"If you are not paying for it, you are the product. And if it is a political system, the product that they are buying is control over you."

What if a "free" digital currency from the government sounds like a sweet deal - but hides total surveillance and control? Dive into the UAE's CBDC rollout, parallels to sneaky inflation tactics, and real stories of financial repression from Iran, all while exploring how Bitcoin and open-source tools let us fight back. Will we fall for the trap, or build our own freedom?

References from the episode

• Read HRF’s latest Financial Freedom Report #104 (Link: https://hrf.org/latest/hrfs-weekly-financial-freedom-report-104/)
• Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today for more on financial liberties repression. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter/)
• Dive into Alex Gladstein's book Check Your Financial Privilege, or its (my) audiobook version if you prefer listening. (Link: https://archive.hrf.org/hrfs-alex-gladstein-publishes-new-book/)
• Listen to my Chat with Roy Sheinfeld about Breez, Spark and state chains, a game-changer for Bitcoin tools. (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/EpG58Rgz9cWjjLckHhD6)
• Catch the year-end special with Matt Hill, Francis Pouilot, and BTC Sessions for more on vibe coding and building in Bitcoin. (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4vBET46jRs)

Check out the original report Weekly Financial Freedom Report #104 by HRF. (Link: https://hrf.org/latest/hrfs-weekly-financial-freedom-report-104/)

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 is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next 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. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: C...

"Bitcoin needs to be exciting because it provides a utility that no other technology provides. The value transfer technology needs to be embedded in every application in the world. Period. That's super exciting."

~ Roy Sheinfeld

It has been nearly three years since Roy was on the show, and the landscape of Bitcoin scaling has completely transformed.

We dive deep into the evolution of Lightning - not just as a network of nodes, but as a "common language" that ties together entirely new sub-networks. I honestly had my mind blown when Roy explained that Spark is actually based on state chains, and how this architecture finally solves the massive headache of receiving payments offline without the usual custodial trade-offs. We also get into the reality of vibe coding with AI and the necessity of stablecoins as a transition layer to hyperbitcoinization.

Is the era of orange pilling effectively over? Are we finally entering the phase where we stop talking about utility and start manifesting it through seamless apps? This conversation is packed with technical revelations that made me rethink exactly how we win.

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• 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 is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next 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. 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 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

• Roy on X (Link: https://twitter.com/roy_breez)
• Roy on Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/m8x9whee)
• Roy on Medium (Link: https://medium.com/@kingonly)
• Breez Website (Link: https://breez.technology/)

Host Links

• ⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc9...

"My problem with the core side has been what we talked about with the people that are technical and don't have the empathy or understand what it was like before you were [technical]. The core people are so dismissive and the hubris is so high that they dismiss these people that are not technical but understand Bitcoin as money right.

"I always say, like my Twitter phrase, Bitcoin is not open source software. Obviously that doesn't mean it's not open source, it's just so much more than that. It's not just a piece of software, it is money."

~ Praveen Perera

Managing private keys remains one of the steepest learning curves for new Bitcoiners. How do we get people off exchanges and into self-custody without the terrifying risk of user error?

I sit down with Praveen Perera, the builder behind Cove Wallet, to talk about his unique approach to simplified backups using Passkeys and encrypted cloud storage. We discuss the philosophy of building focused, single-purpose tools versus the 'super app' trend, and dig into the technical trade-offs of his architecture.

We also wander into the implications of 'vibe coding' with AI, the contentious debates around network spam, and why maintaining a diverse ecosystem of wallet implementations might be crucial for Bitcoin's resilience.

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• 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 is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next 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. 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 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

• Praveen on X (Link: https://x.com/PraveenPerera)
• Cove Wallet on X (Link: https://x.com/covewallet)
• Cove Wallet Website (Link: https://covebitcoinwallet.com/)
• Cove Wallet on Github (Link: https://github.com/bit...