I like the idea of a Bitcoin like currency with 100% transparency in universal use. Privacy is important to me, but if everyone on earth had access to all financial transactions that would help stop corruption. Use case: turning my personal software agent to free to evaluate candidates in upcoming elections, not invest in companies if I dislike who they do business with, etc.

That being said, writing it off as FUD is premature. The fact that it is getting written tells you where media and possibly government focus is now. We can either write that focus off or consider the implications.

Terrorist and criminal organizations are some of the most effective users of new media in the world. ISIS produces some of the most slickly-produced videos you'll ever see. They know and harness Telegram and other apps. If they are not stupid - and they aren't, they're looking for whatever advantages they can get. We can acknowledge this without a bias for or against cryptos.

The Bitcoin and cryptocurrency community has since birth by and large been about speculation and making stacks of cash. That's been it's reason for existence and adoption practically - otherwise it would just make for really cool tech that we all talk about on HN. It's been running straight ahead with fully anonymous protocols which while great have the most natural application in black market purchases, and early adopters/users that while they have a right to use them, practically don't need to - their actions are tracked via hundreds of other unrelated means.

The cryptocurrency community has done really poor job of policing itself. It's done a really excellent job of attracting attention through exchange after exchange being hacked and/or scams. Maybe it can't and shouldn't try to restraining itself or police itself, but the natural result of that is someone else is going to police it or shut it down.

Instead of just saying it's FUD, this article is probably ahead of the curve. This is going to become a bigger and bigger issue. Either Bitcoin advocates find out effective arguments or means or it's going to get shutdown.

If they really worried about $600 in the Gaza strip, what happens when that turns to $600k and then $6 million? Because that will happen as the technology advances. Does that give governments the right to intervene? No, but it makes a bigger and bigger target.

There might not be an effective solution, but it's the canary in the coal mine. The US government was never just going to let this stuff happen unhindered.

The fact that they are paying attention when there's not much to pay attention to is all you need to know. Just wait until there's a sizable sum a politician can make a media campaign out of...