News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Bitcoin is a disaster by syshum on Thursday December 31, 2020 @08:11PM (#25599586)
>>People talk about governments cracking down on BTC because it will undermine the local currency or banking system but I think that's mostly paranoia

Incorrect, the government has no concerns over undermining the local currency. The primary purpose of banking regulations is population control, it has nothing to do with currency perservation

Know your Customer laws, book keeping regulations, etc are all about control and intelligence. If they can get this intel and allow BTC to operate as is they will leave it alone, if however they can not get the intel they need on how money is moving well you can bet your life they will crack down hard

Governments, all governments even yours, are about Power, Control, and Authority not what people seem to naively think that the government is there to "help" or "protect" or any other just altruistic goals.

Re:Bitcoin is a disaster by xapata on Thursday December 31, 2020 @08:16PM (#25599631)
Government isn't a monolith. There are individuals within the government that have altruistic goals. It may be helpful for certain analyses to simplify and consider a government as an individual, but for other analyses that's counter-productive.
Re:Bitcoin is a disaster by syshum on Thursday December 31, 2020 @08:23PM (#25599706)
Government is a monolith, the goals of the individuals that make up the government are irrelevant.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the most terrifying phrase in the English language is "We must do _____ for the greater good"

Government is not reason, it is not eloquence,it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant, and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.

Re:Bitcoin is a disaster by xapata on Thursday December 31, 2020 @08:30PM (#25599781)
You're spouting platitudes, which I enjoy sometimes for a dramatic turn of phrase, but they aren't helpful for rational discussion. They're best used for introducing a topic, but then we need a little more structure behind the facade.

Going back to the monolith question, the other day someone at the public utility helped me fix a mistake with my bill. That individual was not irrelevant to my experience with government power.

Re:Bitcoin is a disaster by chris_wot on Thursday December 31, 2020 @09:53PM (#25600365)
I’ve been noticing this sort of comment a lot in discussions of cryptocurrencies.

Take for instance the following response to the Ray Dillinger’s email:

Internet also became a disaster. We're very far from original ideas: Uncensored, decentralized ideals are forgotten.

I remember, in the beginning, governments were really afraid of people's reactions, even to make small regulations. Today, we don't even discuss before accepting any regulation about Internet. Infrastructure is almost completely controlled/owned by governments or cartels. [1]

That is so far beyond reality that it’s hard to believe this person was there “at the beginning”. The Internet, after all, started as a DARPA project...

1. https://www.metzdowd.com/pipermail/cryptography/2020-Decembe...