Bitcoin.com CEO Argues That Bitcoin Subreddit Moderators Should Stop Forum Censorship

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is an open letter from Bitcoin.com CEO Roger Ver. 

In the wake of ongoing debates about who has the right to speak on social media and who has the right to censor, Bitcoin has come to the forefront of a major censorship controversy on one of reddit's many independent forums – r/Bitcoin.

As the go-to forum for sharing updates and engaging in debates about the cutting edge of technology, Reddit serves as the main hub of public discussion about the progress of Bitcoin's mission to change the world.

Unfortunately, the main subreddit for Bitcoin, r/bitcoin, has been censored for several years by a small group of moderators not employed by reddit, inc.

"/r/bitcoin has been almost completely censored its moderators for three full years now," says Roger Ver, CEO of Bitcoin.com and the first angel investor in the Bitcoin industry. "Censorship of discussion shouldn't be tolerated by anyone who promotes Bitcoin as the censorship-resistant money it was created to be."

This censorship has resulted in restricted mentions about Bitcoin Cash, other forks, and controversial cryptocurrency topics.

Controlled by a small group of moderators, the subreddit repeatedly places constraints on the kind of conversations that can be held about Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin in general.

Since its inception, Bitcoin has been all about personal freedom and anti-censorship values.

Messaging that is controlled for many by a select few undermines the underlying philosophy of Bitcoin, as outlined in Satoshi Nakamoto's original vision of peer-to-peer electronic cash.

This censorship, as it currently plays out on reddit, results in overmoderation by a centralized group of individuals at r/bitcoin. Virtually any mention of Bitcoin Cash on the subreddit is removed. Discussions of other forks, such as Bitcoin Unlimited, Bitcoin Gold, and Bitcoin Private, and topics like bigger blocks and criticism of Blockstream or Lightning Network, are removed.

Meanwhile, posts about BTC are generally left untouched. This pattern indicates a clear bias that has no place in the kind of open dialogues that are necessary to grow the crypto community to its full potential.

This censorship – by moderators of a subreddit frequented by community newbies and curious outsiders, no less – has simmered for years, virtually unchecked. Moreover, as Reddit is "the front page of the internet," where Bitcoin newbies, experts, and enthusiasts come to learn more about cryptocurrency, the censorship poses a major roadblock to personal freedom within the bitcoin ecosystem.

This needs to change, and only /r/bitcoin moderators have this power.

Ver's hope is that his advocacy will help remove some of the barriers to Bitcoin's future as an open-source and fundamentally free cryptocurrency.

For more information, contact:

Laura Dorwart
[email protected]

SOURCE Bitcoin.com

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