Efrat and Simon
Efrat Fenigson is a journalist, podcaster, and "Bitcoin Maxi" with 20 years in technology and marketing. Her political awakening began in July 2020 when she protested against Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Israel, initially believing in democracy before concluding it was "not a legit thing anymore." She spent years in the streets protesting COVID mandates while working full-time as a Chief Marketing Officer, eventually making her activism her sole career in late 2022.
The "Algorithm Ghetto": De-banking and Censorship
Fenigson details extensive experiences with what interviewer Hrvoje calls the "algorithm ghetto" — a term borrowed from historian Edwin Black describing how thought crimes render people "non-entities, zombies, unpersons."
Her specific de-banking and deplatforming incidents include:
- Stripe terminated her Substack payment processing after one year, citing "KYC policy" non-compliance without explanation
- Telegram banned her channels (6,000 English, 2,000 Hebrew followers) with no human appeal process — she now calls CEO Pavel Durov "a liar" for claiming it's a free speech platform
- Substack locked her out in Australia due to "age verification" (digital ID normalization), requiring viral video pressure and State Department intervention to restore access
- Visa/Mastercard repeatedly block her transactions, recently designating her account for "criminal activity" verification requiring calls to her 72-year-old mother in Israel
The Inevitable Technocratic Future
Fenigson argues technocracy is unstoppable: "By the end of this decade even if agenda 2030 is not going to be fulfilled as they had hoped... a lot of the sustainable development goals will be already put in place." She identifies key infrastructure being laid:
- Digital ID as prerequisite for all digital activity ("age verification is just a rail into digital ID")
- CBDCs with Ireland piloting digital ID wallets integrated with digital euro
- Censorship under "kids safety, grandma safety" pretexts
- AI for "thinking mostly, not for labor work"
Surprisingly, she views this as inevitable: "I don't really think we can change the outcomes."
The "Musical Chairs" of Monetary Order
Fenigson presents a framework she calls "Musical Chairs of the Monetary Order," arguing we're in an 80-110 year cycle of reserve currency transition characterized by "wars, pandemics, emergencies, crisis." Key elements:
- Bretton Woods 1.0: Gold-backed dollar (post-WWII)
- Bretton Woods 2.0: Petrodollar (post-1971)
- Bretton Woods 3.0: Digital surveillance currencies
She emphasizes that all major nations — China, Russia, EU, US — have committed to this digital transition through UN treaties. The "chefs" (nation-states) are experimenting with different "dishes": stablecoins, CBDCs, KYC Bitcoin, carbon credits.
Bitcoin as Unstoppable "Freedom Tech"
Fenigson's core solution is non-KYC, self-custody Bitcoin, which she describes as "the only money in the world that requires zero permission to use." Critical attributes:
- Permissionless: No banks, governments, or intermediaries
- Unstoppable: Cannot be technically prevented even if banned or mining restricted
- Portable wealth: Unlike Soviet Jews who "came with nothing" in 1991, dissidents can now flee with assets intact
She distinguishes between co-opted forms (KYC Bitcoin, ETFs) and sovereign Bitcoin, warning that governments will encourage identified, permissioned digital money while "discouraging you and scaring you about holding digital money in private."
Practical Survival Strategies
Fenigson outlines concrete escape routes from the "digital gulag":
- Second citizenship/passport — "everyone can" obtain this with research
- Multiple geographic bases — she has been a "full-time nomad" for two years
- Bitcoin circular economies — she lists active communities in: El Salvador, Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba), Brazil (São Paulo), Switzerland (Lugano), Netherlands, Portugal (Madeira), South Africa (Cape Town), Indonesia, Thailand
- Privacy technology — Above Phone with GrapheneOS, Nostr protocol (decentralized social media where "Edward Snowden" and "Julian Assange" maintain presence)
- Decentralized digital presence — multiple platforms, open-source software, avoiding single points of failure
On Multipolarity and False Saviours
Fenigson rejects the narrative that BRICS or multipolarity offers liberation: "No nation state is going to save you." She argues:
- China is the blueprint: EU's digital euro mimics China's e-CNY; Klaus Schwab explicitly praises China
- Same system, different wrapper: "Every new regime... built on the same principles... the new boss, just like the old boss"
- Russia applies globalist infrastructure: Citing Riley Waggaman's expulsion by FSB for documenting Kremlin implementation of "globalist infrastructure"
Her assessment of Bukele in El Salvador: "The only politician I have met until today that really gets it."
The Forbes Rejection: Merit vs. Ideology
A striking anecdote: A Forbes editor approached Fenigson to become a contributor, requested a sample article on CBDCs, then rejected her application because "the bosses higher up... saw your social profile... not as happy with that kind of persona." She notes: "It's not about how good we are at what we do anymore. The merit doesn't matter."
Closing Optimism
Despite the dystopian analysis, Fenigson maintains what she calls "positivity": "If we become apathetic, we lose the battle. But if we stay curious, we stay humble... the results are beautiful."
Efrat's presentation
She refers to her "New Totalitarian Order" presentation delivered on March 26, 2025 in London and at many locations subsequently.
The recording is available on her Substack: Recording Now Available! "New Totalitarian Order" Conference - covering:
- Macro review of Agenda 2030
- COVID, Climate, C40
- Economics and new monetary order including CBDCs
- Signs for shifts in society
- Personal empowerment in today's shifting landscape