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This tends to be a focus of the Bitcoin community a lot more than other cryptocurrency communities. Bitcoin has technologies such as ASN based sybil attack prot

by Taek 6y ago

This tends to be a focus of the Bitcoin community a lot more than other cryptocurrency communities. Bitcoin has technologies such as ASN based sybil attack protections [1], satellite broadcasts that cover most of the land area of the earth [2], and setups that allow Bitcoin to be broadcast over Ham Radio [3]. Of course that's not to say the problem is ignored by other communities. Many people are well aware of the full set of dependencies of these crypto projects and the ways that external forces might be disruptive. And many people are working on increasingly sophisticated ways to eliminate these dependencies or ensure viable alternatives if worst comes to worst. [1]: https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues/16599 https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues/16599 [2]: https://blockstream.com/satellite/#satellite_network-coverage https://blockstream.com/satellite/#satellite_network-coverag... [3]: https://www.wired.com/story/cypherpunks-bitcoin-ham-radio/ https://www.wired.com/story/cypherpunks-bitcoin-ham-radio/

brian_cloutier 6y ago
These are all cool technologies which raise the bar an attacker must meet in order to disrupt Bitcoin, but it's worth noting that at very least America and China could absolutely overwhelm those defenses. The security of nakamoto consensus (Bitcoin and co) relies on a level of broadcast which is pretty incompatible with a world where the network is hostile and looking to disrupt your traffic.
- centimeter 6y ago
  > relies on a level of broadcast which is pretty incompatible with a world where the network is hostile and looking to disrupt your traffic. It would be prohibitively expensive and difficult to disrupt point-to-point radio (e.g. ham) and satellite communications enough to cripple Bitcoin.
  - brian_cloutier 6y ago
    The satellite doesn't help very much. It doesn't help at all if you want to send a transaction or Mike your own blocks. It's also very easy to know whether it's broadcasting. So if the mechanism by which Bitcoin is banned is legal, it's easy to find the owner and prosecute them for breaking the law. I'm not incredibly familiar with ham, but if you ever broadcast then you're inviting the authorities to find you, and shut you down. If you strictly communicate point-to-point it doesn't seem likely that you'd be able to tell the entire world about new blocks within a reasonable about of time. If you keep the 10 minute block interval then delays longer than, say, 1 minute, would be extremely problematic. I'm not sure how a Ham radio network could reliably tell the world about new blocks within 60 seconds without alerting the authorities.
chrisweekly 6y ago
Good points. Oh and FYI the idiom is "worse comes to worst" (analogous to "push comes to shove" -- an intensification past an activation threshold or tipping-point)

by Taek 6y ago

brian_cloutier 6y ago

These are all cool technologies which raise the bar an attacker must meet in order to disrupt Bitcoin, but it's worth noting that at very least America and China could absolutely overwhelm those defenses. The security of nakamoto consensus (Bitcoin and co) relies on a level of broadcast which is pretty incompatible with a world where the network is hostile and looking to disrupt your traffic.

centimeter 6y ago
> relies on a level of broadcast which is pretty incompatible with a world where the network is hostile and looking to disrupt your traffic. It would be prohibitively expensive and difficult to disrupt point-to-point radio (e.g. ham) and satellite communications enough to cripple Bitcoin.
- brian_cloutier 6y ago
  The satellite doesn't help very much. It doesn't help at all if you want to send a transaction or Mike your own blocks. It's also very easy to know whether it's broadcasting. So if the mechanism by which Bitcoin is banned is legal, it's easy to find the owner and prosecute them for breaking the law. I'm not incredibly familiar with ham, but if you ever broadcast then you're inviting the authorities to find you, and shut you down. If you strictly communicate point-to-point it doesn't seem likely that you'd be able to tell the entire world about new blocks within a reasonable about of time. If you keep the 10 minute block interval then delays longer than, say, 1 minute, would be extremely problematic. I'm not sure how a Ham radio network could reliably tell the world about new blocks within 60 seconds without alerting the authorities.

chrisweekly 6y ago

Good points. Oh and FYI the idiom is "worse comes to worst" (analogous to "push comes to shove" -- an intensification past an activation threshold or tipping-point)