Bitcoin Forum

I was reading recently the UN declaration of universal human rights and it occurred to me that we should have a list of rights to be associated with bitcoin and the usage of cryptocurrency. Something along the lines of a free right to make out own monetary system, to choose our methods of storing value and the right to our private keys (which could just be data in our heads aka brain wallet). That sort of thing. I will be working on it this month and the organizing people to attend conferences to gather signatures. That way we can set out our vision of our rights regarding bitcoin that we hope to see either all countries adopt or represent an ideal for the community.

Any thoughts about what should be included? What should not be included?

as soon as you start laying down rules about what should and shouldn't be included. you go against freedoms.

it should be an unwritten rule, more of a moral guidelines.

EG as soon as you say people have the right to own bitcoins. this can be abused to say that stealing someone elses coins is ok, thus they now have coins they have a right to own.

much like having the right to healthcare, they feel they don't have to work for it or pay government taxes, they just feel like its a birthright to not contribute to government funded schemes, yet grab the benefits.

this is the mentality that thieves that are starving feel they have the right to steal food purely on the presumption that they have the right to live and the right to feed their children. not thinking about getting a job to earn funds.

although a bitcoin charter, wont truly become legal rights to then be abused, i just used the examples above to show how people treat their 'RIGHTS'

The world so dearly loves a cage. 

Valid points, but reading the UN Charter of human rights try do A good of expression what the spirit of the document should be for, and we can do the same. Indeed this UN charter on human rights is not legally binding, even for signatories.

Your right that a document can be a cage or should be left 'unspoken' but that involves a pretty big assumption: someone is going to work hard at defining bitcoin- be it banks, corporations, the wikelvie twins, or whomever. Having a charter doesn't represent anything other then a group of people's beliefs- not everyone's.

Also, sometimes people write pretty good declarations- like the US Declaration of Independence or constitution. I am sure there are enough smart people here to our together a document that is well written, full of hope and idealism.

I think the idea is cool but one of the great things about bitcoin is that I don't need to declare any rights in order to use them.  Simply using bitcoin is a declaration of your right.

I do think declaring some basic rights would be good to prevent the over-regulation of cryptocurrencies but it would be hard to come up with something everyone would agree on.