M. Dilger on Nostr: I just want to say to the powers that be... if you think I'm doing something wrong ...
I just want to say to the powers that be... if you think I'm doing something wrong please just contact me. I'm very law abiding, I'm risk averse, and I've always avoided anything that I think is legally nebulous (e.g. money transfer services).
I think it is a big stretch to think that nostr developers or even relay operators are government targets at this time. We are just developing a new Internet protocol. AFAIK we aren't supporting illegal content and we aren't refusing to take down illegal content. The powers that be need only ask and we will (in the main IMHO) comply with all lawful demands.
BTW, none of you rely on me not taking down your stuff. All of you have the self-power to be fully distributed and censorship resistant. So my compliance with a lawful government demand should not affect your ability to be heard (if you are using nostr correctly).
Also, I will burn gossip before I ever allow in any kind of government backdoor. No law compels me to write code for them. (Actually I'll just stop development, I won't burn it, but you should keep a local git clone).
nostr is still censorship resistant even if they came and shut most of us down. You can just stand up your stuff somewhere else and make them play whack-a-mole. That is the architecture that we cannot change now even if we wanted to or were compelled to by force.
As world conflict ramps up, controlling the narrative becomes a strategic lever that most nations want to pull. That means censorship is on the rise and personal liberty is on the decline. I don't think this is a permanent thing, a big brother one world government is a silly fear IMHO. Rather, I think it is a current trend reflecting the current trend of increased world conflict. During the next peace, liberties will come back and censorship will wane again. In the mean time, please take care.
Kind reminder: open-source developers on Nostr are assuming a huge amount of risk.
Yes, Nostr is a Hydra, and when totalitarians cut off one head two more will grow in its place… But each developer IS a head, and by simply writing code they put themselves in a dangerous position. By writing code that enables freedom technology, they make themselves a target.
They know this, and they do it anyway.
It should not be this way, I know. Code is speech. But it is the reality of the world we live in today.
Thankfully, open-source developers are creating tools that will make the world of tomorrow a better, freer one. The kind of world you want your children to inherit.
So, whatever Nostr client you’re reading this on, go zap the developer. Give them some of your monetary energy.
They fucking deserve it. note1sqf…5q95
Published at
2024-08-25 00:27:43Event JSON
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