Certain governments are using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to impose more controls on Bitcoin. There is a struggle between those who want to accumulate more power and those who want to decentralize it.
In early 2020, many users in Shanghai, terrified by the worst quarantine ever, followed the situation on social networks. The shock that this city gave the world did not seem enough, as many hungry people demanded their most basic rights.
Strict measures sought to decrease COVID-19 cases by eliminating the free movement of people around the city. However, some people were insensitive to that new situation, as if it did not matter.
Now the situation looks more controversial as the Internet allows real-time access to the pain of others through images of war and death. Many seem to have forgotten the war between Russia and Ukraine, in which many children die in their homes.
The callous and unconcerned seem to be blind to another virus that has sought to eliminate human rights for centuries. It is about authoritarianism, control, and power, which have kept many generations under their yoke.
The formation of an increasingly digitized world intensifies that situation to unsuspected levels. The citizens of Shanghai suffer from that disease, which keeps them captive in their homes while also stalking the communities.
It Is Crucial to Take Care of the Fate of the World
As this virus swarms more strongly, it is relevant to talk about Shanghai from the perspective of a bitcoiner. The topic is that of the principles that founded Bitcoin and made more people enter its community.
There is currently a struggle of forces that could determine the future of freedom. States strive to exert greater power over the people, such as the governments of China, Canada, and Russia.
Those governments tell people where to put their money, who to support, where to go, and who to meet. In other words, they seek to learn more about the private life of citizens to make decisions on it.
Social distancing helps protect the most vulnerable people, but killing pets and separating parents and children is unacceptable. Furthermore, converting entire buildings into temporary hospitals causes pain for those who have not had access to essential services for over a month.
A state should not affect the lives and rights of people, but that has been the history of the world for centuries. However, there is resistance among citizens toward those authoritarian schemes since humans also demand their freedom.
In an increasingly globalized world with access to the Internet, it is harder to stop the voices and discontent of citizens. That sentiment led to creating and strengthening Bitcoin as both a currency and an ideology.
The principles of Bitcoin oppose authoritarianism, as it returns control over finances to citizens. More people are demanding greater privacy, freedom, and shares of representative power, which they can find in the system embodied by Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is trading at around USD 39,366 and has accumulated a 5.3% loss in the last 24 hours. Its trading volume is above USD 49.30 billion, and its market capitalization is approximately USD 748.70 billion.
By Alexander Salazar
