Freedom Tech or
Surveillance Tech?
How do I tell the difference?
The Problem with Digital Identity
Most of our digital identifiers are controlled by someone else:
Common Examples
- • Phone Numbers
- • Email Addresses
- • Social Media Handles
- • Domain Names
- • IP Addresses
The Issue
- • Someone assigns them to us
- • They can take them away
- • We don't truly own them
- • They track our activities
Phone Number Control Chain
Who controls your phone number?
Email Address Control Chain
Who controls your email address?
If Google decides to close your account, you lose your email address
When Centralized IDs Fail...
SIM Swap Attack
- • Access your 2FA codes
- • Reset your passwords
- • Take over email
- • Access bank accounts
All because phone numbers are centrally controlled!
Account Suspension
- • Lose access to email
- • Can't log into other services
- • Lose documents & photos
- • Miss important messages
- • Business disruption
No appeal process, no human support!
Your digital life shouldn't depend on companies or phone numbers
We need identifiers we truly control
Enter Cryptography
A brief history of keeping secrets
Ancient Times
Caesar's secret messages:
HELLO → KHOOR
(Shift each letter by 3)
Modern Times
Complex mathematical operations:
Advanced algorithms that even computers can't break
What Can Cryptography Do?
Privacy
Keep messages secret
- • Only sender and receiver can read
- • Like a sealed envelope
Authenticity
Prove who wrote something
- • Like a handwritten signature
- • Can't be forged
Cryptographic Keys
Private Key
Your secret control - never share this!
Bitcoin wallet seed phrase (like a master password)
Nostr private key (your secret login)
Public Key
Your public identity - safe to share
Nostr public key (like your username)
Bitcoin address (like your bank account number)
Think of private keys like house keys and public keys like your address - one you keep secret, one you share!
Example: Facebook Messenger
Current System
Facebook can read all messages
With End-to-End Encryption
Only you and recipient can read
WhatsApp and Signal already use end-to-end encryption!
Example: Twitter/X Posts
Current System
Platform can post as you
With Digital Signatures
Only you can post as you
Nostr already uses digital signatures for all posts!
The Name Problem
We need human-readable names, but...
- • Names must be unique (like usernames)
- • Someone needs to manage these names
- • This creates central points of control
- • What if we could name things locally instead?
Solution: Personal Contact Lists
Like your phone's contact list - you decide what to call each person!
Local vs Global Names: Examples
IP Addresses
Local name: localhost
You decide what localhost means on your computer
127.0.0.1 → localhost
Domain Names
Global name: google.com
ICANN controls who gets which domain
142.250.1.139 → google.com
Contact Names
Local name: "Mom"
You choose what to call each contact
+1-555-0123 → "Mom" ❤️
Phone Book
Global name: "John Smith"
Phone company decides the listing
+1-555-0123 → "John Smith"
Open Source Software
Closed Source
Can't see how it works
Open Source
Code is public
"Trust us, it's secure"
Signal
"Here's the proof it's secure"
What's Inside the App?
Human-Readable Code
def hello_world():
...print("Hello, World!")
# No secrets here
hello_world()
Easy to read and verify
Machine Code
Impossible to verify what it really does
Open source lets you (or experts you trust) verify there's nothing malicious in the code!
Control Your Data
Where does your data live?
Self-Hosted
- • Bitcoin node
- • Nostr relay
- • Your own server
Company Servers
- • Signal servers
- • Proton servers
- • Google Drive
If their servers go down, you lose access!
Protocols vs Platforms
Web Protocol (HTTP)
Any browser, any website
Facebook Platform
Only their app works
Protocols Enable Choice
- • Email: Gmail, Outlook, or your own server
- • Web: Chrome, Firefox, or Safari
- • Nostr: Damus, Iris, or any other client
Freedom Tech Comparison
How different technologies measure up against our criteria
| Technology | Self-Generated Identity | Signed Data | Encrypted Data | Self-hostable | Data Integrity | Open Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nostr | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bitcoin | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reticulum | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Signal | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Proton Drive | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CryptPad | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Yakihonne | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Amethyst | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | |
| Google Drive | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |