“Second, on December 17, 2010, three weeks after Nawaat.org released the translated cables, an unrelated act of desperation ripped open the soul of the nation. Bouazizi— a young fruit and vegetable seller— was accosted by the police, who seized his unlicensed food cart and refused to return it even after Bouazizi offered to pay the fine. His first attempt at retrieving his cart was a frustrating failure. Low-level government officials refused to even talk to him. Doubly insulted and with a family of eight to feed, he set himself on fire. Powerless and voiceless in one moment, he became, in the next, impossible to ignore: but at the terrible cost of his life.”

Coleman, Gabriella (2014-11-04). Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous (Kindle Locations 2198-2202). Verso Books. Kindle Edition.

This anecdote from the above book shocked me. Who knows all the details that went into the young man’s tragic situation but it seems as if his complaint with what the Western world would call “red tape.”

I wonder if Open Bazaar could help avoid situations like this. However, its not as if the man in the story was selling online and his property could have been seized either way. Another benefit of bitcoin is it has the potential to bring e-commerce to third world individuals without access to bank accounts or credit cards.

https://openbazaar.org/