Yes, the computing resources are required to secure the block chain. How much? The network needs to have at least twice the computing power of an attacker to pr

Yes, the computing resources are required to secure the block chain. How much? The network needs to have at least twice the computing power of an attacker to prevent that attacker from taking over the block chain. Although there are some ideas about how to reduce the amount of computing the network needs to prevent an attacker from forking the block chain: http://gavintech.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/neutralizing-51-attack.html http://gavintech.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/neutralizing-51-att... Another social advantage of bitcoin is that you can make transactions without being at the mercy of a payment processor. Wikileaks vs. visa and mastercard, for example.