In this talk, Andreas examines the morality of technology and the politics of fear, including former President Barack Obama’s infamous statement that broad adoption of strong encryption would be like having „a Swiss bank account your pocket.“ He argues that the same fear mongering is being used to target journalists and whistleblowers who use these same tools to expose war crimes.
CORRECTION: At 3:18, I quote former President Obama’s keynote at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. While the quote was interpreted to have an impact on Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, he was not specifically talking about cryptocurrencies. Instead, the statement was made in the context of the Apple vs. FBI legal battle, and whether consumer devices like the iPhone should have strong encryption that the government can’t crack.