Alex Gladstein

While those comfortable in the dollar bubble deride Bitcoin, the stories of three emerging market users demonstrate why it is so important.

Even in liberal democracies where citizens can — in theory — protect themselves, corruption thrives and financial privacy is on the verge of extinction.

The world’s reserve currency relies on oil, dictators, inequality and the military-industrial complex. But a Bitcoin standard could change this.

My interview with Preston Pysh about Bitcoin's international impact.

While bitcoin is powerful Number Go Up technology that appeals to self interest, it’s also creating fortresses against authority in cyberspace.

Since its creation more than 12 years ago, Bitcoin is undefeated. Its price has leaped from $5 to $50 to $500 to $5,000 to now past $50,000. The number of global users has eclipsed 100 million. The system’s network security, number of developers, and new applications are at all-time highs. Dozens of companies including Tesla and Square have started to add Bitcoin to their corporate treasuries. This worldwide success doesn’t mean that people haven’t tried to stop Bitcoin. The digital money… Show more

Since its creation more than 12 years ago, Bitcoin is undefeated. Its price has leaped from $5 to $50 to $500 to $5,000 to now past $50,000. The number of global users has eclipsed 100 million. The system’s network security, number of developers, and new applications are at all-time highs. Dozens of companies including Tesla and Square have started to add Bitcoin to their corporate treasuries. This worldwide success doesn’t mean that people haven’t tried to stop Bitcoin. The digital money project has in fact survived a variety of attacks which in some cases threatened its existence. There are two main vectors: network attacks on the software and hardware infrastructure, and legal attacks on Bitcoin users. Before we explore them and consider why they failed, let’s start at the beginning. Show less

Bitcoin has won over some of America's best-known billionaires, and institutions worldwide are treating it as a serious financial asset. But bitcoin's rising price is only one part of the story.

Whether they know it or not, people who buy bitcoin are strengthening a tool for protecting human rights.

In the past few weeks, millions of Americans have joined Signal, a free open-source encrypted chat app. Users are fleeing from WhatsApp in droves, sparked by a pop-up disclosing that the messenger will share personal data with Facebook, and by broader concerns over big tech in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. But just as encryption is seeing its biggest breakthrough yet, a counter-narrative is rising up again: that we should be wary of privacy-protecting platforms because they can… Show more

In the past few weeks, millions of Americans have joined Signal, a free open-source encrypted chat app. Users are fleeing from WhatsApp in droves, sparked by a pop-up disclosing that the messenger will share personal data with Facebook, and by broader concerns over big tech in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. But just as encryption is seeing its biggest breakthrough yet, a counter-narrative is rising up again: that we should be wary of privacy-protecting platforms because they can help extremists and criminals. Show less

I was interviewed by Coindesk for their year-end essay on pro-democracy movements using Bitcoin around the world.

Is Bitcoin a democracy? Or is it more like a natural order? What about democracy in general, does that protect human rights and enable human flourishing? Saifedean and Alex Gladstein debate the question of whether democracy promotes human flourishing. This was moderated by Stephan Livera, initially on Saifedean’s online seminar.

In this interview, Peter McCormack interviews me and Jaraslau Likhachevski from BYSOL. We discuss the political situation in Belarus, the protests and how Bitcoin is helping activists.

In the past few months, governments ranging from Australia to the United Kingdom and corporations as influential as Google and Apple have pushed the idea that cellphone tracking can be used to effectively fight COVID-19. There was even an essay here at Quillette, arguing that a mandatory phone tracking app would save lives while also saving jobs as a policy alternative to economic lockdown. Unfortunately, the idea that phone apps should be popularized or even mandated to fight outbreaks is… Show more

In the past few months, governments ranging from Australia to the United Kingdom and corporations as influential as Google and Apple have pushed the idea that cellphone tracking can be used to effectively fight COVID-19. There was even an essay here at Quillette, arguing that a mandatory phone tracking app would save lives while also saving jobs as a policy alternative to economic lockdown. Unfortunately, the idea that phone apps should be popularized or even mandated to fight outbreaks is techno-utopian, based on optimism rather than evidence. The real impact of such an approach on society wouldn’t be better immunity, but rather the acceptance and creeping growth of an even more powerful and omniscient global surveillance state. Show less

My interview with Singularity Hub on civil liberties and public health.

This essay for WIRED explores why authoritarian regimes around the world are bad for our global public health. They punish dissent, even if is well meaning and can save lives, even if it is sound medical advice or truth-telling, in order to preserve their power.

CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen is joined by the Human Rights Foundation’s Alex Gladstein and Syrian entrepreneur Moe Ghashim to discuss how cultural context shapes the way people view bitcoin, including stories from the Middle East.

The year is 2040, and cash is gone. The money you use on a daily basis has fully transitioned into a tool of surveillance and control. My essay on what such a reality would entail for our global society.

When people think about Bitcoin, they often think about neo-goldbugs who hate inflation and the Federal Reserve. But beyond the financial case for it, there’s a moral, human rights case as well. On this week’s podcast, we talk with Alex Gladstein, the Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation. He explains why he sees Bitcoin as an essential tool in his fight for human rights all around the world

Running time 42:56

This post is part of CoinDesk's 2019 Year in Review, a collection of 100 op-eds, interviews and takes on the state of blockchain and the world.

My essay outlining why we need digital cash.

My appearance on The Block's podcast. In this we discuss the important distinction between the moral and legal issues surrounding Virgil Griffith's recent arrest, Bitcoin's potential role in the modern urban protesting environment, how the IMF could, but wont, lend aid to Venezuelans in need by using Bitcoin, and the separation of money and state in a future cashless society.

A discussion of why and how Xi Jinping's new digital currency project aims for surveillance and control.

Jimmy Song (Bitcoin educator, entrepreneur and developer) and Alex Gladstein (CSO of Human Rights Foundation) join Stephan Livera in this episode to talk about their fantastic new book, The Little Bitcoin Book. This is the perfect short book to give your precoiner friends! It has succinct explanations on why bitcoin is important. Listen to this episode to learn more about how this book came together, what the authors are hoping to achieve, and if you like it – then make sure you buy copies of… Show more

Jimmy Song (Bitcoin educator, entrepreneur and developer) and Alex Gladstein (CSO of Human Rights Foundation) join Stephan Livera in this episode to talk about their fantastic new book, The Little Bitcoin Book. This is the perfect short book to give your precoiner friends! It has succinct explanations on why bitcoin is important. Listen to this episode to learn more about how this book came together, what the authors are hoping to achieve, and if you like it – then make sure you buy copies of the book to give to your friends and family. Show less

Since launching a decade ago, the decentralized, peer-to-peer cryptocurrency bitcoin has been lauded (and denounced) for its potential to route around traditional state-based monetary systems and allow individuals to trade directly with one another. Much of the discussion has understandably focused on how it is transforming economic exchange. But Alex Gladstein, the chief strategy officer of the Human Rights Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes and protects civil liberties in closed societies,… Show more

Since launching a decade ago, the decentralized, peer-to-peer cryptocurrency bitcoin has been lauded (and denounced) for its potential to route around traditional state-based monetary systems and allow individuals to trade directly with one another. Much of the discussion has understandably focused on how it is transforming economic exchange. But Alex Gladstein, the chief strategy officer of the Human Rights Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes and protects civil liberties in closed societies, is interested in how it empowers people in autocratic countries to escape government control. Show less

You’ve probably heard about Bitcoin on the news or heard it being discussed by your friends or colleagues. How come the price keeps changing? Is Bitcoin a good investment? How does it even have value? Why do people keep talking about it like it’s going to change the world? The Little Bitcoin Book tells the story of what’s wrong with money today, and why Bitcoin was invented to provide an alternative to the current system. It describes in simple terms what Bitcoin is, how it works, why it’s… Show more

You’ve probably heard about Bitcoin on the news or heard it being discussed by your friends or colleagues. How come the price keeps changing? Is Bitcoin a good investment? How does it even have value? Why do people keep talking about it like it’s going to change the world? The Little Bitcoin Book tells the story of what’s wrong with money today, and why Bitcoin was invented to provide an alternative to the current system. It describes in simple terms what Bitcoin is, how it works, why it’s valuable, and how it affects individual freedom and opportunities of people everywhere - from Nigeria to the Philippines to Venezuela to the United States. This book also includes a Q & A section with some of the most frequently asked questions about Bitcoin. If you want to learn more about this new form of money which continues to gain interest and adoption around the world, then this book is for you. Show less

In this 25-minute segment, I'm interviewed on Portuguese television about upcoming trends in technology and finance as they relate to human rights and decentralization.

My essay on the Lightning Network and its ability to help fight the surveillance state and surveillance capitalism.

In today’s episode, Chad and Alex sit down to discuss how cryptography is being used to help bolster privacy measures throughout the world. They also discuss how HRF is on a mission to help democratize information through cryptography and the ability to discreetly share information and money.

Join Marty as he sits down with Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer of the Human Rights Foundation and the Oslo Freedom Forum, to discuss how Alex ended up at the HRF, how authoritarian regimes use digital panopticons to control their subjects, why Bitcoin is such an important project, and why we can't mess it up.

My CNN op-ed on how Bitcoin could change the game for foreign aid through its global, neutral, peer-to-peer payment network.

In this episode of Off the Chain, Anthony Pompliano interviews me on bitcoin and how it can promote human rights and justice around the world.

My Medium essay on what the mainstream and establishment critics are missing when they attack Bitcoin.

My interview with the Portuguese publication Smart Cities on why the architecture of the cities of the future will play a big part in determining our rights and freedoms.

Our guest in this episode is Alex Gladstein, the Chief Strategy Officer at Human Rights Foundation and VP of Strategy for Oslo Freedom Forum. We attended and spoke at Oslo Freedom Forum last year, and it was one of the best conferences we have ever been to – it was really well produced, with amazing participants who talked about important topics and ideas.

In this interview we discuss why civil liberties make a country better for its people, what the future of governance, internet and… Show more

Our guest in this episode is Alex Gladstein, the Chief Strategy Officer at Human Rights Foundation and VP of Strategy for Oslo Freedom Forum. We attended and spoke at Oslo Freedom Forum last year, and it was one of the best conferences we have ever been to – it was really well produced, with amazing participants who talked about important topics and ideas.

In this interview we discuss why civil liberties make a country better for its people, what the future of governance, internet and money looks like, and why anti-authoritarian technologies like Bitcoin are important for that future. Show less

Interview on Monero talk about the importance of private digital money.

Threats to democracy and human rights must be faced together. As investors we can play a critical role when we allocate our capital. Democracy tech is a form of impact investing that focuses on resisting authoritarianism.

My column in TIME on why bitcoin is a useful financial tool for people who can't trust their rulers or who can't access the banking system.

In this interview, I talk about why Bitcoin matters for Freedom with Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation. We discuss what fundamental human rights are lost under authoritarian regimes, how Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies increase freedom and how Dem Tech (Democracy Tech) could lead to a wave of investment in cryptocurrencies.

This is my interview with Epsilon Theory on technology and freedom. It was conducted by the CEO of Kiva, Neville Crawley. Here's his description of our chat:

"This week I am interviewing Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer of Human Rights Foundation and guest lecturer at Singularity University. I met Alex a couple of years ago when he was moderating an exceptionally interesting and lively Human Rights Foundation (HRF) panel on identity, distributed systems and human rights. Alex’s… Show more

This is my interview with Epsilon Theory on technology and freedom. It was conducted by the CEO of Kiva, Neville Crawley. Here's his description of our chat:

"This week I am interviewing Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer of Human Rights Foundation and guest lecturer at Singularity University. I met Alex a couple of years ago when he was moderating an exceptionally interesting and lively Human Rights Foundation (HRF) panel on identity, distributed systems and human rights. Alex’s work has helped me gain a deeper appreciation for how fundamentally identity and human rights are tied together, and the importance of considering freedom and control of the most vulnerable populations when designing technology infrastructure. Alex is a deep thinker on the intersection of technology, freedom and decentralization and so I am very pleased to welcome him to Epsilon Theory." Show less

Chad sits down with Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation. In this conversation, they discuss the work Alex does at the Human Rights Foundation, the two kinds of technology that are changing society and one man’s story about defecting from North Korea that will leave you in awe.

Alex, as Chief Strategy Officer of HRF, believes that Taiwan is in the position to lead the world in non-authoritarian technology, or more aptly named, freedom technology, in which civil liberties are promoted and individuals—not governments—are empowered.

Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer at the New York-based Human Rights Foundation, which hosts the annual Oslo Freedom Forum, in an interview with ‘Taipei Times’ staff reporter Stacy Hsu said that he plans to build a community of people who care about freedom and civil liberty in Asia using Taiwan as a base.

In this podcast with Noded, I spend an hour talking about bitcoin, human rights, and freedom with Michael Goldstein and Pierre Rochard.

Bitcoin has steadily grown in popularity since its inception in 2009. We hear about how many people are getting rich quick from it, and how much energy it’s consuming, and how complex it is to mine. But what we haven’t heard much about is how Bitcoin can play a role in human rights, and can give people who use it more financial and political freedom. [This is a recap of my keynote talk at SU Global 2018]

In this new podcast, I talk about HRF's work around the world and also the intersection of bitcoin and decentralized blockchain technology and human rights and freedom.

Early in July, The News Lens sat down with Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation (HRF), a nonprofit that advocates for human rights in closed societies, to discuss the potential importance of Bitcoin as a counter to authoritarianism.

A documentary from Udacity about the technology and history behind blockchain. I appear in the first episode -- In Trust We Trust -- to describe the history and politics of bitcoin.

My interview with Ahmed Gatnash on the history of the Oslo Freedom Forum and why the event is a reaction to how the world's agenda is too often set and guided by dictators.

My interview on Fox Business about HRF's Flash Drives for Freedom program and the ongoing talks between the U.S., South Korean, and North Korean governments.

Believe it or not, the UN Sustainable Development Goals are pushing an agenda carefully calibrated to avoid upsetting the world’s dictators, kleptocrats, and human rights offenders.

Think Bitcoin and crypto assets are just vehicles for speculation? They're already having both a positive impact and negative impact when it comes to human rights, says Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer for the Human Rights Foundation. Gladstein talks about how he first became enamored with Bitcoin because of its potential to solve hyperinflation, and why he believes Venezuela is the site of the world's first crypto war. He also covers why repressive governments are excited by centralized… Show more

Think Bitcoin and crypto assets are just vehicles for speculation? They're already having both a positive impact and negative impact when it comes to human rights, says Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer for the Human Rights Foundation. Gladstein talks about how he first became enamored with Bitcoin because of its potential to solve hyperinflation, and why he believes Venezuela is the site of the world's first crypto war. He also covers why repressive governments are excited by centralized cryptocurrencies, why impact investing focused on the UN sustainable goals will not address human rights issues, and why blockchain-based elections, which many believe could be fair and transparent, could instead be terribly corrupt. Show less

Would you trust Assad to accurately report health data? What about Castro for educational statistics? Putin for economic numbers? In reality, the World Bank, UNESCO, World Economic Forum, and other organizations trust socio-economic data on an ongoing basis from these tyrants plus dozens of other dictatorships, and those numbers end up driving billions of dollars of aid, trade, and even the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This BBC Radio 4 segment explores how the technology and tools around us might be re-purposed to make the world a more free place. I am interviewed about how USB drives are being disseminated throughout North Korea under cover of darkness, showing the people a glimpse of the outside world and a spark of hope.

My interview with The Telegraph on HRF's Flash Drives for Freedom program.

My interview with The Atlantic's City Lab project on why the Moscow government's plan to use blockchain for municipal voting is nothing more than a propaganda stunt aimed at whitewashing repression.

Interview on Russian propaganda efforts in The Memo

Interview about HRF’s work on the “Day 6” program of CBC News, aired across Canada and the U.S. by PRI

Interview with NowThis about HRF's work sending outside information into dictatorships.

My interview with The Monocle during the Oslo Freedom Forum in New York

My interview in the New York Post about HRF's Flash Drives for Freedom program.

My interview with Business Insider about Flash Drives for Freedom

A closer look at the Atlantic Council's financial ties with dictatorships in Bahrain, Gabon, Eritrea, and Kazakhstan.

Gabon's president is an outlandishly corrupt autocrat who probably just stole an election. Why is the Atlantic Council toasting him at a black-tie gala?

An interview I did recently with Business Insider about HRF's educational work.

An interview I did on human rights in Asia and on Human Rights Foundation's plans to bring the Freedom Forum conference series to Taipei.

My interview with Newseum at the 2016 SXSW festival on the power of information to open closed societies.

My Australian TV interview with "The World" on HRF's Flash Drives for Freedom campaign.

My Newsday interview on HRF's Flash Drives for Freedom initiative. Learn more at flashdrivesforfreedom.org

Det måtte en kjernefysisk bombe til for hindre at Norges største snowboardstjerne, Terje Håkonsen, havnet på listen over kjendiser som kaster glans over Nord-Koreas diktatur.

In May, a group calling itself Women Cross DMZ carried out a highly publicized “peace march” across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North Korea from South Korea. The thirty women activists called for an end to the Korean War — the two sides of the conflict signed an armistice, but not a peace treaty, in 1953 and remain technically at war — and argued that the crossing was a bold new way to push for peace and unification. Their goal of bringing female perspectives into a… Show more

In May, a group calling itself Women Cross DMZ carried out a highly publicized “peace march” across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North Korea from South Korea. The thirty women activists called for an end to the Korean War — the two sides of the conflict signed an armistice, but not a peace treaty, in 1953 and remain technically at war — and argued that the crossing was a bold new way to push for peace and unification. Their goal of bringing female perspectives into a male-dominated discussion was an admirable one. And yet, the women became, willingly or unwillingly, shills for North Korea’s dictatorship... Show less

Gloria Steinem, two Nobel Laureates, and 26 other women will be making a big mistake if they march across the DMZ with Christine Ahn.

The singer claimed ignorance, then got defensive, about her performance for an African dictator--and is scheduled to sing for another dictator later this month.

Despite all of the widely-available evidence, President Kagame did not have to face a single question at Tufts' April 22 event about human rights, attacks on dissidents, massacres or his support for armed groups. To the great disgrace of Tufts alumni, parents, donors and current students, the administration chose to genuflect before a man who should have been taken to task.

The hazards of human-rights work in the continent's last absolute monarchy

The story of Cameroon's late 'Guitar Man,' who spent his life fighting to take down a brutal autocrat.

With the dust beginning to settle on yesterday’s death of Meles Zenawi—ruler of Ethiopia since 1991—Western leaders have been quick to lavish praise on his legacy. A darling of the national security and international development industries, Zenawi was applauded for cooperating with the U.S. government on counter-terrorism and for spurring economic growth in Ethiopia—an impoverished, land-locked African nation of 85 million people. In truth, democratic leaders who praise Zenawi do a huge… Show more

With the dust beginning to settle on yesterday’s death of Meles Zenawi—ruler of Ethiopia since 1991—Western leaders have been quick to lavish praise on his legacy. A darling of the national security and international development industries, Zenawi was applauded for cooperating with the U.S. government on counter-terrorism and for spurring economic growth in Ethiopia—an impoverished, land-locked African nation of 85 million people. In truth, democratic leaders who praise Zenawi do a huge injustice to the struggle for human rights and individual dignity in Ethiopia. Show less

Beginning next week on August 20 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea the world's longest-ruling non-royal—Teodoro Obiang Nguema—will host a "human rights" summit. It is being organized by a US-based charity, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, which is headed by Hope Sullivan Masters and includes president Bill Clinton as co-chairman of the board and former UN Ambassador Andrew Young as its other co-chairman. The effort is part of Obiang's systematic effort to whitewash his repressive regime and sweep 33… Show more

Beginning next week on August 20 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea the world's longest-ruling non-royal—Teodoro Obiang Nguema—will host a "human rights" summit. It is being organized by a US-based charity, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, which is headed by Hope Sullivan Masters and includes president Bill Clinton as co-chairman of the board and former UN Ambassador Andrew Young as its other co-chairman. The effort is part of Obiang's systematic effort to whitewash his repressive regime and sweep 33 years of dictatorship and 44 years of human rights violations, under the rug as his government continues to amass oil wealth. Show less

The Ma administration might turn its back on human rights because of narrow realpolitik, but it shouldn't discourage or prevent Taiwanese civil society from promoting these values by interacting with global activists such as Ms. Kadeer. It's thanks to human rights, after all, that Taiwan is as free, as open, and as prosperous as it is.

The farcical trial of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim resumes this week in Kuala Lumpur. This is the second time that the country's ruling establishment has tried to destroy Anwar's career with trumped-up allegations of sodomy. It succeeded 12 years ago, when he was imprisoned for six years on similar charges. Now Anwar faces up to 20 years in jail and whipping if convicted.