Why Online Freedom of Speech Matters

Communism in Eastern Europe was the original G Cancel Culture.
My dad almost ended up in a Gulag and had to flee his country. This is his story...

You see, dad was a fan of democracy and didn't exactly agree with Soviet Totalitarianism.

As such, he was one of many contributors to a regime-critical underground magazine.

At first, all was good. The magazine was rapidly gaining attention and more and more people were reading it.

Dad and his friends were starting to make a real change.

Then, one night, the government started cracking down on regime critics.

If you didn't agree with the Communist Party, you were silenced.

With the rise of the internet, you can express your opinions more freely now. If your opinions don't align with the mainstream though, they can have catastrophic consequences for your life. The internet equivalent of getting sent to the Gulag: you lose your job, friends start ghosting, you get blacklisted.

Soon, using pseudonyms, VPNs and blockchain-based hosting, no one will be able to silence your voice anymore.

(Photo by Maria Krisanova on Unsplash)