Freedom of speech fans around the world celebrated the release of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, from UK prison after five years in captivity. During his more than decade-long struggle against persecution from various governments, Assange often relied on crypto to raise global funds for his freedom. đ
In a 2014 clip shared by Michael Saylor, Assange called Bitcoin "the most exciting intellectual development on the internet" since the network's inception in 2009. According to him, Bitcoin is a cryptographically backed and multi-jurisdictional currency, meaning it is difficult for one group to power to turn it into a rent-seeking tool.
In the years following this speech, countries like El Salvador and companies like Strike began leveraging Bitcoin as a tool to send and receive cheap and instant global remittances. Additionally, Bitcoin and crypto have become key tools for easily funding global humanitarian movements.
However, according to Assange, this is not one of Bitcoin's main benefits. One of the network's best qualities, he said, is its ability to "defend itself or the people using it even against the full might of a superpower."
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