3 ms·

Yup, government controls ISPs, but as Bitcoin (or any decentralized tech) gets wider adoption more players will provide gateways to the network. Let's say (com

Yup, government controls ISPs, but as Bitcoin (or any decentralized tech) gets wider adoption more players will provide gateways to the network. Let's say (company names are just examples, I don't necessarily think those particular companies will do it) government-controlled ISPs blocked access to the core protocol. Google (over SSL + Secure /Encrypted DNS) might provide a gateway. GitHub can. Microsoft can. Apple can. AWS can. Facebook can. What can the government do then? Blocking those is effectively blocking the whole Internet. Eventually governments will realize that it can't be practically blocked.

kreeben 5y ago
...so they'll cut the cord and now no one has internet, or, they'll throw their hands up in the air in despair realizing "we the government lost, the people won, let's just give everyone access to everything and start trusting that our people will do the right thing with their newfound information". One of those things seem more likely than the other.
- can16358p 5y ago
  Thinking of how many businesses rely on Internet, cutting the cable is unlikely. They will eventually have to embrace it, or collapse economically.
  - bryanrasmussen 5y ago
    authoritarians can remain irrational far longer than their economies can remain functional. there's a reason why Orwell said a boot stamping a human face forever instead of a boot stamping a human face until it became economically disadvantageous to do so.
adrianN 5y ago
As far as I know China blocks a lot of things that seem indispensable to non-chinese audiences.
- can16358p 5y ago
  China went that route way long ago, and is in a unique position in terms of producing many, many goods that they can export. Compared to many other nations, they can handle it much better. And even on China you can access blockchains anyway even if they were blocked.

3 ms·

Yup, government controls ISPs, but as Bitcoin (or any decentralized tech) gets wider adoption more players will provide gateways to the network. Let's say (com

by can16358p 5y ago

kreeben 5y ago
...so they'll cut the cord and now no one has internet, or, they'll throw their hands up in the air in despair realizing "we the government lost, the people won, let's just give everyone access to everything and start trusting that our people will do the right thing with their newfound information". One of those things seem more likely than the other.
- can16358p 5y ago
  Thinking of how many businesses rely on Internet, cutting the cable is unlikely. They will eventually have to embrace it, or collapse economically.
  - bryanrasmussen 5y ago
    authoritarians can remain irrational far longer than their economies can remain functional. there's a reason why Orwell said a boot stamping a human face forever instead of a boot stamping a human face until it became economically disadvantageous to do so.
adrianN 5y ago
As far as I know China blocks a lot of things that seem indispensable to non-chinese audiences.
- can16358p 5y ago
  China went that route way long ago, and is in a unique position in terms of producing many, many goods that they can export. Compared to many other nations, they can handle it much better. And even on China you can access blockchains anyway even if they were blocked.