Bitcoin “Is Failing as an Digital Money System”: Edward Snowden

The American whistleblower has expressed his considerations concerning the financialization of the crypto area, however added that he sees large promise within the expertise. 

Edward Snowden Talks Bitcoin

Edward Snowden says he believes within the crypto motion, however he thinks there are some main hurdles to handle over the approaching years. 

Talking in a digital interview at Consensus 2022 in Austin in the present day, the American whistleblower and President of the Freedom of the Press Basis shared his ideas on the promise of the rising expertise and issued a transparent warning concerning the risks of a world devoid of monetary privateness with respect to crypto. 

Snowden, who made worldwide headlines when he leaked categorised Nationwide Safety Company paperwork detailing surveillance practices of U.S. residents in 2013, described Bitcoin’s public nature as a “core flaw” and mentioned that the most important motive for why it might fail is as a result of it isn’t personal. “It’s failing as an digital money system as a result of money is basically meant to be nameless,” he mentioned, referencing the Bitcoin whitepaper (Satoshi Nakamoto famously touted Bitcoin as “a peer-to-peer digital money system.”)

Although he mentioned he noticed points with Bitcoin’s public ledger, Snowden clarified that he was “very a lot a fan” of the expertise and made a comparability between gold and cryptocurrencies, noting that the borderless nature of Bitcoin and crypto extra broadly is “an astonishing factor.” Shortly after the dialogue, Snowden posted a tweet describing gold as “Bitcoin that may’t be despatched over the Web.”

Gold is simply bitcoin that may’t be despatched over the web.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) June 11, 2022

He additionally namechecked a number of different improvements within the cryptocurrency area, together with the privateness cash Zcash and Monero. Snowden just lately revealed that he helped create Zcash beneath the pseudonym John Dobbertin, and throughout the dialogue he mentioned that he was “actually impressed” by its zero-knowledge proof expertise when he first learn the whitepaper. 

Crypto as Cash 

Elaborating on his views of the promise of crypto expertise, Snowden added that many crypto property are “nearer to cash” than currencies. “Folks don’t perceive the distinction however cash is a factor that holds worth, a token that may be exchanged that’s not independently managed by any central authority,” he mentioned. 

He additionally warned of the risks of the financialization of the crypto trade. He mentioned that the area was turning into more and more divided “due to the financialization of cryptocurrency” and hinted that he thinks customers are usually not focusing sufficient on the expertise itself. 

“[Users are] not considering primarily about what are the networks which are going to serve us for 100 years for transferring worth,” he mentioned. “I’m fearful a couple of world through which our cash is used in opposition to us.” 

Snowden mentioned that he hopes to see folks get entry to “free cash within the independence sense.” In what could possibly be interpreted as an endorsement of the broader crypto ecosystem moderately than anybody particular asset, he steered that having a number of property that might act as cash was a superb factor for the world. “I believe the extra competitors now we have there, then all the higher,” he mentioned.

Disclosure: On the time of writing, the writer of this piece owned ETH and a number of other different cryptocurrencies.