Crypto and the Left with Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) is a long time digital rights activist, author of many book on technology and sci-fi, and a journalist. You can find out more about him as well as his books on his website. Well known for being one of the most vocal left-of-center activists in the technology space, he has also expressed several doubts and skepticisms on blockchain and so I invited him to have this discussion.

During the interview we talked about his vision for the future of technology, what he thinks are the biggest issues (it's not crypto), and  his skepticisms about blockchains. I of course did my best to present the best case forward for crypto and the left. Unfortunately the interview took place before the Tornado Cash controversy although I was really curious what he would have to say about it and so emailed him afterwards and this his response:

"Code is speech. Sanctions for writing code - as opposed to using that code to take unlawful actions - are a danger to us all. Just as we can understand why someone who writes proof-of-concept code that *can* be used in malicious ways is not the same as someone who *does* use that code in malicious ways, writing code that *can* be used for money laundering is not the same as laundering money."

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ICYMI - The first documentary teaser was just released! You can watch it here. Be sure to subscribe to the channel on YouTube and follow the account on Twitter.  You can read a lot more information about the documentary on the website at www.cryptofuturesdoc.com

Send me your questions or comments about the show and I'll read them out sometime.

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ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix It and is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking.

The book is officially published and you use this linktree to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.