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> Let's ground all the planes in the world because they enable drug trafficking. Let's make absolute pronouncements as if everything in the world is a black an

by Nursie 5y ago

> Let's ground all the planes in the world because they enable drug trafficking. Let's make absolute pronouncements as if everything in the world is a black and white moral question, rather than assessing things pragmatically. If we ground the planes, some level of drug trafficking will reduce, the knock on effects are that nobody can travel. Pretty serious to the world economy. If we severely restrict the ability to transact large amounts anonymously, as we have been doing in the non-cryptocurrency world for some time, we can impact the ability of criminal ransomware gangs to get paid, and the knock-on negative effects are ... ?

kcmastrpc 5y ago
Author opens with a absolute pronouncement and you're gaslighting OP because he did the same thing? > Let's talk about why cryptocurrency is the single factor that created the ransomware plague that is ravaging our healthcare system and public infrastructure.
- Nursie 5y ago
  Gaslighting? Oh please. > cryptocurrency is the single factor that created the ransomware plague Why is this wrong? Without the ability to get paid like this, are you seriously telling me we'd see this stuff on the same scale? This is also far from the sort of thinking I wanted to point out that the OP is exhibiting. We see it here on HN all the time and it wouldn't surprise me if it comes from coding - "I can think of another situation and if I apply the same rule blindly, doesn't it show that the rule is broken?" The point is we don't have to apply the same rule everywhere in a society, and a rule that doesn't work well in one place can work well and provide value in another. The law is not code. Human society is not a computer model.
- NovemberWhiskey 5y ago
  Just as a matter of interest, could you please supply a link to the last newsworthy ransomware attack that didn't involve payment in cryptocurrency?
Zababa 5y ago
Speaking about drugs, cryptocurrencies have enabled drug marketplaces that are generally quite safe for the buyer (escrow, better quality through reviews). The situation is now way better than buying something on the street. I'm not saying it's a good example of a negative consequence of "restrict the ability to transact large amounts anonymously" since you mention large amounts though.
- soco 5y ago
  In (many?) places the end consumer can buy some drugs officially and much safer than any darknet review can guarantee.
  - Zababa 5y ago
    Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear enough, when I'm talking about drugs I'm talking about the illegal kind, which you usually can't get legally (that's the whole point of those market, they wouldn't exist if there was a legal alternative that isn't way more costly). Of course legislation is changing but for most people in the world the only way to get weed, MDMA, amphetamine or psilocybin is through illegal means. I'm taking those four as an example because they're all getting legalised/are already legal in some capacity in the US, but all illegal in France. A small language point: I'm French and the word for I guess illegal drugs is "drogues", whereas the word for regular medicine (which is also called drug in English) would be "médicament", at least in common speak. Sorry for the confusion, I used "drugs" while thinking about "drogues", and not what "drugs" represents.
bikamonki 5y ago
I used sarcasm to make the same point: life is not a Disney movie. Why was the bicycle, a very simple machine, invented 100 years after the steam engine, a very complex one? My theory: the idea of auto-motion had to be invented first. I imagine, the inventor of the bicycle must have observed a moving train and though: hey! like those levers, my legs could move a wheel as well. Eureka! The blockchain is a very, very powerful idea, the application as decentralized, untraceable currency is powerful as well, even though we clearly understand the pitfalls. But the idea is already there, with real life applications, with many advantages. For this particular case, I think we better fix/improve infosec rather than hunt down cryptos.

by Nursie 5y ago

kcmastrpc 5y ago

Author opens with a absolute pronouncement and you're gaslighting OP because he did the same thing? > Let's talk about why cryptocurrency is the single factor that created the ransomware plague that is ravaging our healthcare system and public infrastructure.

Nursie 5y ago
Gaslighting? Oh please. > cryptocurrency is the single factor that created the ransomware plague Why is this wrong? Without the ability to get paid like this, are you seriously telling me we'd see this stuff on the same scale? This is also far from the sort of thinking I wanted to point out that the OP is exhibiting. We see it here on HN all the time and it wouldn't surprise me if it comes from coding - "I can think of another situation and if I apply the same rule blindly, doesn't it show that the rule is broken?" The point is we don't have to apply the same rule everywhere in a society, and a rule that doesn't work well in one place can work well and provide value in another. The law is not code. Human society is not a computer model.
NovemberWhiskey 5y ago
Just as a matter of interest, could you please supply a link to the last newsworthy ransomware attack that didn't involve payment in cryptocurrency?

Zababa 5y ago

Speaking about drugs, cryptocurrencies have enabled drug marketplaces that are generally quite safe for the buyer (escrow, better quality through reviews). The situation is now way better than buying something on the street. I'm not saying it's a good example of a negative consequence of "restrict the ability to transact large amounts anonymously" since you mention large amounts though.

soco 5y ago
In (many?) places the end consumer can buy some drugs officially and much safer than any darknet review can guarantee.
- Zababa 5y ago
  Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear enough, when I'm talking about drugs I'm talking about the illegal kind, which you usually can't get legally (that's the whole point of those market, they wouldn't exist if there was a legal alternative that isn't way more costly). Of course legislation is changing but for most people in the world the only way to get weed, MDMA, amphetamine or psilocybin is through illegal means. I'm taking those four as an example because they're all getting legalised/are already legal in some capacity in the US, but all illegal in France. A small language point: I'm French and the word for I guess illegal drugs is "drogues", whereas the word for regular medicine (which is also called drug in English) would be "médicament", at least in common speak. Sorry for the confusion, I used "drugs" while thinking about "drogues", and not what "drugs" represents.

bikamonki 5y ago

I used sarcasm to make the same point: life is not a Disney movie. Why was the bicycle, a very simple machine, invented 100 years after the steam engine, a very complex one? My theory: the idea of auto-motion had to be invented first. I imagine, the inventor of the bicycle must have observed a moving train and though: hey! like those levers, my legs could move a wheel as well. Eureka! The blockchain is a very, very powerful idea, the application as decentralized, untraceable currency is powerful as well, even though we clearly understand the pitfalls. But the idea is already there, with real life applications, with many advantages. For this particular case, I think we better fix/improve infosec rather than hunt down cryptos.