Bukele simply rode the wave of the moment—he saw it was good business—and ultimately, he is a power-hungry politician just like the rest, with good marketing for an international audience; now he intends to stay in power indefinitely—he has already changed the constitution to make that happen—which is typical of dictators.
PS: No one denies the good work done against gangs and violence.
I was thinking about them. I understood giving Bukule a little bit of the benefit of the doubt early on, but that time is long past. Bitcoin tourists should stop keeping El Zonte afloat and boycott the country.
I think that makes sense. Amazing the allowances people will give to these leaders for preaching their gospel.
For the first time this year I met a Salvadoran expat. They explained the situation about arbitrary arrests to me. They also asked me where to go to wire money home. I said, well why not send bitcoin, to which they responded that their mother had no use for it. I was somewhat surprised on both accounts.
(Gemini Summary for those interested if worth watching)
In this report from the Oslo Freedom Forum, journalist Joe Nakamoto examines the human rights and privacy concerns surrounding El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin under the administration of President Nayib Bukele. While Bukele has gained international fame for making El Salvador the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender and for his dramatic reduction in gang violence, Nakamoto argues that this comes at a significant cost to civil liberties.
Key themes discussed include:
The State of Exception (0:27 - 0:41): Since March 2022, El Salvador has operated under a "state of exception," which suspends Article 24 of the constitution. This gives the state broad powers to monitor digital communications and conduct surveillance without warrants, which Nakamoto contrasts with the core Bitcoin ethos of individual sovereignty and privacy (2:08 - 2:43).
The Chivo Wallet & Biometric Data (4:52 - 7:06): The state-sponsored Chivo wallet required users to submit biometric data (facial scans). Nakamoto highlights a major security failure in 2024 where the personal and biometric data of approximately 80% of the population was leaked on the dark web. He also points to reports of the Chivo wallet censoring transactions linked to privacy-focused tools like Wasabi (5:43 - 6:10).
Target Audience of "Bitcoin Country" (7:22 - 9:55):Nakamoto observes that the government’s Bitcoin marketing is overwhelmingly directed at foreigners (in English) rather than the local population (in Spanish). He suggests the project is a sophisticated branding exercise aimed at international capital rather than a bottom-up grassroots economic movement.
The "Dictator" Debate (16:35 - 17:41): Despite Bukele's high approval ratings, Nakamoto concludes that his governance exhibits the hallmarks of a dictatorship: suspended constitutional protections, the elimination of term limits, the use of spyware against journalists, and the mass incarceration of thousands without trial. He emphasizes that "popularity is not legitimacy" and calls on the Bitcoin community to stop ignoring these human rights issues simply because a leader adopts Bitcoin.
Joe Nakamoto highlights a strategy that can be summarized as: "If you can't fight them, join them in deception." While institutions and corporations may claim to adopt Bitcoin, Bitcoin it was created to empower individuals—not to reinforce existing corrupt power structures. but giving ordinary people the ability to opt out and take control of their own money.
...and those two retarded blind propagandist of max and stacy
who could be surprised about a politician actions? those retards that believe him.
Bukele simply rode the wave of the moment—he saw it was good business—and ultimately, he is a power-hungry politician just like the rest, with good marketing for an international audience; now he intends to stay in power indefinitely—he has already changed the constitution to make that happen—which is typical of dictators.
PS: No one denies the good work done against gangs and violence.
Good on Joe for covering this. Max and Stacey might be not a bit miffed about this.
I was thinking about them. I understood giving Bukule a little bit of the benefit of the doubt early on, but that time is long past. Bitcoin tourists should stop keeping El Zonte afloat and boycott the country.
I think that makes sense. Amazing the allowances people will give to these leaders for preaching their gospel.
For the first time this year I met a Salvadoran expat. They explained the situation about arbitrary arrests to me. They also asked me where to go to wire money home. I said, well why not send bitcoin, to which they responded that their mother had no use for it. I was somewhat surprised on both accounts.
This video won't load for me.
I tried a private youtube front end. Here's the straight link:
Cool thanks. Working now.
(Gemini Summary for those interested if worth watching)
In this report from the Oslo Freedom Forum, journalist Joe Nakamoto examines the human rights and privacy concerns surrounding El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin under the administration of President Nayib Bukele. While Bukele has gained international fame for making El Salvador the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender and for his dramatic reduction in gang violence, Nakamoto argues that this comes at a significant cost to civil liberties.
Key themes discussed include:
🔗 Privacy-friendly: https://yt.chocolatemoo53.com/watch?v=ebwdRjXWVKs
Joe Nakamoto highlights a strategy that can be summarized as: "If you can't fight them, join them in deception." While institutions and corporations may claim to adopt Bitcoin, Bitcoin it was created to empower individuals—not to reinforce existing corrupt power structures. but giving ordinary people the ability to opt out and take control of their own money.