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This feels like another version of the 90s cryptowars - a lot of the arguments are similar. Encryption enabled regular people to have private communications, bu

This feels like another version of the 90s cryptowars - a lot of the arguments are similar. Encryption enabled regular people to have private communications, but at the cost of bad people also having private communications. Tornado cash allows regular people to have private blockchain transactions on ethereum (where with blockchain everything is extremely public otherwise), but at the cost that bad people can also have privacy. Sanctioning tornado addresses is similar to the export munitions thing with crypto and keys, particularly weird since tornado seemed to go out of their way to build in compliance tooling? IANAL, but there's some strong precedence for speech protections with regard to code.

soco 4y ago
Allows regular people to wash the little pocket money they might have, and try to not pay taxes on them.
- imtringued 4y ago
  A lot of people in Greece simply didn't pay taxes because they could easily get away with it. It might be okay if a few people do it, but if everyone does it, it destabilises the country and the damage will go beyond politicians losing their seats.
  - sgjohnson 4y ago
    > A lot of people in Greece simply didn't pay taxes because they could easily get away with it. It might be okay if a few people do it, but if everyone does it, it destabilises the country and the damage will go beyond politicians losing their seats. No. It's deeply rooted in Greek culture to the point that VAT is basically an optional tax for most entrepreneurs. Virtually nobody at all pays VAT on cash sales in Greece, and there's virtually no enforcement on it, so the only risk of getting caught is if you've pissed off someone with connections. So everyone does it, and Greece is reasonably stable.
- gonehome 4y ago
  I have no interest in helping the people trying to evade taxes (at least they’re not the group I care about), I care about the people that want private transactions and pay their taxes. There are good reasons to want privacy around financial transactions that are not tax evasion or money laundering. This is especially true in the blockchain world where everything is extremely public. Just like there are good reasons to want private communication even if you're not committing crimes.

soco 4y ago

Allows regular people to wash the little pocket money they might have, and try to not pay taxes on them.

imtringued 4y ago
A lot of people in Greece simply didn't pay taxes because they could easily get away with it. It might be okay if a few people do it, but if everyone does it, it destabilises the country and the damage will go beyond politicians losing their seats.
- sgjohnson 4y ago
  > A lot of people in Greece simply didn't pay taxes because they could easily get away with it. It might be okay if a few people do it, but if everyone does it, it destabilises the country and the damage will go beyond politicians losing their seats. No. It's deeply rooted in Greek culture to the point that VAT is basically an optional tax for most entrepreneurs. Virtually nobody at all pays VAT on cash sales in Greece, and there's virtually no enforcement on it, so the only risk of getting caught is if you've pissed off someone with connections. So everyone does it, and Greece is reasonably stable.
gonehome 4y ago
I have no interest in helping the people trying to evade taxes (at least they’re not the group I care about), I care about the people that want private transactions and pay their taxes. There are good reasons to want privacy around financial transactions that are not tax evasion or money laundering. This is especially true in the blockchain world where everything is extremely public. Just like there are good reasons to want private communication even if you're not committing crimes.