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Re:Bitcoin Mining Now Consuming More Electricity Than Many C... by annabellish on Wednesday November 22, 2017 @05:21PM (#15761193)
Most of these are just examples of bad things happening with zero explanation of how bitcoin could help. The ones which are to do with bitcoin are dubious at best.
Re:Bitcoin Mining Now Consuming More Electricity Than Many C... by mrb on Wednesday November 22, 2017 @09:22PM (#15762317)
I thought it was obvious how Bitcoin helped and didn't to explain... So it helps because it functions like cash: bitcoins are held digitally in your wallet and no one can stop you from transacting with them, unlike an account at a bank or payment processor that can be seized or frozen.
Re:Bitcoin Mining Now Consuming More Electricity Than Many C... by qplex on Thursday November 23, 2017 @02:37AM (#15763505)
It's not at all that obvious. Bitcoin is _not_ like actual physical localized nation-state backed cash, nor does it function like one.

In your list of examples Bitcoin is the hero that saves individuals from the oppression of a government or regulation, but sometimes it's the bad individuals (e.g. tax evasion) against a government and suddenly it's not so bad if there are ways to seize assets and close their accounts.

Re:Bitcoin Mining Now Consuming More Electricity Than Many C... by mrb on Thursday November 23, 2017 @01:13PM (#15766820)
Wrong. Bitcoin is literally digital cash: it is held in your wallet and transacted directly from wallet to wallet. There is no third-party intermediary (like a bank or credit card processor) whose authorization is needed to make a transaction. This is what makes it cash-like.
Re:Bitcoin Mining Now Consuming More Electricity Than Many C... by qplex on Friday November 24, 2017 @01:38AM (#15769794)
>no third-party intermediary ... whose authorization is needed to make a transaction. This is what makes it cash-like.

You need to get your transactions accepted to the ledger and you need to pay for that to happen as well (I guess whether the mining network is a third party is debatable).

Not mentioning that people will most likely use some sort of intermediary for their digital wallet to begin with.

Re:Bitcoin Mining Now Consuming More Electricity Than Many C... by braziliaagorist on Thursday November 23, 2017 @07:43AM (#15764642)
Well, only if you think that tax evasion is a bad thing..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Disobedience_(Thoreau)