Blog Post Sep 11, 2025 Financial Freedom Report #89 In Russia, the Kremlin is increasing efforts to push citizens onto its new state-run messenger app, Max. Voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram have been disabled, and new legislation requires all new phones to come with Max pre-installed. But the…
Blog Post Sep 4, 2025 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #88 In Georgia, a Tbilisi court froze the bank accounts of seven major Georgian NGOs, accusing them of “sabotage” and “financing” protests under charges made possible by the country’s recently enacted…
Blog Post Aug 28, 2025 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #87 In Russia, Vladimir Putin signed a new law allowing police to freeze citizens’ bank accounts for up to 10 days without a court order. While framed as an anti-fraud measure, the law gives police a fast and…
Blog Post Aug 26, 2025 The Sculptor Xi Jinping Wants You to Forget For 68-year-old Gao Zhen, last Aug. 26 wasn’t just any other day — it was the day of his arrest.
Blog Post Aug 22, 2025 The Blurry Lines Between Private and Public As a human rights organization, we see economic freedom as inseparable from political and civil freedoms. The freer world we live in today owes much to the expansion of international trade and capital flows. But while economic openness has…
Blog Post Aug 14, 2025 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #85 In Bolivia, 25% inflation has sent trust in the boliviano falling and pushed more individuals toward Bitcoin for daily transactions and savings. Since unbanning digital assets…
Blog Post Aug 13, 2025 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #3 Welcome back to the Human Rights Foundation’s (HRF) monthly newsletter giving you the low-down on how AI and individual rights converge. This month, we’re continuing to explore…
Blog Post Aug 11, 2025 A ‘known unknown’ Where’s all the money coming into American think tanks from? Ben Freeman on the enormous foreign-government “donations” flowing through Washington, D.C.
Blog Post Aug 7, 2025 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #84 Last week, El Salvador’s Congress approved constitutional changes allowing unlimited presidential reelections that would allow for President Nayib Bukele to run indefinitely….
Blog Post Jul 31, 2025 Tracking CBDCs before they track you Nicholas Anthony Policymakers around the world have become consumed with the idea of launching central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs. Prior to 2019, only a small handful of central banks were exploring this idea. Yet, today,…
Blog Post Jul 31, 2025 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #83 A Russian court sentenced Dmitry Marsov, a father of five, to three years in prison for donating merely $20 to Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, an act now considered terrorism…
Blog Post Jul 24, 2025 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #82 The Hungarian government has enacted one of the most repressive digital asset laws in Europe. As of July 1, trading Bitcoin on an unauthorized platform could…
Blog Post Jul 17, 2025 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #81 In Venezuela, the bolívar is depreciating by 13% each month, rapidly eroding the wages and savings of Venezuelans
Blog Post Jul 10, 2025 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #80 In the wake of the latest conflict with Israel, Iran has orchestrated a domestic crackdown, detaining more than 1,000 people, killing dozens, and targeting minority communities and activists.
Blog Post Jul 3, 2025 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #79 This week, we begin in Kenya, where police and pro-government goons attacked peaceful demonstrators and violently suppressed June 25 marches, which marked the anniversary of last year’s anti-tax bill protests and honored the memory of at least 60 people killed then.
Blog Post Jul 1, 2025 HRF’s AI for Individual Rights Newsletter #2 A few weeks ago, I visited Norway as part of the 17th annual Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF), a gathering affectionately known as “Davos for dissidents,” which once again brought together an inspiring constellation of human rights defenders, philanthropists, and tech innovators from across the globe.
Blog Post Jun 26, 2025 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #78 Iran’s largest digital asset exchange, Nobitex, was hit by a cyberattack in which $90 million in digital assets were intentionally drained and destroyed.
Blog Post Jun 25, 2025 Connections What does financial repression in autocracies have to do with financial freedom in democracies? Justin Callais on human flourishing in the modern world.
Blog Post Jun 23, 2025 House money Why are countries around the world developing virtual legal tenders? Roger Huang on the origins, implementation, and implications of central bank digital currencies.
Blog Post Jun 19, 2025 Untouchable Why has Bitcoin become so popular with dissidents living in dictatorships? Farida Nabourema on what the emerging technology has in common with an old suitcase stuffed with cash.
