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Depends on where you live. I doubt you'd have faced any repercussions for buying that VPN subscription with your credit card, but the governments of other coun

Depends on where you live. I doubt you'd have faced any repercussions for buying that VPN subscription with your credit card, but the governments of other countries might not be so understanding. Bitcoin should exist for the same reasons Tor exists. Just because Tor is used by child predators and of little practical use to the average Western citizen doesn't negate its positive value.

the_cat_kittles 9y ago
"Just because Tor is used by child predators and of little practical use to the average Western citizen doesn't negate its positive value." you cant just say that and expect me to decide its worth it on balance, you need to make a case for it. maybe this isnt the place, but its a funny thing to just kind of assert. arguing that things should exist because there are potential upsides is missing the point, which is that the downsides may outweigh the upsides. its particularly bold to make that claim about tor- there must be a hell of an upside to justify the child predators...
- KGIII 9y ago
  It enables secure, private, exchange of data. That is reason enough.
- E6300 9y ago
  > its particularly bold to make that claim about tor- there must be a hell of an upside to justify the child predators Even if Tor didn't exist, there would be child pornography. Would there more, less, or just as much of it? That's difficult to say. It's also difficult to say how much easier it makes the lives of those fighting for freedom of speech. Thus, saying whether Tor is, overall, a "good" or "bad" technology would involve comparing two unknown quantities.
ableton 9y ago
I heard that the guy who invented TV thought it was going to be this amazing thing that would transit knowledge and learning like never before. After he saw all the junk they put on it, he regretted ever inventing it. The same could be said for the internet. A genius that invention that allows so much good in the world, yet the amount of mind-destroying, family-killing pornography on it makes one wonder how much better the world is with it. I think at the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that with every new tool comes the opportunity to use it for good or evil. So I wouldn't blame the tool, but rather the person who uses it for good purposes or for ill.

the_cat_kittles 9y ago

"Just because Tor is used by child predators and of little practical use to the average Western citizen doesn't negate its positive value." you cant just say that and expect me to decide its worth it on balance, you need to make a case for it. maybe this isnt the place, but its a funny thing to just kind of assert. arguing that things should exist because there are potential upsides is missing the point, which is that the downsides may outweigh the upsides. its particularly bold to make that claim about tor- there must be a hell of an upside to justify the child predators...

KGIII 9y ago
It enables secure, private, exchange of data. That is reason enough.
E6300 9y ago
> its particularly bold to make that claim about tor- there must be a hell of an upside to justify the child predators Even if Tor didn't exist, there would be child pornography. Would there more, less, or just as much of it? That's difficult to say. It's also difficult to say how much easier it makes the lives of those fighting for freedom of speech. Thus, saying whether Tor is, overall, a "good" or "bad" technology would involve comparing two unknown quantities.

ableton 9y ago

I heard that the guy who invented TV thought it was going to be this amazing thing that would transit knowledge and learning like never before. After he saw all the junk they put on it, he regretted ever inventing it. The same could be said for the internet. A genius that invention that allows so much good in the world, yet the amount of mind-destroying, family-killing pornography on it makes one wonder how much better the world is with it. I think at the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that with every new tool comes the opportunity to use it for good or evil. So I wouldn't blame the tool, but rather the person who uses it for good purposes or for ill.