4 ms·

In the interest of accuracy, the title of this post should replace ‘cash’ with ‘Bitcoin’.

williamtwild 6y ago
Venmo = digital currency Apple Cash = digital currency ACH = digital currency Direct Deposit = digital currency Bitcoin = Digital currency Credit/Debit Card = digital currency Cash = an annoyance I guess you are trying to make a point but if you don't have your head in the sand cash and bitcoin mean the same.
- ceejayoz 6y ago
  > if you don't have your head in the sand cash and bitcoin mean the same Not when it comes to blackmailing someone safely from another country. There's a reason ransomware asks for Bitcoin and not cash, credit, Venmo, etc. It's the only non-reversible payment method on your list.
  - williamtwild 6y ago
    "It's the only non-reversible payment method " Cash is non reversible.
    - ceejayoz 6y ago
      > safely from another country Again, there's a reason ransomware doesn't ask for cash. It simply doesn't work for ransomware style attacks; you need an immediate, irreversible payment method that doesn't put the ransomer at significant risk.
      - michaelscott 6y ago
        You don't need a cryptocurrency to do that. Things like Western Union payments, gift cards, and (if you're really fancy) running bank payments through multiple jurisdictions have all been used in ransomware attacks. Ransomware has been around a lot longer than Bitcoin.
- amanaplanacanal 6y ago
  If cash and Bitcoin are the same why would anyone ever use Bitcoin?
  - swebs 6y ago
    Bitcoin is pretty much digital cash, with all the same advantages and disadvantages. Cash just can't be sent digitally.
    - ceejayoz 6y ago
      So, not the same, in an enormously significant way?
      - swebs 6y ago
        Yes, it's not the same in the specific qualifier that I explicitly mentioned. Digital cash. Don't be dense.
        ceejayoz 6y ago
        That difference is the entire point of the comment thread, though - the reason ransomware thrives on Bitcoin, but not on cash.
- null_object 6y ago
  My comment was somewhat flippant and I genuinely don't want to distract from this terrible situation for all the victims, but seriously, this type of criminal activity has been enabled by cryptocurrency, and the journalist who uses 'cash' and 'bitcoin' interchangeably the way that the BBC has done in this article should be ashamed of themselves. Cash may well be 'irreversible' in the same way as bitcoin, but how exactly would these criminals physically receive cash from all of the victims? How else would they be able to demand and receive these vast payments anonymously? edit: I'd prefer to get counter-arguments for genuine questions instead of downvotes.

Venmo = digital currency Apple Cash = digital currency ACH = digital currency Direct Deposit = digital currency Bitcoin = Digital currency Credit/Debit Card = digital currency Cash = an annoyance I guess you are trying to make a point but if you don't have your head in the sand cash and bitcoin mean the same.

ceejayoz 6y ago
> if you don't have your head in the sand cash and bitcoin mean the same Not when it comes to blackmailing someone safely from another country. There's a reason ransomware asks for Bitcoin and not cash, credit, Venmo, etc. It's the only non-reversible payment method on your list.
- williamtwild 6y ago
  "It's the only non-reversible payment method " Cash is non reversible.
  - ceejayoz 6y ago
    > safely from another country Again, there's a reason ransomware doesn't ask for cash. It simply doesn't work for ransomware style attacks; you need an immediate, irreversible payment method that doesn't put the ransomer at significant risk.
    - michaelscott 6y ago
      You don't need a cryptocurrency to do that. Things like Western Union payments, gift cards, and (if you're really fancy) running bank payments through multiple jurisdictions have all been used in ransomware attacks. Ransomware has been around a lot longer than Bitcoin.
amanaplanacanal 6y ago
If cash and Bitcoin are the same why would anyone ever use Bitcoin?
- swebs 6y ago
  Bitcoin is pretty much digital cash, with all the same advantages and disadvantages. Cash just can't be sent digitally.
  - ceejayoz 6y ago
    So, not the same, in an enormously significant way?
    - swebs 6y ago
      Yes, it's not the same in the specific qualifier that I explicitly mentioned. Digital cash. Don't be dense.
      - ceejayoz 6y ago
        That difference is the entire point of the comment thread, though - the reason ransomware thrives on Bitcoin, but not on cash.
null_object 6y ago
My comment was somewhat flippant and I genuinely don't want to distract from this terrible situation for all the victims, but seriously, this type of criminal activity has been enabled by cryptocurrency, and the journalist who uses 'cash' and 'bitcoin' interchangeably the way that the BBC has done in this article should be ashamed of themselves. Cash may well be 'irreversible' in the same way as bitcoin, but how exactly would these criminals physically receive cash from all of the victims? How else would they be able to demand and receive these vast payments anonymously? edit: I'd prefer to get counter-arguments for genuine questions instead of downvotes.