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People who want to ban cryptocurrency will be using this as an excuse and scare tactic to get what they want. Maybe we should ban _paying_ the ransoms instead?
by msgilligan 5y ago
People who want to ban cryptocurrency will be using this as an excuse and scare tactic to get what they want.
Maybe we should ban _paying_ the ransoms instead?
- etripe 5y agoThat sounds a lot like Sweden's approach to prostitution, where the clients are punishable but sex workers aren't. The result is sex workers are less safe than they are in countries where prostitution is legal or decriminalised, but the sex market is otherwise undiminished. It also sounds like how many countries handle drugs, where possession is criminalised but somehow the consumption of drugs doesn't decrease. Shouldn't we be talking about what actually works?
- msgilligan 5y agoIt's not really a serious proposal, but as I see it there are four groups involved. 1) Ransom-ware criminals -- they are already breaking the law and are subject to criminal enforcement 2) Irresponsible businesses who fail to secure their critical systems 3) Hardware and software vendors who don't care enough about security because #2 doesn't care 4) Presumably innocent cryptocurrency users Banning paying ransoms adjusts the incentives for #1, #2, and #3 in beneficial ways and leaves #4 alone. I realize this wouldn't work in practice, so it's not really a serious proposal.