Re:HTTP 402: Payment Required
by wyager on Saturday February 01, 2020 @11:25PM
(#22215123)
New ultra-low-cost transfer networks like Bitcoin’s lightning seem necessary and sufficient to enable something like this. I would be happy to set a budget of e.g. a few cents a YouTube-minute that got paid out automatically by my browser.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
The problem isn't the tech; one could build a centralized micropayment system long before lightning was viable.
The issue is that receiving and sending bitcoin payments makes you regulated like a wire transfer service, and the resulting license costs to operate such a business are approximately 1MM USD per US state in which you wish to operate (before you can send a single payment).
It's madness. All of the cool micropayment businesses I want to start are illegal now.
Re:HTTP 402: Payment Required
by icebraining on Sunday February 02, 2020 @05:32AM
(#22216270)
But do you need to receive and send them at all? Couldn't you just act as a coordinator, sending the site's BTC address to the client so that they can pay them directly?
I don't understand. If I accept bitcoin payments, does this make me a wire transfer service?
If it makes the payment service provider a wire transfer service then Bitcoin and BTCPayServer already solves this.
Re:HTTP 402: Payment Required
by true_religion on Sunday February 02, 2020 @07:00AM
(#22216558)
I think it’s accepting bitcoins on behalf of another party that makes you a wire transfer service.