There is one use case where a big time crime ring could make use of Bitcoins. What about kidnapping for ransom? It would be a lot easier for them to collect money if it was done thru Bitcoin. Let us all wait for the day that a Mexican cartel ransom demand is done in Bitcoin. Or do you see how the big time hit men in the movies only use their computers to send and receive funds? That could happen with the use of Bitcoins. It will be much easier for them and safer.

That is not the point. My point is there is an increase in some illegal avenues of Bitcoin's use case. Whether or not Bitcoin caused it or not is irrelevant in what I am trying to say. Like you said, it is a natural evolution in cyber crime. Well the use of Bitcoin is already part of that evolution and it will not stop there, it will grow over time and at some point it might be impossible to stop it. It will become a part of society's ills in their life with the internet.

I would say that is an excellent use case for Bitcoin if it becomes widespread and unstoppable.

Whatever they mean to do, it is not working. Right from the beginning the miners already know which "side" to support. To what reasons why they decided to pick a "side" is arguable. It may be politics, their earn or the safety and the well being of Bitcoin as a whole. So I do think in the end they will be supporting core all the way.

But is there really a lot in US Dollars they can collect from the use of Bitcoins? I do not think their ultimate aim is just to collect taxes. When the US government makes moves such as this one, there is always a hidden agenda behind it. Sorry for my distrust but we have seen governments around the world that seek to oppress and take advantage their people even in democratic countries.

Yeah this could be all for show and another fear mongering strategy used by the US government to discourage the use of Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. It will not be surprising if the ruling banks are trying to put pressure on the government to put a stop or even ban Bitcoin.

I ask this from a neutral standpoint. Then why is there a lot of hate directed towards the Core developers? They will keep developing and try to push Bitcoin forward in a way they think is best. But it is the miners who have the final word. Why won't the developers of Bitcoin Unlimited start campaigning for their cause instead of spreading FUD?

Exactly this. That is all hype and them jumping on the bandwagon while "blockchains" is still trendy and a buzzword. Do not worry everyone, everything "blockchain" will come crashing in time then we will all come back to the true and original Bitcoin.

I wonder what consultancy group advised them to use a "blockchain". Because they are scamming the Royal Mint out of their money. That is so funny.

Thank you for putting it in that context, that really clears everything up and that will be a good response to the people who are spreading FUD about how the Core developers are trying to seize control over Bitcoin.


Then I ask, why is there a need for all the drama from the Bitcoin Unlimited supporters since the miners will decide what is final anyway?

I do not consider it only good. It is a really excellent tool for doing illegal stuff online. Have you seen the interest from ransomware using hackers? It is increasing. I will not be astonished if we find out that different terrorist groups are using Bitcoin as a tool for value transfer.
 

That is not what I said. As a fellow Bitcoiner of course I want it to be used by the mainstream. But the question is, is there a need for it when the current system that was put in place by the banks and the government is already efficient and very convenient for everyone in society. Meaning if the banks serve a market space, there will be little to no need for Bitcoin. So what space does the banks refuse to serve? Those are the gaps Bitcoin will fill.

Hello Bitsane, I just took a look at the site. I would like to complement you on creating a simple design yet enough to get things done. I wish you all the best and I hope the volume in your exchange increases soon. I also suggest adding more prominent altcoins because that will help create more volume in the exchange.

My suggestion. Do not upload any form of identification that would compromise you or your privacy, maybe not now but in the future. It would be better to open multiple accounts with them to ensure that your privacy remains intact since they do not allow adding and changing of Bitcoin addresses. I do not think opening multiple accounts with them is against their TOS. In fact I think they allow it since you can link different accounts that you own.

That is merely pure speculation. Why? Because we do not have a final implementation of he Lightning Network yet. Basing that hypothesis on the early proposals, maybe it might hurt them. But it might not be in a big way like what you are trying to project. Do not forget that LN channels will and have to close at some point.

Bitcoin's use will never be for that. The current system used for day to day shopping works perfectly. The banks and the payment processors that are established are all giving efficiency and convenience to their users so Bitcoin has no place in it. Where Bitcoin thrives and will thrive more is in the black market and online dark markets simply because the banks do not serve that space.

Oh really? Do you think it is failing right now? Core is already being "dictatorial" according to some people in the community yet Bitcoin is thriving. The price is going up, usage in the darkmarket is increasing, there are more hackers developing more Bitcoin ransomware and usage will keep increasing.

A dictator is not really a bad thing. Look at the development of Linux. Linus is known to be a dictator but their community and the OS are both flourishing.

I agree with franky1's view on this. Do not listen to those guys they have their own self interest and agenda and that comes first for them.

In the final part of the video it said that the Bank of China is planning to create a blockchain for "digital Yuan". It also mentioned that it is based in Bitcoin's technology. So will it use Proof of Work?

I am not a bit concerned about this "threat". They can try banning it but there is really nothing they can do. How are they going to stop the whole darkmarket from using it? Or how are they going to stop the ransomware using hackers? They do not know what to do except to FUD and make threats. The regulators in Europe cannot stop unlicensed porn, drugs online, pedophilia, unlicensed gambling online and a whole lot more where Bitcoin is very useful for payments. Let us face it, this is the world we are living in now.

Nope the kind of "adoption" you are thinking of will not happen. Bitcoin is good for the dark markets, over-regulated systems, countries ruled by a dictator who controls everything or a country close to that situation and places where they make it hard for you to get and send money to your families. That is where Bitcoin's value come from. It comes from a place where the "mainstream" does not even to look into or to know.

In short, if it is "illegal" it is good for Bitcoin.

It all boils down to politics. This is about control too. I believe the people behind Bitcoin Unlimited want to take over development by forking Bitcoin away from the Core developers. Ver is backing BU because he has influence over it. In what his secret agenda is to this whole debacle, we do not know. Many people here assume that Ver is a straight and upstanding guy in the community. Sure I will give you that but do not forget that he is also human capable of nasty, deceitful things.

This thread belongs to Meta.

As for the newbie's concern, that is the way it is around here and you should not feel offended. This forum has every right to protect all the users from getting scammed. I feel that a large percentage of users here are out there to scam the more clueless and gullible people participating in this forum.

This is what I think. Everyone who are into cryptocurrencies already know that Bitcoin is where they should be if they want to make use of the "blockchain". They hype for the blockchain buzz word that was created so that people who ride that trend will make money out of it like what R3 is doing. Some will write books and sell snake oil in conferences. But truly what they want is to make money even if they do not really know what they are getting into. It is all a scam.