FBI director says agency preparing attack on data encryption after the elections: wsws.org/en/articles/2016/09/05/encr-s05.html

Note: for some reason bitcointalk doesn't like that link so you will have to add www to the beginning in case that wasn't obvious


Great interview about privacy in case anyone hasn't seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L60LU8LIi0M

But it doesn't have to be this way. If we push for adoption by more real merchants, we could actually spend our anonymous currency just as we can spend cash in person. This push for adoption will require teamwork though which is exactly what is lacking in this current environment.

I have made it clear from the beginning that most of my cash worth is spread between Monero and Dash. More recently, I've been making a whole lot more money in Monero than I have Dash but making money has never been the point. The ROI that Dash masternodes offer is just a bonus, as is the money I have been making in Monero, both of which I still plan to hold long term. I do not want a "dash t-shirt" or a "dash mug". I just want everyone to expand their scope of thinking and see everyone in the crypto space as being part of the same group and begin to treat each other with respect. While it is impossible to strip humans of their emotions and would be counter-productive to do so, I think we can hold everyone to a higher standard.

I believe in both currencies and the point that everyone continues to miss, including you, is that this is much larger than "my" investments.

This is about changing the way our species makes transactions and about giving everyone freedom which I really do not think we have been able to experience in our entire history. Decentralization was not technically feasible until just recently and now we have a chance to change the underlying systems of our civilization. But in order to do this, we have to overcome a lot of barriers and will have to engage with a lot of organizations that have billions of dollars at stake if the status quo was to change. They are not going to give up easily and quite frankly have not even started to fight us. The combined marketcap of the top 100 cryptos is only 12 billion. Do you know what that is to Goldman Sachs? 3 months worth of earnings. Do you know what that is to Apple? 1 / 50th of their market cap. They have not started to fight us because we are barely a threat.

We will be though and that is when the real battle will begin and I believe that is right around the corner. We need to get our ducks in a row and stop our in fighting so we can get organized for what lies ahead. Constructive criticism is great. Name calling, unsubstantiated claims and posts without links to evidence or that are phrased in an aggressive or childish way only serve to widen our divisions when we need to be doing the exact opposite.

Would any of this behavior be tolerated in the business world? Would any of this be tolerated at any reputable firm? The answer is clearly no and these are the very entrenched systems that we are up against. They will walk all over us as we try to push adoption if we do not change the way we present ourselves.

There is nothing "fun" about the direction our world is heading nor is there anything "fun" about the way that millions of people suffer under the existing monopolies of banks and remittance companies. I believe that each persons life is inherently meaningless and that it is up to the individual to give meaning to their own life through their actions. We, as supporters of cryptos have an opportunity to make a real change and I urge everyone to think of the big picture and act accordingly.

A lot of people appear to have missed the point in my original post asking both communities to be more cooperative. They can still compete and use that competition to innovate and they can still critique the other technology. What I believe needs to happen though for cryptos in general to succeed is to do this in a more professional and jovial manner.

You are correct that some of the discussions have used facts and have been productive but a lot of the conversations have also been without facts and very childish.

Here is just one of many examples that I do believe is "bashing" as it does not reference facts, evidence or data of any kind and instead uses verbiage like "scam" and "snakeoil".



Here is another example where "DashHole" is used.



It is a known problem that members of the Monero community actively make aggressive claims about other technology without providing evidence to back these claims up. In the last example, one of the Monero team is quoted in stating they cannot control members of their community. That is true and I believe stifling free speech always leads to bad outcomes so that is not something I am advocating for in anyway.

The one thing that can be done is for someone from the Monero team to make a statement that they do not support members of their community making claims without providing evidence. They could make that post in this thread and it won't have to be mentioned again. That way at least myself and others in the Monero community, including the aggressors, will know that the Monero team does not support this behavior and then hopefully we can move forward together in advocating for the adoption of cryptos.

By remaining silent, they are endorsing this behavior and it is off putting and unprofessional.

I have been investing and watching both Monero and Dash for over two years and am continuously embarrassed to be part of a community that acts so childish when so much is at stake. I have been vocal as of late as I am becoming increasingly worried at the direction our society is moving and believe that cooperation is more necessary now than it ever has been.


Speaking of stifling free speech, I was extremely disappointed that my plea to the Monero and Dash communities was censored on the Monero subreddit: http://imgur.com/a/Cqnz1

My plea is still on the bitcointalk Monero thread which is great but I'm not sure I understand why it was removed on the Monero subreddit.

It is a little hypocritical that the Monero team believes it cannot control certain members of its community but then actively censors other members of that same community that are only trying to bring a stop to the unproductive hostility.


I believe both communities should let the past be the past and open a new door towards cooperation but we cannot do that without the leaders setting an example for others to follow.

As the topic of why masternode owners are likely long term investors was brought up, I'm happy to chime in.

During the day I'm a derivatives trader. I really don't trust our markets so I never hold futures contracts for very long and whenever I do invest in something for the long term, I am always looking for the most yield with the least amount of risk.

Currently, I could park my money in treasuries, bonds, dividend paying stocks or even write my own options. What becomes fairly apparent when looking into all of these though is that the yield on both the safer and riskier investments is so low right now that at this point in time, they don't make a lot of sense unless those are your only options.

While Dash is not the only crypto I hold, it is currently the only one that does offer an inviting yield on your investment. On my masternodes I currently make 10% annual ROI. About 1.75% of that does get taken away whenever I convert masternode payments back to fiat due to various exchange fees but the remaining 8.25% is still a fantastic return.

While I know this is anecdotal evidence, I do think its safe to assume that a good portion of other masternode owners have performed a similar assessment of what will offer the greatest "guaranteed" ROI and chose to invest in Dash and its masternodes because of this. All investments have risks and your initial investment could go down in value. Dash is no exception but considering that I actually have voting power as to the direction of my investment, I feel comfortable holding Dash for the long term over lets say Intel or Apple stock where I could be earning a much smaller dividend with lower risk but would not have the same voting power.

Without incentivized nodes, I am beginning to doubt the long term viability of other currencies as I think they will eventually face the same problems that bitcoin is now. I really hope more currencies begin to incorporate incentivized nodes and I know there are several that are.

Here is a great interview with Snowden, Greenwald and Noam Chomsky discussing privacy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L60LU8LIi0M

When speaking about anonymous cryptos to outsiders and newcomers that are concerned with the implications of online anonymous purchases, this is a great link to send them.

Edward Snowden, Glen Greenwald and Noam Chomsky are examples of how we should conduct ourselves. Maybe you do not agree with or like one of the individuals but the way they conduct themselves is always productive. Even when I have seen them disagree with other people or opinions, their conduct remains professional because they see the bigger picture and they know what is at stake.

We too can have professional conversations about competing technologies but right now, the way the conversations have been going leaves much to be wanted.

If Snowden, Greenwald or Chomsky were to look through these forums and see some of the comments, they would be extremely disappointed that we are at the forefront of amazing technology and are squandering this opportunity to have a profound change on our civilization due to our greed of wanting our individual coin to succeed and the others fail.

There are many privacy and encryption technologies that compete and manage to do so without the emotional and childish outbursts that plague nearly every coins thread.

Think about this. Several have stated our battle for online private transactions is only beginning and I completely agree. We haven't faced the full onslaught of a government attack on our networks or the transfer of fiat to anonymous currencies. When that time comes though, the only way we will succeed is through multiple communities working together. We will need redundancies in place in case one currency falls so that at the very least, online private transactions can continue.

If you can't see this, please expand your scope of thinking and realize just as we need decentralized currencies, we need decentralized "options" of which currencies to use. There can never be just one or it creates the very same problem it was created to fix.


Thank you so much for creating this thread qwizzie. I look forward to seeing how this develops and will be thrilled if it results in some new ideas for improving Dash, Monero and Zcash or at the very least helps to foster a new sense of solidarity.

Not to beat a dead horse but this again why it is more important than ever for privacy centric cryptos to work together rather than bashing each other.

Here is the direct link to EFF article that was quoted:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/04/rule-41-little-known-committee-proposes-grant-new-hacking-powers-government


Again, the equation is pretty simple. We squabble, the world becomes like 1984. We unite, we at least have a chance of forcing their hand.

Please note, I say this with much love to the Dash community as I have witnessed you taking the brunt of the attacks so much of this does not apply directly to you. As this is a plea for both communities and is also posted in the Monero thread, I feel the need to post it here as well.


I am a long time lurker and holder of both Monero and Dash. I have made a lot of money holding both but making money has never been the goal. 80% of my cash worth is spread between both currencies because I do not like the direction in which our world is moving and I want to ensure that myself and the people I care about are well taken care of when the facade that now envelopes our society is finally lifted.

I have a plea for both the Monero and Dash communities.


The world markets are at all time highs, standing on a cliff, held steady only by increasingly desperate central banks and supported by governments that have yet to realize that neo-classical economics has failed. Well-intentioned but poorly executed ideas such as the ACA and Eurozone Refugee Policy continue to disintegrate and the media conglomerates appear dedicated to perpetuating fear so they can pad their margins. Our elected leaders are now preying upon this fear to usurp our freedoms and those campaigning for office are using this fear to manipulate their way into power. It is clear that the status quo will not change willingly and will turn to increasingly extreme measures to maintain their control. Our world is in a precarious situation but our involvement in Monero and Dash does allow us to do something about it.

I believe that until recently, true freedom and democracy has not been possible. It is only now, due to advances in technology and novel ideas such as the blockchain and DAO's, that we finally have the tools to ensure our freedom, regardless of what legislation our corrupt and misguided governments decide to pass in the public's "best interest".

The only way to solve many of the problems we face is to create technology that is impervious to government intervention. Where the people get to choose how they wish to transact and what they choose to purchase in complete privacy. I know there is continuous debate regarding which technology is more secure, or scalable, or a multitude of other things but I think the one thing both communities can agree on is they are both vast improvements over fiat transactions and even bitcoin.

The announcement from Jaxx regarding the required removal of Dash from their iOS wallet is a perfect example of the uphill battle anonymous currencies are facing.

https://twitter.com/diiorioanthony/status/771017555930705920
https://twitter.com/diiorioanthony/status/771033721881362432

While both technologies are taking different approaches to creating a digital equivalent of cash, the greatest hurdle they face will be adoption and this will not happen if the current powers that be continue to discriminate against them. This hurdle becomes a lot smaller if both communities work together.

Right now, the combined marketcap of Monero and Dash is ~200 mil which is miniscule compared to the entrenched systems. In fact, the entire marketcap of the top 100 crypto's is only 11 billion. I trade the S&P eMini during the day and on average, in the last minute of regular market trading, 50+ billion dollars worth of contracts will change hands. In one minute, five times more money changes hands than the top 100 cryptos combined marketcap.

Monero and Dash are currently the two rats in the corner fighting over a crumb while the corrupt banks and remittance companies sit at the table and feast on the entire pie. If we work together, we can have a real shot at taking a larger slice of the pie (while actually benefiting society) and believe me, there is more than enough to go around.

If you are just in Monero or Dash to make a quick buck, I imagine you stopped reading some time ago. If you are still here, I urge you to expand your scope of thinking and imagine what could be accomplished if both currencies were to cooperate.

If I dare to dream, I would envision a future where there are XMR and DASH trading pairs on exchanges, where we encourage others to use both networks, where the communities help test each others releases, where they combine forces to help both get added as payment options for major services and where ideas on how to improve both currencies are openly shared and discussed. If anyone is open to creating a new bitcointalk thread for mutual and friendly discussion of both cryptos, I think that would be a great first step.

We are all in this battle together and I believe the only way we can fail is by remaining divided. The real enemy is the entrenched systems that dictate our lives. Please do your part to help create a more cooperative environment, regardless of your opinion on which technology is superior.

I am a long time lurker and holder of both Monero and Dash. I have made a lot of money holding both but making money has never been the goal. 80% of my cash worth is spread between both currencies because I do not like the direction in which our world is moving and I want to ensure that myself and the people I care about are well taken care of when the facade that now envelopes our society is finally lifted.

I have a plea for both the Monero and Dash communities.


The world markets are at all time highs, standing on a cliff, held steady only by increasingly desperate central banks and supported by governments that have yet to realize that neo-classical economics has failed. Well-intentioned but poorly executed ideas such as the ACA and Eurozone Refugee Policy continue to disintegrate and the media conglomerates appear dedicated to perpetuating fear so they can pad their margins. Our elected leaders are now preying upon this fear to usurp our freedoms and those campaigning for office are using this fear to manipulate their way into power. It is clear that the status quo will not change willingly and will turn to increasingly extreme measures to maintain their control. Our world is in a precarious situation but our involvement in Monero and Dash does allow us to do something about it.

I believe that until recently, true freedom and democracy has not been possible. It is only now, due to advances in technology and novel ideas such as the blockchain and DAO's, that we finally have the tools to ensure our freedom, regardless of what legislation our corrupt and misguided governments decide to pass in the public's "best interest".

The only way to solve many of the problems we face is to create technology that is impervious to government intervention. Where the people get to choose how they wish to transact and what they choose to purchase in complete privacy. I know there is continuous debate regarding which technology is more secure, or scalable, or a multitude of other things but I think the one thing both communities can agree on is they are both vast improvements over fiat transactions and even bitcoin.

The announcement from Jaxx regarding the required removal of Dash from their iOS wallet is a perfect example of the uphill battle anonymous currencies are facing.

https://twitter.com/diiorioanthony/status/771017555930705920
https://twitter.com/diiorioanthony/status/771033721881362432

Let me be clear, this is not a benefit for Monero. While both technologies are taking different approaches to creating a digital equivalent of cash, the greatest hurdle they face will be adoption and this will not happen if the current powers that be continue to discriminate against them. This hurdle becomes a lot smaller if both communities work together.

Right now, the combined marketcap of Monero and Dash is ~200 mil which is miniscule compared to the entrenched systems. In fact, the entire marketcap of the top 100 crypto's is only 11 billion. I trade the S&P eMini during the day and on average, in the last minute of regular market trading, 50+ billion dollars worth of contracts will change hands. In one minute, five times more money changes hands than the top 100 cryptos combined marketcap.

Monero and Dash are currently the two rats in the corner fighting over a crumb while the corrupt banks and remittance companies sit at the table and feast on the entire pie. If we work together, we can have a real shot at taking a larger slice of the pie (while actually benefiting society) and believe me, there is more than enough to go around.

If you are just in Monero or Dash to make a quick buck, I imagine you stopped reading some time ago. If you are still here, I urge you to expand your scope of thinking and imagine what could be accomplished if both currencies were to cooperate.

If I dare to dream, I would envision a future where there are XMR and DASH trading pairs on exchanges, where we encourage others to use both networks, where the communities help test each others releases, where they combine forces to help both get added as payment options for major services and where ideas on how to improve both currencies are openly shared and discussed. If anyone is open to creating a new bitcointalk thread for mutual and friendly discussion of both cryptos, I think that would be a great first step.

We are all in this battle together and I believe the only way we can fail is by remaining divided. The real enemy is the entrenched systems that dictate our lives. Please do your part to help create a more cooperative environment, regardless of your opinion on which technology is superior.

Highly recommend https://www.dashwhale.org/

They have a mobile app you can download. Have to pay for the widgets if you want it on your home screen but its cheap for the peace of mind

While I don't want to bash Exmo as I do believe exchanges like theirs are crucial for growing our community, I ran into the same thing. In my case, I eventually gave up becoming verified as it was clear they were unwilling to work with me.

My application was declined due to their "home policy". In my many emails with support, they refused to explain what their "home policy" entails so I still don't know what was wrong with the application. I don't believe "home policy" has anything to do with my location as I'm in the US and was able to provide proof of address. I think it might be a blanket policy where they reserve the right to refuse verification to anyone they consider a risk.

I have had no problem becoming fully verified on 6 other exchanges so its unfortunate that Exmo is so difficult to deal with and is using a different process for verification. I sent them feedback on my experience so maybe if enough of us do the same, they will improve.