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Alex Gladstein
Faculty
Blockchain, Governance
Areas of Expertise
GGC-Governance • Blockchain
About Alex
Alex Gladstein is Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation. He has also served as Vice President of Strategy for the Oslo Freedom Forum since its inception in 2009. In his work Alex has connected hundreds of dissidents and civil society groups with business leaders, technologists, journalists, philanthropists, policymakers, and artists to promote free and open societies. Alex’s writing and views on human rights and technology have appeared in media outlets across the world including The Atlantic, BBC, CNN, Fast Company, The Guardian, Monocle, NowThis, NPR, Quartz, TIME, WIRED, The New Republic, and The Wall Street Journal. He has spoken at universities ranging from MIT to Stanford, presented at the European Parliament, and participated in Singularity University events from Berlin to Johannesburg. He has also spoken at a range of blockchain and cryptocurrency events about why bitcoin matters for freedom. He currently lives in the San Francisco area.
The Cutting Edge of Human Rights - SU, South Africa Summit, 2017
From Wechat to Bitcoin | SingularityU South Africa Summit
Why Decentralized Technology Matters for Freedom | SingularityU Greece Summit 2018
Why Decentralized Technology Matters for Freedom | SingularityU Greece Summit 2018
Speaking Topics
Deep Dive with the Human Rights Foundation
Come learn how you can put your skills, networks, and talents to work in the global struggle for human rights and freedom by directly impacting the work of brave activists and civil society organizers.
Join HRF chief strategy officer and Oslo Freedom Forum vice president of strategy Alex Gladstein to discuss how — whether you are a graphic designer, blockchain developer, public relations specialist, impact investor, investigative journalist, philanthropist, visual artist, or executive business leader — you can help make the world a more free and open place.
We’ll take a special look at the Flash Drives for Freedom movement, and learn how the award-winning campaign came together as a collaboration between individuals from many different backgrounds. Everyone has a role to play in this movement — come find yours today.
Why Decentralized Technology Matters for Freedom
Governments throughout history have always bent technology to their advantage. Today, nation states have built staggering surveillance systems, and continue to exert more control over their citizens. Can decentralized networks like bitcoin help strengthen civil liberties and challenge this consolidation of power? HRF’s Alex Gladstein provides a tour of how technology is being used against us, and shows how it just might be the one thing that can save our privacy and freedom.
Publications
- How Cryptocurrencies Can Influence the Future of Freedom
- Why Did the Atlantic Council Even Consider Giving African Dictator Ali Bongo Ondimba a ‘Global Citizen Award’?
- Podcast: Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation on the First Crypto War - Ep.021
- Why Dictators Love Development Statistics
- Distributed Dialogues: Blockchain’s Better Side
- Podcast: Noded 0.24.0 With Alex Gladstein
- The Kim-Trump Summit Is a Tragedy for the North Korean People
- A spark of hope in the dark
- Africa's Game of Thrones
- A Human Rights Activist’s Response to Bitcoin Critics