What is Blockchain – and why women need it in a big brother world

Big brother caught them. They are charged with one felony count of removing, concealing or abandoning a corpse, plus two misdemeanor counts: concealing the death of another person and false reporting.

At first, you might think that the people charged with these crimes are guilty of premeditated, horrific acts. You may even feel unsafe around them. You may feel relieved that they are being put away.

Yes…these charges are real, but the crimes, in this case, are not.

A mother and her daughter, who is only 17 years old (and who, at the request of the male prosecutor, is being tried as an adult) are imprisoned. They are being prosecuted for their crimes, the lone crime and two misdemeanors, related to aiding and abetting abortion in the United States, the so-called land of the ‘free’.

Believe it or not, police investigators found out about the abortion by obtaining Facebook Messenger messages between the mother and daughter. Facebook, the centralized entity that owns every message you send and every photo you share, is now giving its data to the US government to help enforce the new Roe v Wade abortion bans and restrictions in every state. Scared yet?

Big Brother is getting stronger, as women and other marginalized groups, in particular, risk what they say and write online. There is a newfound need for anonymity, and crypto may be the answer.

Creating resources for women to communicate and get help on this blockchain could provide a safer and less traceable route to access abortion support outside of centralized platforms, such as Google and Facebook, which each work with the US government. The need for activism and protection on the blockchain is real, and it has already been demonstrated countless times in the fight for abortion rights, as well as in the midst of the current Russian-Ukrainian war. Pussy Riot, a collective that prides itself on feminism and art, released an NFT that sold for nearly $7 million, all of which was donated to causes supporting the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis. Pussy Riot’s latest form of activism resides in LegalAbortion.eth, a crypto wallet where many NFT collections and people can donate money to support five different reproductive rights organizations. It has raised almost one million dollars so far.

Blockchain technology allows for anonymity and opens a new space for activism that has never existed before by giving activists the chance to act quickly in a disruptive world. Just as the activist group Pussy Riot was able to raise $7 million for the Ukrainian-Russian war, anyone can raise money and create resources anonymously on the blockchain. This technology is critical to keeping women and girls safe in standing up to big brother. More decentralized applications (DAPPS) therefore need to be built to help women access safe abortions while protecting their identities. The future is now, and our protection can lie in using new technologies, such as blockchain.

Some links to understand blockchain further:

About the author: Miriam Hart is a newly graduated engineer from Stanford University, as well as a former teacher at the department of computer science. She has built over 10 iOS compatible apps and most recently started the podcast, Faking It, a podcast about Fake it ’til you make it – not fake orgasms. Her NFT collection, Cuteri: Cute Uteri, donates all funds it receives directly to pro-choice organizations. Learn more about blockchain and activism, including empowering topics for women at MiriamHaart.com/Podcast. Miriam also stars in the award-nominated hit series My Unorthodox Life on Netflix. Instagram: @MiriamHaart @ThisIsFakingIt