWSy-aaBbLeSw/viewform)
• BTC Sessions’ 15‑minute Sparrow Wallet crash course (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EVDtos8ZgI)
• Bitcoin++ in Taipei (Link: https://btcplusplus.dev/conf/taipei)
• Nut November: Cashu Ecash Hackathon (Link: https://nutnovember.org/)
• Cashu Ecash Protocol (Link: https://cashu.space/)
• My upcoming read following-up on Allen Farrington’s "Only the Strong Survive" (Link: https://www.uncerto.com/only-the-strong-survive)
• My future chat with Matt Ahlborg from PPQ.ai (Link: http://ppq.ai/)

Check out the original report Weekly Financial Freedom Report #99 by HRF. (Link: https://hrf.org/latest/hrfs-weekly-financial-freedom-report-99/)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
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