5 ms·

http://reason.com/blog/2014/04/28/doj-operation-chokepoint-and-porn-stars http://reason.com/blog/2014/04/28/doj-operation-chokepoint-a... > Under "Operation Ch

by VMG 13y ago

http://reason.com/blog/2014/04/28/doj-operation-chokepoint-and-porn-stars http://reason.com/blog/2014/04/28/doj-operation-chokepoint-a... > Under "Operation Choke Point," the DOJ and its allies are going after legal but subjectively undesirable business ventures by pressuring banks to terminate their bank accounts or refuse their business. The very premise is clearly chilling—the DOJ is coercing private businesses in an attempt to centrally engineer the American marketplace based on it's own politically biased moral judgements. Targeted business categories so far have included payday lenders, ammunition sales, dating services, purveyors of drug paraphernalia, and online gambling sites. Bitcoin on the other hand doesn't care about these things.

dublinben 13y ago
That specific article is spreading FUD and perpetuating a hoax. There's no evidence whatsoever that Ms. Presley's case is related to the DoJ. >Bitcoin on the other hand doesn't care about these things. Bitcoin certainly has made itself quite a reputation for being the currency of choice for scammers, hackers, drug dealers, online gamblers, and child pornographers. Merchants who consider accepting BTC might care about those things.
- ryepdx 13y ago
  > That specific article is spreading FUD and perpetuating a hoax. There's no evidence whatsoever that Ms. Presley's case is related to the DoJ. Who cares if that particular case was tied to Operation Chokepoint? The fact that Operation Chokepoint is real and really targeting perfectly legal businesses should be enough! > Bitcoin certainly has made itself quite a reputation for being the currency of choice for scammers, hackers, drug dealers, online gamblers, and child pornographers. Merchants who consider accepting BTC might care about those things. The US dollar is still more popular for those sorts of things, AFAIK. Maybe some merchants will be dissuaded from accepting it for a while by those things. The question is whether enough merchants won't be dissuaded for Bitcoin to reach a critical mass of acceptance and use.
- Omniusaspirer 13y ago
  As someone who sells a lot of digital goods, the main appeal of Bitcoin for me is the complete elimination of chargeback fraud. It's just as good a tool for avoiding malicious intent as it is for enabling it. The nearly non-existent transaction fees are worth mentioning as well.
- VMG 13y ago
  You can either claim that Bitcoin is evil drugpornmoney, or that it doesn't provide additional freedoms. It's inconsistent to claim both.
  - etherael 13y ago
    Propaganda does not have to be logically consistent.

by VMG 13y ago

dublinben 13y ago

That specific article is spreading FUD and perpetuating a hoax. There's no evidence whatsoever that Ms. Presley's case is related to the DoJ. >Bitcoin on the other hand doesn't care about these things. Bitcoin certainly has made itself quite a reputation for being the currency of choice for scammers, hackers, drug dealers, online gamblers, and child pornographers. Merchants who consider accepting BTC might care about those things.

ryepdx 13y ago
> That specific article is spreading FUD and perpetuating a hoax. There's no evidence whatsoever that Ms. Presley's case is related to the DoJ. Who cares if that particular case was tied to Operation Chokepoint? The fact that Operation Chokepoint is real and really targeting perfectly legal businesses should be enough! > Bitcoin certainly has made itself quite a reputation for being the currency of choice for scammers, hackers, drug dealers, online gamblers, and child pornographers. Merchants who consider accepting BTC might care about those things. The US dollar is still more popular for those sorts of things, AFAIK. Maybe some merchants will be dissuaded from accepting it for a while by those things. The question is whether enough merchants won't be dissuaded for Bitcoin to reach a critical mass of acceptance and use.
Omniusaspirer 13y ago
As someone who sells a lot of digital goods, the main appeal of Bitcoin for me is the complete elimination of chargeback fraud. It's just as good a tool for avoiding malicious intent as it is for enabling it. The nearly non-existent transaction fees are worth mentioning as well.
VMG 13y ago
You can either claim that Bitcoin is evil drugpornmoney, or that it doesn't provide additional freedoms. It's inconsistent to claim both.
- etherael 13y ago
  Propaganda does not have to be logically consistent.