You Will Not Speak.

How much of your privacy would you be willing to give up in order to remain safe and secure? How about all of it? Unfortunately, that’s what our governments will soon demand.

Read more in today’s mailer →

📖 ESTIMATED READ TIME: 6 minutes 5 seconds

Mental cages.

In the year 321 BCE, the Maurya Empire rose from the ashes of the defeated Nanda Dynasty, in the wake of Alexander The Great’s withdrawal from the Indian subcontinent.

Its leader was known as Chandragupta Maurya, and his empire would be defined by economic prosperity, religious and cultural diversity, and military power. Above all, however, it would be remembered for how it dominated its people's thoughts.

With the cunning guidance of his advisor Chanakya, Chandragupta envisioned an empire where order was meticulously engineered. The idea was born from the chaos of the Nanda dynasty's fall, where vice had been allowed to fester unchecked. Chanakya, a master of statecraft, penned the Arthashastra, a treatise that would serve as the blueprint for governance through espionage.

The key foundation of the Arthashastra was its sweeping spy network. An intricate and ensnaring system like a spider’s web, it penetrated into the very fabric of Mauryan society. The system's informants acted as the empire's eyes and ears, hidden in plain sight, disguised as hermits, merchants, and even housewives.

Chandragupta’s network was sold to the populace as a protective shield, a means to ensure justice, quell rebellion, and maintain the empire's vast territories in harmony. The people were told that these silent watchers would protect them from external threats and internal dissent, ensuring peace throughout the realm.

However, beneath this narrative of safety lay the true intent of control. Every whisper, transaction, and movement was noted, not for the welfare of the people, but to maintain the grip of the monarchy. Spies reported not just on potential threats, but also on citizens' daily lives, creating a society where liberty was as fraudulent as a shabby trick conjured by a street magician.

The empire’s reach was such that even private conversations could lead to a person’s downfall if they merely hinted at dissent or disloyalty.

The implementation of this system was seamless, thanks to the genius of Chanakya, mostly due to his understanding that fear was as potent a weapon as loyalty. While the common folk were led to believe their leaders were taking part in a benevolent watch over them, the true purpose was to instil a culture of self-censorship and obedience.

With authority's eyes and ears ever-present, the Mauryan people honed the art of restraint. Their existence was governed ever more by an unseen mental cage, where sovereignty was but an illusion.

Keystroke confessions.

Our own prison of sovereignty is called digital ID. And it’s coming basically everywhere.

This is a topic close to my heart.

That’s because I live in Iceland. A nation that has what is probably the most all-encompassing digital ID system on Earth. In case you want a detailed overview of what it looks like to live under such a system, my post talking about it on X has been seen by nearly 1.5 million people so far.

But Iceland isn’t alone. Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, and Sweden all already have sophisticated digital ID systems, with more nations like Australia and Canada set to adopt them soon.

A digital ID is simply a national system of identification that contains a citizen's personal data and links it to services like healthcare, transport, welfare, or banking.

In all honesty, Iceland’s digital ID system makes life much easier. But it also means that my Viking overlords also know almost everything I do. Every time I get sick, every single purchase, every krona I make, and even every kilometre I drive my car.

We’re constantly being told that digital ID is a good thing, that it’ll make our societies safer, more secure, and that it will help reduce crime. However, we’re seldom told that it will also fundamentally remove many of our basic privacies.

Alongside this, a novel narrative around digital ID's benefits is emerging, promising to end the scourge of “misinformation” online.

Just this past week, Bill Gates—the living embodiment of the pregnant man emoji—advocated that digital IDs, which could be linked to every person's social media accounts, were necessary tools for combatting online misinformation. His theory is that if everything a person says online is linked to them personally, and there is no possibility of posting behind anonymous accounts, it would stop people from saying potentially harmful things online.

Misinformation, harm, hate, dangerous speech—we’re increasingly hearing these words espoused by people and organisations who seem to want to remove our right to say what we want.

Gates is far from being the sole entity pushing this agenda.

After signing its Digital ID Act into law earlier this year, Australia is fast on track to launch this system, with an activation date set for December 1st. While the new Act doesn’t explicitly state that Australians will need a digital ID to access social media, the nation has discussed this in the past.

Since 2021, the Australian government has broadly considered forcing citizens to adopt a “100-point” ID system if they want to access social media. For example, they would need to provide a passport, driver’s license, and Medicare card—or a similar combination—to be able to post online. Several Australian senators and MPs have gone on record to support the proposals.

However, when Australia’s digital system hits soon, collecting all these forms of identification will no longer be necessary. The government can allow or block people from accessing social media if they don’t input their credentials.

And here’s where we come to the main crux of the issue:

One of the greatest tools for keeping a government from overreaching or becoming authoritarian is when people can speak privately and share ideas without Big Brother watching. It encourages dissent and debate, and allows people to feel safe from the jackboot of retribution that a totalitarian state may employ.

In short, anonymity is essential for the embers of rebellion to rise and to protect the open societies most of us currently live in.

When the government is watching and listening to everything you say—or even if there is the assumption they may be—it leads people to self-censor and not speak their minds. This is how the Mauryan Empire controlled its population via its network of spies, and this is how our modern governments will achieve the same some 2,300 years later through the use of a digital ID linked to social media.

I personally put my own face and name to the ideas I share online. But just because that’s my choice, it doesn’t mean I believe others shouldn’t maintain the right to speak freely while maintaining anonymity.

Whistleblowers, journalists, political dissidents, activists—some in our society need to remain private in order to be effective. Furthermore, normal citizens who want the right to speak their minds online should be able to do so without first receiving the government’s permission.

Yes, damaging propaganda, misinformation, and outright hate exist in the internet’s shadows, fired from behind veils of obscurity.

And yes, people say horrible things online. Some people will be harmed by those things. On this matter, I’d like to quote Konstantin Kisin:

"Some harm is a consequence of having freedom... if the argument is about, well, we must make people safe, then that will always necessitate more tyranny."

Any government that wants to take away our very right to private speech is, by its definition, tyrannical. A government that wants to take away the right for someone to speak anonymously is one that wants you not to speak your mind.

They want you to fear every word you say, lest it become an unwilling confession.

We can’t allow that.

We must not forget the silent power of anonymity, which should be protected at all costs.

Written by Leon Hill.
Founder, Anticitizen.

P.S. — Next week, we’ll be launching a mini-community that will be available first to Anticitizen readers. In it, among other things (like learning how to acquire another passport, pay little to no tax, and protect your assets overseas), we’ll show you how to remain more anonymous in our world of ever-diminishing sovereignty. Watch this space.

This newsletter is for educational purposes, and is not financial advice. Please do your own research, and consider risks involved with investing or purchasing any asset.