A number of online crowdfunding sites and wallet providers have
been embroiled in controversy after a series
of high-profile account cancellations associated with alt- and
far-right views. Although the move to “deplatform” those seen to be
allegedly promoting hate speech has received popular support,
several high-profile political commentators and libertarian media
personalities consider this to constitute and unacceptable assault
on free speech.
As a result, some of the online crowdfunding platform
Patreon’s top content creators decided to leave the platform in
favor of Bitcoin funding, each taking with them tens of
thousands of dollars in monthly revenue. As the furore surrounding
payment platforms and their decision to cancel controversial
accounts continues, Cointelegraph takes a closer look at what role
crypto plays in what is being portrayed as the latest battleground
for the freedom of speech.
Rubin deletes Patreon
On Jan. 16, American political commentator Dave Rubin became the latest high-profile public figure to
delete his account with the online crowdfunding platform Patreon.
Rubin appeared in a live video on his YouTube channel in which he
reiterated his prior support for controversial online polemicist
Carl Benjamin, also known as Sargon of Akkad, stating that his
account cancelation was one of the most important factors in his
decision to move from Patreon to Bitcoin funding:
“The fact that this has even been going down on Patreon related
to freedom of speech, it was because of them kicking off Carl
Benjamin, Sargon of Akkad, who has been in this very studio. It
seems so fitting that we’re going to finally do this.
“When I started talking about it everyone said you’ve got to
talk to Carl Benjamin, you’ve got to talk to Sargon of Akkad. It
seems sort of fitting that the first guy I talked to online about
this is the one who got booted, who’s now caused me to leave this.
And we’re taking control of our destiny and all that good
stuff.”
Although Rubin initially found fame as a stand up comedian, he
has become more widely known as an advocate for libertarian values
such as freedom of speech. In spite of his claims to earn “between
60-70 percent” of his income through Patreon, Rubin said that his
decision to switch to Bitcoin constituted “a stand against the
ever-moving encroachment on free speech, on free expression” that
he perceives to be taking place across mainstream funding
platforms.
“I don’t think a normal businessman would say can I just get rid
of 70 percent of my company’s revenue and we’ll see what happens. I
just feel like it [Benjamin’s banning] was just enough.”
Rubin further commented on what he considers to be an
orchestrated affront on liberty and a campaign of enforced
censorship being carried out by tech companies:
“This seems like the next obvious step in everything that’s been
going on here. I just think that at some point, us, the people,
have to push back against these tech companies. You can’t keep on
infringing on the freedom of expression. Yes, they can do whatever
they want at private companies and there’s some issue as to whether
these platforms are becoming the true public space of the future
and what’s the relationship between that entity and a platform that
we can all communicate on and the government.”
Rubin’s video also contained the announcement that he plans to
launch his own funding platform with fellow online commentator and
clinical psychologist Dr. Jordan B. Peterson:
“Also, the key to this whole thing is that Jordan and I are also
working on a new platform. There’s a limit to the amount that I can
tell you, for legal reasons. I can’t give away all the secrets and
the keys to the kingdom just yet. We’re working on another
platform. There are huge, huge questions in relation to how we want
this platform to function. Should it be monetized through crypto,
should we be doing torrent video streaming, how can it be fully
protected so that we don’t have to worry about payment processors,
so we don’t have to worry about tech companies taking us down? As
crazy as that is, all I’m doing here is exercising free speech. I
like interviewing people, I enjoy having good conversation and all
these things. Jordan and I are working on that, there’s a company
formed. We’re working on that. Today is step one. Step one for me
is get off Patreon and let's move everybody.”
Peterson was also among the group of content creators that
vowed to leave Patreon on the grounds of free speech. In spite of
reportedly earning $80,000 per month through the platform, Peterson
also recently deleted his Patreon account.
Rubin first announced his intention to switch to
Bitcoin in early January. Members of the crypto community responded
enthusiastically to Rubin’s announcement and were quick to respond
with practical advice for the transition. At time of publication,
Rubin’s Bitcoin wallet has received a total of 0.8119261
BTC.
No more gifts for Gab
The controversial social media platform Gab is one of the most
prominent sites to be shut down in the name of monitoring hate
speech. In January, the company’s official Twitter account reported that its corporate account
with the United States crypto exchange and wallet service provider
Coinbase had been terminated. In early January,
the merchant and personal accounts of Gab co-founder Andrew Torba
were also shut down.
Gab describes itself on its website as a “social
network that champions free speech, individual liberty and the free
flow of information online. All are welcome.” However, the social
network quickly earned itself a more sinister reputation as an echo
chamber for alt- and far-right views. Gab faced intense public
scrutiny after it was revealed that Robert Gregory Bowers, the
perpetrator of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, had reportedly
laid bare his intentions to harm people via posts on the social
media network prior to the crime.
Following this, mainstream funding platforms such as PayPal and
Stripe terminated their relationship
with the company. Bitpay, a payment processor that uses cryptocurrency,
also decided that hosting the
organization presented a high level of risk and would consequently
no longer be able to provide their services.
The company’s latest attempt to find a platform through which to
receive funding also ended in failure. On Jan. 6, Gab’s official
Twitter handle tweeted that their account with
Square’s Cash App had been blocked, along with the personal
account of Andrew Torba. After a delay of about 20 minutes, the
company published another tweet.
Media sources emphasized the role of Gab’s
reputation in its lack of success in establishing a long-term
relationship with a payments processor.
Throughout January, the company has taken to Twitter in a bid to assure
viewers that its core values were in line with their own,
presenting Bitcoin as a way of bringing about “freedom from central
banks, financial censorship, and a rigged financial system.”
In recent weeks, the organization has repeatedly said that
support for Bitcoin is one of the company’s three pillars — “maximalism”
concerning free speech, Bitcoin and freedom, again hammering home a
new style of self-promotion in an effort to distance itself from
the proliferation of hate speech that brought it to the
limelight:
“Unapologetic free speech maximalist. Unapologetic bitcoin
maximalist. Unapologetic freedom maximalist. But I repeat
myself.”
The company’s search for a funding platform continues
and stated on its website that it is
“the most censored, smeared, and no-platformed startup in
history.”
As mainstream platforms close their doors, crypto alternatives
fill the gaps in the market
Companies and individuals alike have been quick to distance
themselves from the controversial social media site. However, on
Jan. 5, the Bisq network appeared to promote its services in the wake
of the account terminations:
“If Bitcoin allows you to “be your own bank,” Bisq allows you to
“be your own exchange.” YOU run Bisq on YOUR own machine and trade
Bitcoin P2P. Censorship-resistance by design, not policy.
Gatekeepers have no business being in bitcoin. Let’s shun
them!”
Steve Jain, a contributor to the Bisq project who focuses on
communications, spoke to Cointelegraph about Gab’s banning and the
move to crypto funding:
“I don't follow Gab too closely, and I don't use their service,
but they're very good at marketing so I usually end up seeing their
headlines or tweets anyway. And I recall seeing headlines
throughout the past several months about them being banned from the
most major payment processors. So I don't think they were left with
a choice — Bitcoin cannot ban you. It's a natural move for
them.”
Jain also mentioned that the concern about payment platform
censorship is not contained to those associated with the far-right
alone, explaining that crypto is principally democratic in its
design:
“Significant damage is already done. Many people (especially
those who tend to stray away from mainstream politics) have known
for a while that something strange was happening on the major
platforms, but most such accounts were anecdotal. These recent
developments are concrete realizations of many people’s suspicions
that the big companies don't necessarily operate with consistent
principles. It's not that Bitcoin won't ban you because it's so
nice and principled — it can't. This immutable finality is part of
what Bitcoin brings to the table that no other human-managed
service can ever possibly bring.”
When asked whether Bisq is looking to capitalize on disgruntled
Patreon users by retweeting Gab’s account termination notice, Jain
was quick to emphasize that Bisq is “more of a platform for people
to exchange Bitcoin for national currencies, so there isn't much of
a way for it to directly provide help to disgruntled Patreon
users.” However, Jain did not rule out the possibility of
ex-Patreon service users including Bisq in their future plans to
build a more democratic payment platform:
“I have, however, heard of some people looking to start Patreon
alternatives powered by Bisq, where (I guess) Bisq would act as a
tool to exchange dollars for Bitcoin that cannot be censored.
Recently we've made some great progress on the Bisq API, and I (for
one) would love to see Bisq power such services.”
In spite of the circumstances in which websites like Gab and
individuals such as Sargon of Akkad are turning to cryptocurrency
funding because they have no choice, Jain maintains that this does
not compromise the core principles of cryptocurrencies
themselves:
“Peer-to-peer trading is merely the digital equivalent of you
and I trading Bitcoin for USD in person. You bring the Bitcoin, and
I bring the USD. We trade. Face-to-face, peer-to-peer. It doesn't
matter who you are, and it doesn't matter who I am. All that
matters is that we each hold up our ends of the deal. No BS. If
that's not ethical, I don't know what is!
“I would argue it's the introduction of third parties that adds
all kinds of complications and stipulations and liabilities and
ethical considerations.”
U.K. far-right feels the squeeze as prominent figures are
stripped of funding
The United Kingdom has also witnessed a number of
account terminations connected to the far-right, with banned
individuals turning to crypto as a last resort. On Jan. 17, YouTube
demonetized the account of
U.K.-based far-right extremist Tommy Robinson after alleged
breaches of the site’s advertising guidelines. The YouTube
clampdown on the founder of the English Defence League, whose real
name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is the latest in a series of bans
for the activist, brought about by pressure put on crowdfunding
companies by members of the public.
Robinson has also faced bans on a number of other platforms,
including both Twitter and PayPal. The far-right activist’s PayPal
account was terminated in November after the company stated that
they “do not allow PayPal services to be used to promote hate,
violence, or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory.”
Robinson’s ban was preceded by an online petition to remove him
from the platform that gathered thousands of signatures, drawing
attention to his past actions of “stirring up racist violence with
online content.” As Robinson’s options for fundraising via
traditional platforms are being removed one by one, the activist
has turned to crypto in a last-ditch attempt to secure funding for
his controversial activities.
Around the time of his arrest and imprisonment for contempt of
court in 2018, Robinson received around 20,000 British pounds
(roughly $25,777) in Bitcoin, including a donation of 5,500 pounds
(~$7,088) on the day of his detention. The success of Robinson’s
online fundraising has sparked a series of copycat activists, all
of whom proclaim to be defenders of the freedom of speech and
encourage supporters to donate to their cause.
U.K.-based commentator on far-right politics Mike Stuchbery
spoke to Cointelegraph about the tendency for far-right groups to
shift to crypto after mainstream funding platforms terminate their
accounts:
“Far Right groups are slowly having their sources of income
taken from them as activists target payment processors such as
PayPal and Stripe, rather than calling for the banning of groups in
their totality. Far Right groups are also finding themselves
'deplatformed' from mainstream social media and video platforms.
They are, therefore, either creating their own alternatives to
these platforms – Gab, Minds, Bitchute – or are looking at other,
decentralized alternatives to disseminating their ideas.”
Stuchbery commented that while the arrest and jailing of Tommy
Robinson acted as a catalyst for the shift to Bitcoin, the
circumstances created a reputational crisis for crypto funding in
general:
“The jailing of 'Tommy Robinson' saw cryptocurrencies being
considered a viable alternative to normal banking for the first
time. Over the space of a few days, mainstream media reported
'Tommy' receiving thousands of pounds worth of Bitcoin to his
official wallet, and more sent to others collecting in his name.The
tone of the reporting did seem to be negative in approach – somehow
implying the criminality of cryptocurrency transactions, a stigma
that still exists.”
In contrast to the Libertarian free-speech rhetoric of
individuals such as Dave Rubin and Dr. Jordan Peterson, Stuchbery
believes that companies can and should exercise the ability to ban
accounts for the promotion of hate speech:
“Platforms can exercise free speech without legitimizing hate
speech by being clear and transparent in explaining why they chose
to remove somebody from a service, clearing linking it to a
violation of the Terms of Service. They can also regularly survey
or gather users together to discuss their Terms of Service and
answer questions from the community relating to their policies.
“I'm reluctant to call for the blanket banning of those who
engage in hate speech on social media - not only does it set a
problematic precedent, but as we have seen, the Far Right is able
to skillfully turn such calls into a Free Speech debate.
“That said, 'deplatforming' does work – look at what's happened
to Richard Spencer and Alex Jones. Their reach has been totally
curtailed by their removal from social media platforms and has
resulted in the tempering of their rhetoric as they seek a
return.”
Wikileaks’ financial bottleneck
Far-right and libertarian organizations are not the only groups
on the political spectrum that found themselves out in the cold
after losing favor with Coinbase. On April 20, the merchandising
branch of anonymous international publishing nonprofit Wikileaks, Wikileaks Shop, reported via Twitter that their
Coinbase account had been blocked.
The tweet portrays an alleged email screen grab from
the U.S wallet provider stating that the organization was in
contradiction to their Terms of Service.
Following the cancellation, Wikileaks called
for a “global blockade of Coinbase,” stating that it is an
unfit member of the crypto community and encouraged supporters to
donate via Bitcoin. The organization also hinted at its belief that
the action was officially sanctioned by an unnamed authority.
In spite of Wikileaks Shop’s struggle with Coinbase, Wikileaks’
founder, Julian Assange, publicly thanked the U.S. government for
forcing the organization into using Bitcoin as its primary source
of income, resulting in a 50,000 percent return. As a result, the
organization is now openly bullish on cryptocurrencies, accepting
Litecoin, Monero and ZCash alongside Bitcoin for donations.