Happy white paper day, Bitcoin. It\u2019s been 14 years since Satoshi Nakamoto first sent an email to the Cypherpunk mailing list with the subject line, \u201cBitcoin P2P e-cash Paper.\u201d The email included a link to the white paper, an outline of what would soon become a one trillion-dollar market<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The first sentence of the email has become iconic among the Bitcoin community:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been working on a new electronic cash system that\u2019s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Over the past 14 years, Bitcoin (BTC<\/a>) has morphed from a hobbyist pastime into a globally recognized brand. Bitcoin has been adopted as legal tender in regions of the global south such as El Salvador and the Central African Republic<\/a>. It is used by freedom fighters and campaigners<\/a> while being a tool for financial emancipation<\/a> and economic empowerment\u00a0<\/a>worldwide<\/a>.<\/p>\n The speculative fervor that Bitcoin became known for<\/a> still lingers while Bitcoin\u2019s reputation as being a tool for illicit activities clings on<\/a>, despite the fact that the United States dollar remains a far more effective tool for hiding financial activity.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n In 2022, Bitcoin has evolved into so much more. Cointelegraph spoke to Bitcoin OGs, enthusiasts and newbies during the Plan B Conference in Lugano, Switzerland, to investigate what the white paper means to the world. <\/p>\n For world-renowned charities such as Save the Children, the white paper and the subsequent creation of Bitcoin have benefited the organization. Antonia Roupell, Web3 lead at Save the Children, told Cointelegraph that the organization recognizes \u201cBitcoin\u2019s potential to be a force for good and a force for financial inclusion,\u201d adding:<\/p>\n \u201cOn Bitcoin\u2019s 14th anniversary, and at a time of increasingly global financial inequality, the phrase \u2018bitcoin is for anyone\u2019 really resonates.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Roupell explained that Save the Children US was the first iNGO to accept Bitcoin in 2013, stating, \u201cSince then, we\u2019ve raised almost 75 BTC thanks to generous donations to our relief efforts supporting children impacted by conflict in places like Afghanistan and Ukraine as well as families impacted by climate disasters such as Hurricane Ian in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n Today marks the 14th anniversary of #Bitcoin<\/a>! \u2014 Save the Children US (@SavetheChildren) October 31, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Crisis zones have underscored the resiliency and effectiveness<\/a> of Bitcoin. In the first 48 hours of the Ukraine war, for example, the Ukraine government received $7.5 million in Bitcoin<\/a>. <\/p>\n Stand with the people of Ukraine BTC \u2014 357a3So9CbsNfBBgFYACGvxxS6tMaDoa1P<\/p>\n ETH \u2014 0x165CD37b4C644C2921454429E7F9358d18A45e14<\/p>\n USDT (trc20) \u2014 TEFccmfQ38cZS1DTZVhsxKVDckA8Y6VfCy<\/p>\n \u2014 Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) February 26, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The speed at which Bitcoin hit government wallet addresses inspired the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC) to take crypto donations seriously, UNICC Director Sameer Chauhan explained in a Cointelegraph interview<\/a> at the World Economic Forum in Davos. USD, British pounds, euros and government-issued money were much slower to trickle in to support the Ukrainian defense than Bitcoin.\u00a0<\/p>\n For Bitcoin Gandalf, a marketer for Braiins \u2014 a Bitcoin mining tools company \u2014 the white paper and the subsequent pseudonymous network guarantee a basic level of privacy. Gandalf, who chose to obfuscate his name and face on the internet, told Cointelegraph:<\/p>\n \u201cWith the increased surveillance propagated by the state and huge centralized tech companies that control the majority of information distribution, it\u2019s more important than ever that we have decentralized alternatives that guarantee us basic freedoms.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Bitcoin is a permissionless network that anyone can use. It does not discriminate. Even for those without an internet connection, thanks to innovations in mobile network technology<\/a>, Bitcoin can be sent like a text. Bitcoin\u2019s mantra of being a \u201cfreedom technology\u201d has bloomed across its 14-year history.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the Plan B conference in Lugano, Switzerland, \u201cFreedom\u201d was a central theme. Julian Assange\u2019s family hosted talks about his incarceration for exposing military secrets, while speakers from Togo to Lebanon shed light on \u201cBitcoin the tool for financial freedom.\u201d A drone show emblazoned the night sky with the clich\u00e9, bringing the Bitcoin and blockchain conference to a close:<\/p>\n #Bitcoin<\/a> is Freedom pic.twitter.com\/WjVvVsSBPB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CARLA⚡️(thecryptoc0up1e) (@thecryptoc0up1e) October 29, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Several announcements at the conference in Switzerland underscored the Bitcoin community\u2019s commitment to freedom. Paolo Ardoino, chief technology officer of Tether, introduced Pear Credit, a peer-to-peer credit software that could undermine the proliferation of centralized authorities (or blockchains) that issue credit and tokens. Founded by Tether, Holepunch and Synonym, Pear Credit should \u201cput control of the economy back in the hands of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Ardoino explained the thinking behind Pear Credit, stating, \u201cEverything that is not Bitcoin is credit. Everything that is not Bitcoin is inherently centralized.\u201d His team has built a peer-to-peer service that offers the ability to issue credit \u2014 without a blockchain or product and without endless monetization. <\/p>\n In the spirit of the Bitcoin white paper, Pear Credit is \u201cjust open source libraries,\u201d Ardoino commented. Pear Credit focuses on \u201cscalability and privacy\u201d and favors freedom to build open-sourced technology over chasing profits. <\/p>\n Gandalf said that the Bitcoin white paper \u201cmarked the beginning of the resistance to this trend\u201d of centralizing power. Tech companies increasingly exploit customer data<\/a> and online behaviors. Bitcoin, by contrast, is the largest demonstration of a peer-to-peer and privacy-centric network that continues to inspire projects that could undermine centralization. <\/p>\n John Carvalho, CEO of Synonym and contributor to Pear Credit, called for calm and introspection on the anniversary of the white paper. Carvalho, who also announced the creation of a new Bitcoin wallet app, Bitkit, during the conference, told Cointelegraph that even some of Satoshi Nakamoto\u2019s biggest fans \u201cwill admit that he got some things wrong and how he thought things would play out. Even in the code.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In a possible nod to the Bitcoin fanaticism and adulation for Nakamoto that sometimes transcends the space<\/a>, Carvalho explained that even though Bitcoin continues to grow in importance due to greater levels of adoption, users and the amount of people trying to copy Bitcoin<\/a>. \u201cFor me, and I think for most people, your Bitcoin birthday isn\u2019t when Bitcoin was invented, it\u2019s when you discovered Bitcoin.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d rather associate it with when you bought your first Bitcoin or when you had your own \u2018eureka\u2019 moment.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Ultimately, while Nakamoto\u2019s email on Oct. 31, 2008, marked the first brick in the foundations of the Bitcoin blockchain, it\u2019s the developers, the builders, the node runners, the miners and the Bitcoin buyers that have kept the idea alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bitcoin is indeed an effective form of remittance; it\u2019s a spark that could ignite a path toward greater online freedoms, and it\u2019s a meaningful shift away from centralized powers. But, Bitcoin is also a long line of code that millions of people worldwide choose to follow and contribute to every day. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/s3.cointelegraph.com\/uploads\/2022-10\/f73054f9-0048-406f-ab7a-e73ef4221ed5.png\")
<\/figure>\nDoing its \u20bfit for good\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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We were the first NGO to accept #BTC<\/a> in 2013
We’ve raised 74 bitcoin & counting
We believe #crypto<\/a> can be a force for good & financial inclusion #SatoshiNakamoto<\/a>
Donate here #HodlHope<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/AEe0lTRXo2<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0KB7EFv1X4<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Now accepting cryptocurrency donations. Ethereum. Bitcoin and Tether (USDTtrc20)<\/p>\nDecentralization and empowerment<\/h2>\n
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Why do you care about the white paper?<\/h2>\n