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It’s great for people who are sheltered enough to think that their governments are the least trustworthy organizations in existence, or who live in countries wh

by duado 8y ago

It’s great for people who are sheltered enough to think that their governments are the least trustworthy organizations in existence, or who live in countries where they are.

treis 8y ago
When you're buying drugs or transferring money for other illegal purposes the government is definitely the organization you have the least trust in.
- curiousgal 8y ago
  I always find such opinions quite pigeonholed. Many third world countries do not have access to online banking or credit cards. Cryptocurencies were the only way I could pay for goods and services online and the only thing that made me feel like an actual citizen of the world and not just some content pirate.
  - treis 8y ago
    Those barriers are likely due to money laundering laws and whoever is accepting the bitcoin is (probably) breaking the law when they convert to USD or other currencies. So you're right that it's not necessarily illegal purchases so much as illegal transactions. You can break the cryptocurrency usage into 4 main groups: Speculators, Lawbreakers, Libertarian types, and Techies. Otherwise, the financial system provides cheaper or more convenient options for payment.
    - curiousgal 8y ago
      > Those barriers are likely due to money laundering laws Again, the world is much bigger and more nuanced than you think, non-covertible currencies are a thing and they are due to a country's central bank policy not money laundering laws. > the financial system provides cheaper or more convenient options for payment. No it does not, if I had had ways to pay for a server using my country's currency, I would have used it.
      - treis 8y ago
        >Again, the world is much bigger and more nuanced than you think, non-covertible currencies are a thing and they are due to a country's central bank policy not money laundering laws. What difference does it make which law or "policy" the users are circumventing? >No it does not, if I had had ways to pay for a server using my country's currency, I would have used it. And if it were legal to do so there would be a way.
    - Erlich_Bachman 8y ago
      You do realize the world is bigger than US and EU, right? That there are many other countries in the world where the situation is not the same as in the first world?
      - treis 8y ago
        No, this is the first I'm hearing of it. Please go on about these "other countries".
        duado 8y ago
        Venezuela is a place where the government is the equivalent of a guy bursting into a shopping mall and shooting it up. In their case Bitcoin does have a genuine purpose.
        treis 8y ago
        And that purpose is breaking Venezuelan law. If the Venezuela government weren't a bunch of gangsters and made hard currency transactions legal then they wouldn't use Bitcoin.

by duado 8y ago

It’s great for people who are sheltered enough to think that their governments are the least trustworthy organizations in existence, or who live in countries where they are.

treis 8y ago

When you're buying drugs or transferring money for other illegal purposes the government is definitely the organization you have the least trust in.

curiousgal 8y ago
I always find such opinions quite pigeonholed. Many third world countries do not have access to online banking or credit cards. Cryptocurencies were the only way I could pay for goods and services online and the only thing that made me feel like an actual citizen of the world and not just some content pirate.
- treis 8y ago
  Those barriers are likely due to money laundering laws and whoever is accepting the bitcoin is (probably) breaking the law when they convert to USD or other currencies. So you're right that it's not necessarily illegal purchases so much as illegal transactions. You can break the cryptocurrency usage into 4 main groups: Speculators, Lawbreakers, Libertarian types, and Techies. Otherwise, the financial system provides cheaper or more convenient options for payment.
  - curiousgal 8y ago
    > Those barriers are likely due to money laundering laws Again, the world is much bigger and more nuanced than you think, non-covertible currencies are a thing and they are due to a country's central bank policy not money laundering laws. > the financial system provides cheaper or more convenient options for payment. No it does not, if I had had ways to pay for a server using my country's currency, I would have used it.
    - treis 8y ago
      >Again, the world is much bigger and more nuanced than you think, non-covertible currencies are a thing and they are due to a country's central bank policy not money laundering laws. What difference does it make which law or "policy" the users are circumventing? >No it does not, if I had had ways to pay for a server using my country's currency, I would have used it. And if it were legal to do so there would be a way.
  - Erlich_Bachman 8y ago
    You do realize the world is bigger than US and EU, right? That there are many other countries in the world where the situation is not the same as in the first world?
    - treis 8y ago
      No, this is the first I'm hearing of it. Please go on about these "other countries".
      - duado 8y ago
        Venezuela is a place where the government is the equivalent of a guy bursting into a shopping mall and shooting it up. In their case Bitcoin does have a genuine purpose.
        treis 8y ago
        And that purpose is breaking Venezuelan law. If the Venezuela government weren't a bunch of gangsters and made hard currency transactions legal then they wouldn't use Bitcoin.