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Belarus media are testing NewNode, a decentralized tech helping resist the government censorship.
Using free and open-source software, the Open Observatory of Network Interference has built a “decentralized, citizen-led, internet censorship observatory.”
It seems like protests are happening all over the world as of late including in the country of Belarus. The nation has been suffering from political unrest ever since its recent presidential election, and some are turning to bitcoin to ensure they have what they need as they continue the protest agenda. Belarus Is the Center of Protests… And Bitcoin Love Things began on a relatively small scale. The protests began on August 8, when a city hall employee named Maria in Pinsk went to a polling station to cast her vote in the election. She wore a white hairband…
A major crypto company is offering outs to its employees as the situation in Belarus grows more tense. Amid the ongoing political unrest in Belarus, some local cryptocurrency-related companies are reportedly setting up backup offices in neighboring countries. Currency.com, a Minsk-headquartered crypto trading company, is reportedly planning to open an office in Lithuania to provide a safe place for its employees. According to a Sept. 8 report by local news agency TUT.BY, Currency.com is offering its Belarus-based employees to “take a sabbatical” in Vilnius amid the current election-fueled unrest. Currency. com CEO Jonathan Squires reportedly said that the company will…
A non-profit by tech entrepreneurs in Belarus is using Bitcoin to help dissidents get around repression and financial monitoring.
Will the political turmoil in Belarus put an end to the development of digital technologies and the financial freedom of its citizens? A political crisis, mass detention of peaceful citizens and internet blocking in Belarus are hitting the country’s IT sector hard. Amid this social turmoil, some companies are moving their offices and servers abroad, others are using VPN services, while some are advising their customers to buy cryptocurrencies. What is happening in Belarus, a country that just a couple of years ago was considered to be a favorable jurisdiction for IT and cryptocurrency projects? And how is digital technology…
The app has helped Belorussians stay in touch during a communications blackout. Major encrypted messaging app provider Telegram has expressed support for the mass protests in Belarus against sitting President Alexander Lukashenko. On Aug. 25, the Telegram app introduced a new animated emoji to replace the national flag of Belarus with the white-red-white flag. Opposed to the official red and green flag of Belarus, the white-red-white flag is used as a symbol of the opposition to Lukashenko's regime. With the new feature, the emoji of Belarus’ national flag automatically turns to the animated opposition flag when a single symbol is…
As protests rage in Belarus and Alexei Navalny remains in a coma, we look at new developments in crypto across the former USSR. Every Friday, Law Decoded delivers analysis on the week’s critical stories in the realms of policy, regulation and law.Editor’s noteThe political machinations of Eastern Europe have dominated recent headlines. Protests unprecedented since the fall of the Soviet Union have rocked Belarus for weeks. Outrage over the Aug. 8 election that has seen challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya flee the country has threatened the longtime dominion of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, the so-called “last dictator in Europe.”Protestors are calling the…
Sanctions could be coming to Belarus. Can the crypto-friendly country beat it with Bitcoin or Ethereum? As the massive protests in Belarus continue after a controversial election that saw President Alexander Lukashenko extend his mandate, questions arose about how Belarus could deal with potential U.S. and European Union sanctions and how cryptos such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) could help bypass them.An article published by Russian outlet, RBC, suggested that using cryptocurrencies could not be an effective option for the Belarussian government to beat financial sanctions that may be imposed by the EU and Washington on Minsk. According to…
What do you do if your country unplugs the internet? Satellite and mesh networks are possible future solutions, but they have technical and political limitations.
People in Belarus are discovering anti-censorship tools as the country experiences a major internet outage
A contested election between president Alexander Lukashenko and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya leaves the future of crypto in Belarus in limbo. Protests have erupted in Belarus following the country’s presidential election on Sunday, but the possible continued presidency of Alexander Lukashenko may be good news for crypto.Lukashenko reportedly won re-election against opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in a landslide victory with more than 80% of the vote on Aug. 9. However, officials from many nations and within Belarus are condemning the election results as flawed, with reports of falsified ballots. ‘Europe's last dictator’The president of the eastern European nation has served since 1994, during…
Internet is down in Belarus as people are protesting the results of presidential election
