“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.

Topics Mentioned

• The Human Rights Foundation’s Financial Freedom Report #99, “Criminal Self Custody” – the piece I read in this episode and build the whole rant around.
• HRF’s Financial Freedom Report #100 – the follow‑up issue I mention that continues tracking these global crackdowns.
• Alex Gladstein’s essay “Why Bitcoin Is Freedom Money” – an earlier read I’ve done that pairs perfectly with this topic.
• HRF’s Bitcoin for Nonprofits webinar (3‑day training) – the event I reference for activists and NGOs learning to use Bitcoin under repression.
• BTC Sessions’ 15‑minute Sparrow Wallet crash course – the quick-start guide I talk about for solid, practical self‑custody.
• The Bitcoin Plus Plus – Standing Sovereign edition in Taipei – the developer conference I mention that’s focused on peer‑to‑peer, self‑custody, and sovereignty tools.
• The Nut November – Cashew e‑cash hackathon – the month‑long builder event on privacy‑preserving e‑cash I call out.
• The Cashew e‑cash protocol itself – the system I reference as a way to get stronger payment privacy than typical on‑chain or Lightning.
• My upcoming read of Alan Farrington’s follow‑up to “Only the Strong Survive” about Arcade – the piece I say I want to tackle to understand this new execution layer.
• My chat with Matt Alborg from PPQ – the conversation I mention where we get into AI tools I’m using around the show.

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

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• 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)
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