Everyday the world is becoming more connected, but there are consequences to this at every level of society, and its been made perfectly clear, that the powers that be will not relinquish control of the narrative without a fight. Today we are diving into the HRF’s Financial Freedom Report #77, exploring crackdowns on speech from El Salvador to Saudi Arabia, digital repression in Cuba and Iran, and the pivotal role that decentralized technologies like Bitcoin, Nostr, Pubky, the Pear stack, and others can play in the fight for liberty, in a world where you can be executed for what you posted on Twitter. For many people, the problem is far more real than just having an account suspended or losing followers. So let’s take a look…
Check out the original article in HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #77 (Link: https://hrf.org/latest/hrfs-weekly-financial-freedom-report-77/)
Mentioned Links and Resources:

The Signal & HRF Joint Publication – Out of Control (Link: https://hrf.org/latest/introducing-out-of-control/)
Why is Bitcoin Mining Even a Thing? (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngp5tNxX22k)

Referenced Links and Resources

Brunswick on Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/yud4ckkz)
Chroma Nightshade: Blue & Green Light Blocking Glasses (Link: https://tinyurl.com/m22svvh)
“Why is Bitcoin Mining Even a Thing?” – Rumble (Link: https://tinyurl.com/ymj882p8) YouTube (Link: https://tinyurl.com/5n7b3tmw)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

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)
OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Bringing together the world’s most engaging human rights advocates, journalists, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders, we aim to share their stories and brainstorm ways to expand freedom and unleash human potential across the globe. Don’t miss this year’s Oslo Freedom Forum in May. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/event/oslo-freedom-forum-2025/)
Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don’t forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental heal…

Today we dive into a piece by Brunswick that makes it crystal clear why characteristics even claimed to be major defects or Bitcoin’s design – from its “ossification” to its limited throughput – aren’t defects as often claimed, but deliberate and essential characteristics for building the world’s monetary foundation. Can a protocol that prioritizes integrity over speed truly solve the fundamental problems of global finance that have plagued nations for centuries? And why do so many engineers miss the crucial difference between building applications and building the base layer that everything else depends on?
Check out the original article: Bitcoin for Engineers: Why Bitcoin’s Design Solves Real Problems, Not Just Theoretical Ones (Link: https://tinyurl.com/mrbzjums)
Referenced Links and Resources

Brunswick on Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/yud4ckkz)
Chroma Nightshade: Blue & Green Light Blocking Glasses (Link: https://tinyurl.com/m22svvh)
“Why is Bitcoin Mining Even a Thing?” – Rumble (Link: https://tinyurl.com/ymj882p8) YouTube (Link: https://tinyurl.com/5n7b3tmw)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

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)
OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Bringing together the world’s most engaging human rights advocates, journalists, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders, we aim to share their stories and brainstorm ways to expand freedom and unleash human potential across the globe. Don’t miss this year’s Oslo Freedom Forum in May. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/event/oslo-freedom-forum-2025/)
Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. (Link: https://pubky.org)
Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Get 10% off your order with the code BITCOINAUDIBLE. (Link: https://getchroma.co/?ref=BitcoinAudible)

Guest Links

Steve Simple Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3s6a8yn8)
Steve Simple on X (Link: https://x.com/stevesimple)
Bitcoin Mechanic Nostr (Link: https://t…

The future of banking and payments will be run on old laptops and built by rebels. But really. As inspiration from Callebtc’s announcement of successful multinut payments, Marty gives a short but interesting rip on where ecash is headed, and we get the audio today in my lovely voice followed by an unnecessarily long rant about network lock in and how to prevent it, what the “one step back” period of our evolution might look like, and why pessimists are dumb. Lets go.
Check out the original article: Pay Attention: The Cypherpunk Banking Stack Is Coming (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3wkchtk2)
 
References from the episode:

Multi-nut payments tweet by @CalleBTC (Link: https://tinyurl.com/2pbxmazj)
Ten31 (Link: https://ten31.vc/)

Bitcoin Audible & Guy Swann Links

⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann)
Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)
The Guy Swann Network Broadcast Room on Keet (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3na6v839)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

HRF: Subscribe for free to HRF’s Financial Freedom Report to stay updated on our latest work advancing freedom tech and defending human rights around the world. (Link: https://hrf.org/financial-freedom-reports/)

OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Bringing together the world’s most engaging human rights advocates, journalists, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders, we aim to share their stories and brainstorm ways to expand freedom and unleash human potential across the globe. Don’t miss next year’s Oslo Freedom Forum in June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)

Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. (Link: https://pubky.org/)

Trying to BUY BITCOIN?

River: Secure, trusted, bitcoin only, lightning enabled, simple. (Link: https://bitcoinaudible.com/river)

Bitcoin Games!

Get 10% off the best Bitcoin board game in the world, HODLUP! Or any of the other great games from the Free Market Kids! Use code GUY10 at checkout for 10% off your cart! (Link: https://www.freemarketkids.com/collections/games-1)

Bitcoin Custodial Multisig

Want to get into Bitcoin but not ready for self custody? Use custodial multisig for the best way to distribute trust ac…

“As will become clear as the argument progresses, I actually think the outcome to which I am building up is where things have to go. I think the technical and economic incentives at play make this an inevitability rather than a “choice””~ Allen Farrington
What if the stablecoin boom isn’t a threat to Bitcoin, but a stepping stone? In this episode, I dive into Allen Farrington’s “A Half Baked Thesis on Stablecoins” and follow it with a massive guy’s take unpacking the implications. Are stablecoins a betrayal of Bitcoin principles, or are they the Trojan horse for Bitcoin-native infrastructure? What happens when fiat settles over Lightning? And how could ecash and Taproot Assets reshape everything we thought we knew about digital money? There’s a quiet revolution happening at the payments layer—and the stablecoin debate might just be the signal buried in the noise.
Check out the original article: A Half-Baked Thesis on Stablecoins (Link: https://tinyurl.com/y442kkkc)
 
References from the episode:

Layered Money by Nik Bhatia (Link: https://tinyurl.com/yndssenp)
Check Your Financial Privilege by Alex Gladstein (Link: https://tinyurl.com/4s3n595a)
Only the Strong Survive by Allen Farrington (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3au8zmtr)
One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization by Dee Hock (Link: https://tinyurl.com/348ykwh9)
Electronic Value Exchange: Origins of the VISA Electronic Payment System (History of Computing) by David Stearns (Link: https://tinyurl.com/2e69874x)

Bitcoin Audible & Guy Swann Links

⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann)
Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)
The Guy Swann Network Broadcast Room on Keet (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3na6v839)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

HRF: Subscribe for free to HRF’s Financial Freedom Report to stay updated on our latest work advancing freedom tech and defending human rights around the world. (Link: https://hrf.org/financial-freedom-reports/)

OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Bringing together the world’s most engaging human rights advocates, journalists, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders, we aim to share their stories and brainstorm ways to expand freedom and unleash human potential across the globe. Don’t miss next year’s Oslo Freedom Forum in June. (Link: <…

Apologies listeners,The wrong accidentally uploaded the wrong audio in the last episode post. That episode has now been taken down, and this is now “THE REAL” Chat_135!Sorry to keep you guys hanging on this one, which is a truly fantastic episode.Enjoy!***”I think there’s a very clear distinction between inflation and hyperinflation.One is a rational response to an increase in the money supply. Right? So if the money supply is increasing by 10%, you increase the price of your assets by 10%. That’s inflation.Now, hyperinflation is emotional. Hyperinflation is a forced liquidation of your assets and your currency. And you’re doing a market sell order not knowing what the price of sale is. You just want out. You will take anything.”~ Mauricio Di Bartolomeo
Mauricio Di Bartolomeo’s story starts with the collapse of Venezuela, but it’s not one of defeat — it’s about resilience, conviction, and building tools for sovereignty. In this conversation, we talk about why Ledn is returning to its Bitcoin-only roots, why the crypto lending space is headed for trouble, and what it actually takes to survive a bear market.
Mauricio shares how mining Bitcoin helped his family escape hyperinflation, why capital controls are more familiar to most of the world than freedom, and what makes a good lender when the tide goes out. We also dig into why removing features can be a sign of strength, not weakness — and how building slowly, honestly, and with proof of reserves can sometimes be the real edge.
Bitcoin Audible & Guy Swann Links

⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann)
Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)
The Guy Swann Network Broadcast Room on Keet (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3na6v839)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

HRF: Subscribe for free to HRF’s Financial Freedom Report to stay updated on our latest work advancing freedom tech and defending human rights around the world. (Link: https://hrf.org/financial-freedom-reports/)

OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Bringing together the world’s most engaging human rights advocates, journalists, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders, we aim to share their stories and brainstorm ways to expand freedom and unleash human potential across the globe. Don’t miss next year’s Oslo Freedom Forum in June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)

Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. (Link: https://pubky.org/)

Trying to BUY BITCOIN?

River…

“I think there’s a very clear distinction between inflation and hyperinflation.One is a rational response to an increase in the money supply. Right? So if the money supply is increasing by 10%, you increase the price of your assets by 10%. That’s inflation.Now, hyperinflation is emotional. Hyperinflation is a forced liquidation of your assets and your currency. And you’re doing a market sell order not knowing what the price of sale is. You just want out. You will take anything.”~ Mauricio Di Bartolomeo
Mauricio Di Bartolomeo’s story starts with the collapse of Venezuela, but it’s not one of defeat — it’s about resilience, conviction, and building tools for sovereignty. In this conversation, we talk about why Ledn is returning to its Bitcoin-only roots, why the crypto lending space is headed for trouble, and what it actually takes to survive a bear market.
Mauricio shares how mining Bitcoin helped his family escape hyperinflation, why capital controls are more familiar to most of the world than freedom, and what makes a good lender when the tide goes out. We also dig into why removing features can be a sign of strength, not weakness — and how building slowly, honestly, and with proof of reserves can sometimes be the real edge.
Bitcoin Audible & Guy Swann Links

⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann)
Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)
The Guy Swann Network Broadcast Room on Keet (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3na6v839)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

HRF: Subscribe for free to HRF’s Financial Freedom Report to stay updated on our latest work advancing freedom tech and defending human rights around the world. (Link: https://hrf.org/financial-freedom-reports/)

OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Bringing together the world’s most engaging human rights advocates, journalists, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders, we aim to share their stories and brainstorm ways to expand freedom and unleash human potential across the globe. Don’t miss next year’s Oslo Freedom Forum in June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)

Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. (Link: https://pubky.org/)

Trying to BUY BITCOIN?

River: Secure, trusted, bitcoin only, lightning enabled, simple. (Link: https://bitcoinaudible.com/river)

Bitcoin Games!

Get 10% off the best Bitcoin board game in the world, HODLUP! Or any of the other great games from

What if everything you think you own in the financial system—your stocks, your retirement, your savings—could be taken away in an instant, not because of your own mistakes, but because the institutions holding them are “too important” to fail? Today we finally unpack the horrifying reality behind asset ownership in today’s fiat-driven world, laid out in the shocking work from David Rogers Webb, The Great Taking. Are we living through the final act of centralization, where the only real escape is opting out entirely? 
You already own nothing, are you happy? It’s time for a Guy’s Take episode.
 
Mentioned Links & Resources:

The Great Taking P1: (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/jdtLvkhU4WnkOP4zQMA4)
The Great Taking P2: (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/oRAgQIOhb2zCCZVwsYpS)
The Great Taking P3: (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/0OXwF9eimcw8UAx1Nz2g)
The Great Taking P4: (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/CZUyoWaoWL1Kqr64Y4ER)
“The Unsettling of America” by Wendell Berry (Link: https://tinyurl.com/yr53duba)
Read_862 – Full Steam Ahead: All Aboard Fiscal Dominance (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/quWlCWkDZ8JAC9Bx1cJi)
Chat_135 – Do One Thing and Do it Right with Mauricio Di Bartolomeo (Next episode, coming soon!)

Bitcoin Audible & Guy Swann Links

⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann)
Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)
The Guy Swann Network Broadcast Room on Keet (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3na6v839)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

HRF: Subscribe for free to HRF’s Financial Freedom Report to stay updated on our latest work advancing freedom tech and defending human rights around the world. (Link: https://hrf.org/financial-freedom-reports/)

OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Bringing together the world’s most engaging human rights advocates, journalists, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders, we aim to share their stories and brainstorm ways to expand freedom and unleash human potential across the globe. Don’t miss next year’s Oslo Freedom Forum in June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)

Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. (Link: https://pubky.org/)

“In Hunan, an elderly woman in a wheelchair died outside a bank after being forced to appear in person to withdraw her own money for medical care. Too weak to pass mandatory facial recognition scans, she collapsed after repeated failed attempts.”~ FFR #75
Technology is moving at an incredible pace, but the question is which direction is it moving? I increasingly believe we are on two divergent paths at the same time and headed for a collision course between two very incompatible worlds. Today we dive into Financial Freedom Report #75, with news from China’s monetary expansion, new potentially authoritarian measures from Bukele, demonstrations of technological oppression, and powerful new tools for technological freedom. We are in a race, and there still remains a critical question for which path wins in the end. Find out in today’s episode with a long guy’s take to follow.
Check out the original article: HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #75 (Link: https://hrf.org/latest/hrfs-weekly-financial-freedom-report-67/)
Playlist of OFF videos to watch (Link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLySuULQGe1XZOtxRDAsdze2K7ZcQ6DLo3)
Bitcoin Audible & Guy Swann Links

⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann)
Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)
The Guy Swann Network Broadcast Room on Keet (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3na6v839)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

HRF: Subscribe for free to HRF’s Financial Freedom Report to stay updated on our latest work advancing freedom tech and defending human rights around the world. (Link: https://hrf.org/financial-freedom-reports/)

OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Bringing together the world’s most engaging human rights advocates, journalists, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders, we aim to share their stories and brainstorm ways to expand freedom and unleash human potential across the globe. Don’t miss next year’s Oslo Freedom Forum in June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)

Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. (Link: https://pubky.org/)

Trying to BUY BITCOIN?

River: Secure, trusted, bitcoin only, lightning enabled, simple. (Link: https://bitcoinaudible.com/river)

Bitcoin Games!

Get 10% off the best Bitcoin board game in the world, HODLUP! Or any of the oth…

Catch up with me and the crew on this re-release episode from “Meme Factory™.” Greg, Sean, Yellow, and Rusty bring their unique vibes to the table, making this chat as fun as it is insightful. We explore Bitcoin’s role in today’s financial landscape and how perceptions of it have shifted over time. It’s a laid-back conversation that’s all about sharing good insights and a few laughs.
Big thanks to the “Meme Factory™” crew for letting me drop this one on Bitcoin Audible. Here is the original episode on the Meme Factory™ Youtube channel.
Bitcoin Audible & Guy Swann Links

⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann)
Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)
The Guy Swann Network Broadcast Room on Keet (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3na6v839)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

HRF: Subscribe for free to HRF’s Financial Freedom Report to stay updated on our latest work advancing freedom tech and defending human rights around the world. (Link: https://hrf.org/financial-freedom-reports/)

OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference series hosted and produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF). Bringing together the world’s most engaging human rights advocates, journalists, artists, tech entrepreneurs, and world leaders, we aim to share their stories and brainstorm ways to expand freedom and unleash human potential across the globe. Don’t miss next year’s Oslo Freedom Forum in June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)

Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. (Link: https://pubky.org/)

Trying to BUY BITCOIN?

River: Secure, trusted, bitcoin only, lightning enabled, simple. (Link: https://bitcoinaudible.com/river)

Bitcoin Games!

Get 10% off the best Bitcoin board game in the world, HODLUP! Or any of the other great games from the Free Market Kids! Use code GUY10 at checkout for 10% off your cart! (Link: https://www.freemarketkids.com/collections/games-1)

Bitcoin Custodial Multisig

Want to get into Bitcoin but not ready for self custody? Use custodial multisig for the best way to distribute trust across multiple institutions and even jurisdictions! Check out OnRamp. (Link: BitcoinAudible.com/onramp)

Education & HomeSchooling

Get the lesson in real economics that you never got in school, and teach your kids the truth, not the statist insanity that is Keynesianism…