The Trolls Accused Me of 'Crypto-Colonialism' in Syria

While the comments represent some of the worst feedback I could imagine since it's a dark interpretation of what I'm doing here, for the most part, I was overwhelmed by messages of support.

While the ethereum community has a gentle heart, it can be brutal in cyberspace - something testified to by the fact that one of its brightest contributors, former Parity release manager Afri Schoeden was effectively bullied out of his position last month.

If bullying to the point of banishment is how ethereum's online community treats its most faithful contributors, imagine then, how it treats reporters.

Pierce's work, while he has repeatedly insisted is in the best interests of the local population, seems characterized by an insensitivity to the conditions in which it is ensnared.

Like Puerto Rico, North Syria and the Kurdish people have had a long history of colonization.

Projects include building an anonymous cryptocurrency to reduce the reliance on the Syrian state-issued lira, network anonymity through mixnets and hacker academies to be implemented to educate the population.

A general network called the "Backbone" will allow people to access the internet no matter where they are in North Syria.

The creation of code frameworks will even allow people without advanced technical knowledge to participate in crypto development, by linking libraries and algorithms into easy-to-use toolkits.

Cumulatively, the projects represent an attempt to modernize the region in harmony with its philosophy; to break out from the poverty trap without damaging the history and culture of North Syria in the process.

While being aware of the colonial forces that have shaped this area in the past, the goal is much, much different.