In December 2024, a conference organised by the Blockchain for Europe association took place in Brussels, where key issues regarding the future of digital privacy were the main topic. The panel discussion entitled “The next evolution of privacy – Is the world ready?” featured Bota Jardemalie, a representative of the Open Dialogue Foundation and a member of the BTC Coalition, who shared her experiences of using technology in the fight against oppressive regimes.
Bota Jardemalie, a political refugee, described how authoritarian governments use centralised financial systems to persecute their opponents. She emphasised that traditional banks are an easy target for political pressure, which leads to account blocking or asset freezing. It is in this context that Jardemalie highlighted the role of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, which, thanks to their decentralisation, can provide essential privacy and financial freedom. She noted that privacy in the digital world is a fundamental human right, and tools like Bitcoin are essential to secure that freedom in the face of authoritarian governments attempting to destroy it.
The discussion, which was moderated by Erwin Voloder from the European Blockchain Association, also included Agata Ferreira from the Institute of Free Technology and Fatemeh Fannizadeh from the Anoma Foundation. All the panellists agreed that protecting online privacy is becoming an increasingly urgent issue, requiring global cooperation and the search for new solutions.
Watch the full panel discussion:
Read also:
- Resistance to Attacks: Privacy, Mining, and Human Rights – Bota Jardemalie & Lyudmyla Kozlovska at Proof of Work Summit (September 30, 2024)
- Defend PoW: Submission to ESMA (December 15, 2023)
- Submission to FATF: Tools to prevent abuse of AML/CFT laws (December 14, 2023)
- ”Bitcoin is borderless” Conference — how to combat financial exclusion worldwide? (October 15, 2023)
Cover photo: YT/Blockchain for Europe
