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Bitcoin was the only way for WikiLeaks to accept donations back when they were cut off from all payment processors.

jacknews 5y ago
The issue of payment processors cutting off perfectly legal and valid organizations, individuals, or whole classes of activity is a separate issue. Since they provide what should be considered essential infrastructure, they should be required to provide service to anything legal, IMHO.
- anonymoushn 5y ago
  Why is it that the rest of the time we should solve problems and this time we should wait for the state to solve them?
  - jacknews 5y ago
    it isn't 'just this time'. It's the same principle as law, vs lynch mob.
    - anonymoushn 5y ago
      sure. so uber shouldn't exist and we should all be paying more to local taxi monopolies who don't have mobile apps, and so on.
      - jacknews 5y ago
        uber is perfectly legal the last time I checked? And let's see how that story pans out actually. I don't agree with the taxi mafia, but uber are not exactly knights in shining armor either, and are only really viable because of a Venture Capital subsidized attempt to create a monopoly. Is your argument that bitcoin circumvents established institutions, particularly the unjust ones? I see the appeal, but those should be attacked directly; legally, and politically, IMHO. Not with tech hacks, the ultimate consequences of which are quite unpredictable, but also quite likely to just shift the concentration of power to a different set of people.
        anonymoushn 5y ago
        uber was not perfectly legal in all jurisdictions at all times. I would guess they were operating illegally in almost every jurisdiction when they began operating there. They in fact had teams dedicated to illegal activities in specific regions. There's an article about that here by Mike Isaac who also wrote a pretty good book about Uber: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-... It seems like if we ought to be waiting for the state to fix payment processors, we should also be waiting for them to fix taxis, instead of operating illegal "ride share" apps. My argument isn't about Bitcoin because Bitcoin isn't a technology that provides cheap settlement of dollars. Other technologies do though, and they additionally avoid the need to pay e.g. 3.6% (!!) to Stripe, which seems like it makes them worthwhile on its own.
        jacknews 5y ago
        You shouldn't just be waiting for govt to fix anything. Govt acts through the mandate of the people, so if you want it to do something you should be lobying and voting for it. Private enterprise quite legitimately alters the playing field by introducing new products, services and business models. LEGALLY. When it does so illegally, it should be stopped. That is exactly my argument, bad institutions should be disrupted by legal competition, or (better), legal or political pressure. Not by illegal circumventions.
        deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
        anonymoushn 5y ago
        I don't think you have to do anything illegal to send or accept payments in crypto.

The issue of payment processors cutting off perfectly legal and valid organizations, individuals, or whole classes of activity is a separate issue. Since they provide what should be considered essential infrastructure, they should be required to provide service to anything legal, IMHO.

anonymoushn 5y ago
Why is it that the rest of the time we should solve problems and this time we should wait for the state to solve them?
- jacknews 5y ago
  it isn't 'just this time'. It's the same principle as law, vs lynch mob.
  - anonymoushn 5y ago
    sure. so uber shouldn't exist and we should all be paying more to local taxi monopolies who don't have mobile apps, and so on.
    - jacknews 5y ago
      uber is perfectly legal the last time I checked? And let's see how that story pans out actually. I don't agree with the taxi mafia, but uber are not exactly knights in shining armor either, and are only really viable because of a Venture Capital subsidized attempt to create a monopoly. Is your argument that bitcoin circumvents established institutions, particularly the unjust ones? I see the appeal, but those should be attacked directly; legally, and politically, IMHO. Not with tech hacks, the ultimate consequences of which are quite unpredictable, but also quite likely to just shift the concentration of power to a different set of people.
      - anonymoushn 5y ago
        uber was not perfectly legal in all jurisdictions at all times. I would guess they were operating illegally in almost every jurisdiction when they began operating there. They in fact had teams dedicated to illegal activities in specific regions. There's an article about that here by Mike Isaac who also wrote a pretty good book about Uber: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-... It seems like if we ought to be waiting for the state to fix payment processors, we should also be waiting for them to fix taxis, instead of operating illegal "ride share" apps. My argument isn't about Bitcoin because Bitcoin isn't a technology that provides cheap settlement of dollars. Other technologies do though, and they additionally avoid the need to pay e.g. 3.6% (!!) to Stripe, which seems like it makes them worthwhile on its own.
        jacknews 5y ago
        You shouldn't just be waiting for govt to fix anything. Govt acts through the mandate of the people, so if you want it to do something you should be lobying and voting for it. Private enterprise quite legitimately alters the playing field by introducing new products, services and business models. LEGALLY. When it does so illegally, it should be stopped. That is exactly my argument, bad institutions should be disrupted by legal competition, or (better), legal or political pressure. Not by illegal circumventions.
        deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
        anonymoushn 5y ago
        I don't think you have to do anything illegal to send or accept payments in crypto.