[AUDIENCE] My name is Daniel. First of all, thank you for coming out here. I am a big fan.
I really enjoy your talk on Let's Talk Bitcoin, it is inspiring. So, thank you. My question is,
I am running the 'Blockchain For A Good Society' meetup here in Korea. [ANDREAS] The 'Blockchain For...'?
[AUDIENCE] ... A Good Society.' We have a committee of people who believe that blockchain is a very useful tool.
It can solve the social problems that exist today, impact and improve the lives of the 99% in the world.
We have been discussing how Bitcoin and blockchains enable women's rights in Afghanistan.
We have been talking about the UN and WFP... [ANDREAS] Is there a question?
[AUDIENCE] Yes, sorry. I was wondering if you could share your thoughts on any use cases you've seen...
where blockchain technology has improved or impacted people's lives. We are running out of [stories] to share.
[ANDREAS] There aren't that many. We must be realistic. There are a few great examples,
such as the [organization Code To Inspire], which paid women in Afghanistan to do coding, with crypto.
It is a great story. It didn't last very long, because it was difficult to introduce that level of technology...
into that society.
Of course, if a [use case] is working well, then you [might not] even hear about it.
Think about it this way. Let's say I am a 13-year-old Saudi girl who is about to marry a 55-year-old man.
I want to get the hell out of that country as quickly as possible, to avoid that future.
After I have managed to escape through the help of organizations and friends,
who smuggled money [to help me escape] using bitcoin, [what is the first thing I do]? Hold a press conference?
Tell everyone how bitcoin [helped me] do it? Uh, no. That may cause some problems for everyone involved.
No. Everyone will keep very quiet about it. I know of several cases with people leaving Venezuela.
They used bitcoin to escape. One of my good friends hires software developers in Venezuela.
After every three or four months, he needs to find new software developers, because the previous ones...
used the bitcoin he paid them with to get themselves and members of their family out of the country.
He finds new ones, and then they get out of the country. He finds new ones again, they get out of the country...
He estimates they've [helped] more than 300 people leave Venezuela, just by paying them in bitcoin to code.
Which is amazing. But they will not publicize that more broadly, right? We can't give specific examples.
That doesn't work.
Bottom line: this is [what neutrality as a principle is for].
[Helping] someone who is legally prohibited from owning money or property, in about a dozen countries.
Women are prohibited from owning property and using bank accounts [in Afghanistan].
The reason is, in those countries, women are property. Property can't own property.
They are all owned by their [fathers], and then transferred, in a sale called marriage, to a husband.
In those kinds of situations, the neutrality principle of [Bitcoin and open blockchains]...
[helps] creates a situation where people can own money even when they are prohibited from owning money.
There is another thing you must be careful about.
In general, when we have these conversations [about social good in repressive countries], we must realize...
that what we are talking about is illegal, right?
Maybe not here, but what we are talking about is illegal there. I believe Korean women can own money?
Yes, very good. Here, it is not illegal. There, it is.
You must make a very important personal choice about the serious distinction between 'illegal' and 'immoral.'
Many things in life are illegal and moral. Not just moral, but moral obligations.
Many things in life are legal and absolutely immoral. Like selling cluster bombs to the Saudis.
Legal. Profitable. Highly celebrated [by authorities] and listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Moral? You decide. There is a very big difference between legality and morality.
Morality is a personal thing, deciding what is right and wrong.
Legality is what one society, not all societies, decides is right and wrong. Each one has different laws.
Sometimes society is wrong and moral people oppose it.
I have absolutely no problem with breaking the law [for social good] when it comes to [open] blockchains.
I think we have a moral obligation to break the law. Not all laws, some laws. The immoral ones.
Make that important distinction. Sometimes it is better not to talk about these use cases.
Sometimes it is better to build them, rather than advertise them.
"Bitcoin adoption outside first-world economies."
"Hi, Andreas. I know from listening to your talks that you spend a lot of time traveling to parts of the world...
that could really benefit from Bitcoin, addressing problems like lack of access to banking...
or escaping currencies with high inflation."
"In your experience, talking to people in places like Argentina,
what are the key problems to adoption?"
"Do you see progress being made to address these problems? For instance, the absence of fiat on-ramps?"
"Is LocalBitcoins still the only route into crypto for most people? Is it lack of knowledge about Bitcoin?"
"A combination of all these things and more?"
It is a combination of all these things and more. [We need to be] building basic infrastructure.
Building wallets that are easy to use securely, [that calculate fees intelligently] when fees are high,
that use the new technologies and powerful features that exist in each blockchain, [such as]...
replace-by-fee (RBF) and Child-Pays-For-Parent (CPFP) fee management techniques, or SegWit addresses.
Further, Lightning wallets with payment channels and [new capabilities] like that.
[We need] infrastructure for exchanging and ATMs.
[We need] local meetups, community organizations, and other opportunities to meet people face to face.
LocalBitcoins was great, but it is not the only way to meet people willing to buy and sell [anymore].
There are many options for over-the-counter transactions.
[We need] education [to spread] knowledge of Bitcoin, especially in languages [other than English].
One of [my primary] efforts is having [my work] translated into Spanish.
For example, the subtitles to my videos. These efforts are important [for education].
A lot of documentation, articles, and applications are still only in English.
If you are working in developing economies, you will need to address other languages,
Spanish being the biggest one of course. Also French and other local languages.