Tech Weirdos Want to Transform Guantánamo Into a ‘Freedom City’

If you have an ounce of historical awareness (and basic empathy), the name “Guantánamo Bay” triggers images of torture and pain. It’s a site where the deprivation of the powers that be has been on full display. But what if Guantánamo wasn’t such a downer? What if it became a “prosperous charter city”? That’s the proposal coming from the most recent group of libertarian tech weirdos trying to rebrand Guantanamo with the help of a little modern-day slave labor. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has been courted by several groups proposing “charter”, “startup”, or “freedom” cities in the United States. Exempt from taxes and regulations, these cities propose themselves as wonderlands where business (like clinical trials) can be conducted without governmental oversight. But their sites aren’t limited to the U.S. alone. In February, one of the groups, the Charter Cities Institute, released its proposal to transform Guantánamo through “governance autonomy, private-sector investment ... Read full article.