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The non-profit Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has launched a central bank digital currency (CBDC) tracker, the organization announced at the same Oslo Freedom Forum event it hosted. The online tracker has published educational materials and a tip line. It is expected to be fully functional by the end of the year.
Tracker came out of an eight-month fellowship at HRF that was announced in January. The fellowships were awarded to Cato Institute policy analyst Nick Anthony, researcher Janine Romer and podcaster Matthew Majinsky. The Cato Institute is an ardent opponent of the CBDC.
HRF Chief Strategy Officer Alex Gladstein said in a promotional video about the tracker:
“This is going to be an online resource that describes the progress of central bank digital currencies around the world, especially in authoritarian countries, and the civil liberties red flags and risks that come with it.”
Because a CBDC is a central bank liability, it “creates a direct relationship between citizens and the central bank,” which “opens the door for a lot of human rights gains when it comes to the adoption of CBDCs,” according to the CBDC Tracker on the HRF website.
first phase of @HRF CBDC Tracker is now live!
Just announced at the Oslo Freedom Forum, the full resource will be unveiled at the end of the year.
For now, here’s the landing page (Step 1): pic.twitter.com/FHB9DWXDqs
— Nick Anthony (@EconWithNick) June 13, 2023
HRF is an active supporter of Bitcoin (BTC). Gladstein has told Cointelegraph in the past that bitcoin “heals democracy” and can discourage wars.
Related: 7 Central Banks and BIS Continue to Examine Ongoing Policy Issues for Retail CBDCs
According Unrelated, per the open-source CBDC tracker website, most of the world’s central banks are in some stage of CBDC research, but only three CBDCs have been launched so far. They are the Bahamas sand dollar, the Jamaican jam-dex, and the Enayara in Nigeria. The website also lists 14 pilot projects including China’s digital yuan. According to HRF, the digital yuan already has 300 million users.
Magazine: Are CBDCs Kryptonite for Crypto?
