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There’s No Such Thing as Tainted Bitcoins
6.2.2020
All bitcoins are created equal. But in the eyes of blockchain forensics firms, some bitcoins are more equal than others. If these companies are to be believed, coins that have been used in criminal transactions are ‘tainted,’ destined to be forever linked with nefarious activity....
Overwriting Satoshi: Kraken Exec Says Bitcoin Wasn’t Built for Payments, Isn’t Peer-to-Peer
6.2.2020
As Director of Business Development for popular crypto exchange Kraken, when Dan Held speaks, people listen. As such, his recent 46-tweet diatribe on why the “payments narrative” for bitcoin is flawed grabbed the attention of many, tickling the ears of hardcore Lighting Network fans...
Wendy McElroy: The Narrative and Philosophy of Cryptocurrency
5.2.2020
“The central banks of Britain, Japan, the euro zone, Sweden and Switzerland have grouped up to assess potential use cases for digital currencies. Talk of such currencies gained momentum after Facebook announced plans last year to introduce a cryptocurrency called libra,” – CNBC....
What Is the Ideal Block Size and Fee Cost?
24.1.2020
Many of the debates around block size in Bitcoin operate under the false premise that the question can even be properly answered by a central authority. But markets are better at deciding these questions and block sizes and fee costs should be worked out by miners and users, not development...
Why User Experience Is Crypto’s True ‘Killer App’
21.1.2020
There’s been a lot of buzz in the space recently about the importance of user experience. Kim Dotcom’s proclamation that “Mass utility is going to lead to mass adoption,” speaks to this. Peter Schiff’s bitcoin wallet fiasco, CZ’s claim that centralized exchanges...
Unnecessary Evil: How Government Regulations Kill Crypto Startups and Encourage Crime
16.1.2020
Thanks to the EU’s most recent money laundering directive, a small business called Post-a-coin, which sold cute postcards pre-loaded with tiny amounts of bitcoin, is being forced to shut down. Meanwhile, the most heinous criminals in history are continuing to facilitate violence, trafficking...
Why the Counter Economy Is Necessary to Bitcoin’s Survival as a Disruptive Currency
9.1.2020
As Bitcoin is adopted by more and more traditional financial institutions, and becomes regulated by governments worldwide, the question of its survival as a truly disruptive alternative to legacy financial systems is raised. After all, if governments like Qatar’s can ban it, and international...
Stablecoins Are Crypto’s Version of Fractional Reserve Banking
6.1.2020
Stablecoins provide much sought after stability in the volatile crypto markets. They are sometimes even said to affect the price of bitcoin in drastic fashion. Tether (USDT) in particular continues to be widely scrutinized for this, with recent lawsuits about conflicts of interest and price...
Was Youtube’s Christmas Crypto Purge Illegal?
2.1.2020
This article considers the legal implications of Youtube’s notorious purge of crypto channels on Christmas Eve. What legal context induces Youtube and other social media giants to operate as they do? The article does not explore whether it is morally proper to terminate a contract without...
Why Nick Szabo Probably Isn’t Satoshi
2.1.2020
Search online for ‘possible creators of Bitcoin’ and Bit Gold creator Nick Szabo will always appear near the top of the list. His long history in the cypherpunk space, his writings on money, digital cash, and smart contracts, and some facts about his past have often been used to create...
France’s Social Media Stalking Points to the Violence of Fiat, Consent of Crypto
29.12.2019
France will soon be monitoring social media accounts to catch suspected tax evaders. The endeavor could label anyone as suspicious who so much as posts a “taxation is theft” meme or a poses with a nice car. The country’s budget minister, Gérald Darmanin, called...
Crypto’s Counterpunch to U.S. Hegemony and Empire
27.12.2019
“The Muslim world should be designing measures to save themselves from the domination of the United States dollar and the American financial regime.” —Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran Also Read: Crypto Confronts Social Justice Warriors Hegemony and Muslim Resistance Hegemony...
Crypto Confronts Social Justice Warriors
24.12.2019
“Many men are lamenting the “man-hating” rhetoric that they have imagined stemming from SJWs. It just so happens that many of these men are also heavily involved in cryptocurrencies due to the notion that Bitcoin can restore their libertarian ideals.”– Ross Chalmers...
Iran, Hong Kong, India: Failed Protests Point to Need for Crypto-Anarchy ‘Second Realms’
13.12.2019
What is the second realm? It’s both an abstract and concrete “place” parallel to here, where temporary autonomous zones (TAZ) provide a chance to escape the burning surveillance spotlight of the state and brutal law enforcement culture, and allow for at least temporary exercises...
The State Encourages ICO Fraud. The Free Market Minimizes It
11.12.2019
Many Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have been and are frauds. The state enables this con game in various ways, including the establishment of accredited investors and the regulation of businesses that sell equity. Shut off from the most lucrative aspects of investment, average people rush into...
The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto
8.12.2019
A specter is haunting the modern world, the specter of crypto anarchy. Computer technology is on the verge of providing the ability for individuals and groups to communicate and interact with each other in a totally anonymous manner. Two persons may exchange messages, conduct business,...
The Politics of Destruction
6.12.2019
For some time now, I have been aware of a widespread fascination among many libertarians with Jim Bell’s “Assassination Politics” (AP). At my request, Robert Vroman has defended the merits of AP. In this article, I will argue that AP is just about the single worst idea that...
The Jim Bell System
2.12.2019
As I write this article on July 3, 2002, I am already hearing out my window the occasional pops of micro-explosives enthusiasts getting a head start on their annual excuse to play with things that go bang and supposedly celebrate their freedom. Tomorrow, libertarians across the country will use...
The Jim Bell System Revisited
1.12.2019
Let me re-emphasize that I have neither the knowledge nor the will to implement this system. I certainly don’t like the State, but I would rather concentrate my energies on constructive rather than destructive solutions. That said, I still think governments everywhere are going to be staring...
Don’t Blame China: Why BTC Still Can’t Compete With Fiat
26.11.2019
In the wake of recent price movements, doubts are beginning to crop up more and more around BTC maximalist circles. As focus shifts from Satoshi’s founding vision of the coin as cash to a mere digital gold to be saved and “cashed out” later, valid questions are indeed raised....