Sovereignty

What is Nostr? Everything you need to know about this protocol dedicated to decentralized social networks

Nostr is a truly decentralized protocol that serves as the foundation for a new kind of social network. Thanks to an innovative architecture, this protocol allows users to control their data and resist censorship, without relying on centralized servers. What Web3 promised but didn’t deliver, Nostr achieves. Discover how it works.

E-Cash is making a comeback in the Bitcoin ecosystem through protocols like Cashu and Fedimint. At its core lies an older idea: enabling digital payments that are as private as physical cash, without exposing every transaction to a public ledger or a centralized intermediary.

Bitcoin is often described as “digital gold” or a speculative asset. Yet, for more than a decade, it has been increasingly used to store value, transfer money, and in some cases, pay for goods and services. But can it realistically compete with central banks and their currencies?

In 2021, El Salvador became the first country in the world to grant Bitcoin the status of legal tender. Four years later, the decision remains one of the most debated in the ecosystem. To understand the reality on the ground, Off-Chain Media went to the country to find out for itself.

Preserving privacy while accessing Bitcoin-collateralized loans is vital for digital sovereignty. This guide offers practical steps to use Lendasat privately, protecting identity, transaction history and on-chain activity.

The Lightning Network is Bitcoin's payment layer, enabling instant, low-cost transactions without compromising decentralization. Discover why it exists, how it solves Bitcoin's scaling limits, and whether it is a viable long-term solution or just an intermediate step in Bitcoin's evolving monetary infrastructure.

Bitcoin was designed as a robust and decentralized monetary system, but its architecture naturally limits the complexity of applications built directly on its blockchain. For several years, different solutions have attempted to extend its capabilities without modifying its core rules. The RGB protocol follows this approach, with a radically different design: moving contract execution off-chain while preserving Bitcoin's security.

In this report, I explore the increasing use of Bitcoin by Iranians, a population facing economic challenges as well as censorship from their government and foreign powers. My goal is to depict how Bitcoin serves as a tool for protecting freedoms and preserving value in a complex economic and political context.