A few blocks ago transactions were confirming with slightly over 20 sat/vB fees. Now the recommended fee is almost 600 sat/vB. Absurd.

Hyped.

(although price action is yet disappointing)

Payments for Round 25 have been sent.

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The signature campaign is being paused for the time being.

Thanks a lot for correcting me, I wasn't aware of this.

If you rely on a custodial service such as BitPay and they don't let you choose the fee, then there's nothing you can do.

Thank you for asking. We have not implemented the bonus feature yet as there are only 2 participants currently. So right now you can add affiliate link or not, it's up to you.

I will update the OP for now. Thanks for asking.

We expect to be adding more participants once some essential updates to the site have been completed (such as support for Bitcoin Lightning Network).

It's still possible we give rewards in form of temporary or permanent pay-rate boost so don't fret if the bonus is not active yet!

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Payments for Round 24 have been sent!

Why would it be forbidden to advertise a coordinator? Wasabi is already allowed because it's non-custodial and a coordinator is a part of that setup so as such I don't see why it would be forbidden. Only would it be a problem if the coordinator took funds of the coinjoin into custody.

It's an improvement.

My question for you: what makes services such as those in investor-based games different in that they are allowed to post ANN threads? They're contained in that section, there are warnings and such services are arguably more shady than mixers.

Exactly. How come these "investor-based games" i.e. scams deserve their own dedicated board but mixers are straight up banned. Ban every single one of these shady services if you ban one.

This is coming from a person who has NEVER endorsed a single mixer. I've never worn a mixer signature. I don't think there's any need for mixers. It's just this decision being weird considering what else is still allowed on the forum.

It would be far less controversial if mixer signature campaigns were banned instead of banning them completely.

I think the bigger problem here is that this change is controversial not because people think mixers are inherently good and should be endorsed but because there has been a certain degree of freedom on the forum.

Now suddenly (or less suddenly) it is being censored by banning mixers while allowing other questionable services to remain. The treatment is not equal and may lead to other decisions that overall ruin Bitcointalk as we know it.

Although the claims OP make are rather pointless, I disagree with you here. User Agent, browser language, resolution etc. are all very effective at identifying users without IP address.


I find it annoying that data collection has become this necessary evil that we must accept as if there was no other option. Modern websites would break because they want to collect data not because of any technical reasons on the server-side. Most websites do not work correctly with Tor Browser because there are additional checks or Tor is blocked altogether. The only options we have to browse internet privately are becoming increasingly difficult to use at an alarming rate.

The battle for internet freedom is already lost if we simply accept these things.

EDIT: Phrasing

This doesn't matter. If you see LoyceV and others as a threat, you should see anyone else on the forum as an equal threat. I don't see them collecting anything other than public information.

Regarding IP addresses, you should see every website you visit likewise an equal threat to your privacy.

If you don't like the services they offer, don't visit their websites. Simple.

Initially I thought this change wasn't so controversial and found myself even agreeing with the decision but I changed my mind after reading some discussion here.

This changes Bitcointalk and how we can view it as a whole. It goes beyond just mixers. An important remark made by people in this thread already is that Bitcointalk does not moderate scams. That goes to say, Bitcointalk is still a place where questionable services can exist and promote themselves.

Are mixers so different because they provide privacy or because they can be used for illegal purposes? In the latter case, there should be a massive crackdown on other illegal activity on the forum. Moreso because not every mixer in itself is a scam as people have already concluded in this thread. Otherwise this decision is very questionable. On the other hand, if mixers are being banned because of pressure from the government against services that provide privacy, it is also a questionable action. In that case Bitcointalk is an indirect adversary of privacy.

Must we start to worry in what other ways pressure may be applied on Bitcointalk and its operators?

Harizen was a part of a campaign I managed. Seems unlikely that he would have done this and so I believe his story about being hacked. Hopefully his issue doesn't get ignored and he regains access.

I assume if he was hacked there's atleast some indications of unauthorized access.

It's true that it's likely not wise to "trust" your smartphone but I don't think we can jump into the conclusion that devices are actively listening on us at all times. It is definitely possible but I can see it more likely to be targeted and not used on the masses because of the inherent risks for the party doing it incase it's revealed.

What I personally think is that people underestimate the vast amount of information that can be inferred by what you and your friends/family do online. Just by browsing something, the advertisers can infer another, seemingly unrelated thing about it. That's more likely how these suggestions come to be. You also need to understand that it's not just your personal activity online. If someone you know has let a social media platform access to their contacts, that means you will be easily connected to that person too.

There's so much information that can be gathered and inferred indirectly without the need for spying directly. The problem is that a lot of the "spying" is perfectly legal.

Good luck on the chase.

When I saw you post that bet, I had to wonder for a moment what was going on too. Luckily I had the game rules to fallback on but dewez had already replied...

Thanks for the acknowledgement! If only I had had 900 more merits.

I have to admit these kind of features could come handy sometimes. Keep up the good work on your website!