Edward Snowden to Speak at Bitcoin Amsterdam Conference

The NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden, will speak at the Bitcoin Amsterdam Conference. The conference will be held between October 12 and 13, 2023 in Westergas, Amsterdam. The crypto community is thrilled with the announcement. In a 45-minute appearance, Snowden will shed some light on the intersection of digital currency, the future of financial freedom, and privacy. 

Edward Snowden, Cryptocurrency & Free Speech

The Conference will witness industry leaders, experts, and enthusiasts sharing views on the future of Bitcoin, decentralized finance (DeFi), and financial freedom. 

The head of Events for BTC Inc., Brandon Green, praising Ed Snowden, recalled the 2013 NSA Leak incident. Back in 2013, cyber security expert Edward Snowden in a series of events, claimed that the United States government was conducting warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens, asserting it was a violation of fundamental rights. Snowden supplied incriminating information, which he gathered while working as a NSA contractor,to media agencies. The US government denied Snowden’s claims. 

Ten years after the incident rocked the world, Ed Snowden will speak with the crypto community at Bitcoin Amsterdam Conference.. He will discuss Bitcoin’s role in achieving individual privacy globally.

The NSA Leaks: The Incident that Shook the World

The National Security Agency (NSA), anintelligence agency of the United States Department of Defence, was accused of snooping on citizens in pervasive ways. The agency allegedly searched citizens’ laptops, phones, and other devices to gather intel. As a whistleblower, Ed Snowden exposed the game and lost his citizenship in return. While he is a whistleblower by virtue of exposing the government’s unethical activities, the US government deemed him a traitor. Fearing for his safety, he left the US. 

Snowden is charged with espionage. If proven guilty, he can face 30 years behind bars. After the exposing, The Guardian wrote, “Snowden will go down in history as one of America’s most consequential whistleblowers.” 

Last year, the whistleblower received a Russian citizenship. Reports say he is writing about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which will be published eventually. 

Snowden: Use Crypto Instead of Investing

Everyone has different views regarding the utility of cryptocurrency; some think of it as an investment opportunity, while others use it as an alternative to traditional finance. Ed Snowden sees cryptocurrency as more of a utility than an investment avenue. He agreed to have used Bitcoin to pay for the servers pseudonymously. In March 2020, he showed interest in investing in BTC.

In early June, this year, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) waged war on the crypto industry. The SEC sued Coinbase and the world’s biggest crypto exchange and listed numerous altcoins as securities. Amid the lawsuits and the following developments, Snowden was vocal on his opinions on the regulatory environment and its impact on the industry, especially on Bitcoin.

Snowden feels that a better use case for cryptocurrency is to use it rather than looking at it as a tool for investment. He feels crypto is more than an investment option because of the benefits of privacy, anonymity, security, and speed provided by cryptocurrency. Most importantly, crypto facilitates permissionless architecture where users do not require a central authority to ensure smooth functioning of the system, thereby enjoying financial freedom. 

Steve Anderson is an Australian crypto enthusiast. He is a specialist in management and trading for over 5 years. Steve has worked as a crypto trader, he loves learning about decentralisation, understanding the true potential of the blockchain.

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