After Liberty Reserve, an online payment system, was shut down by law enforcement authorities Tuesday, many wondered whether Bitcoin, the digital currency, would be next.
Just a couple of years ago, a large pepperoni pizza would have cost you 10,000 Bitcoins. Now, a single Bitcoin is worth roughly $129. Bitcoin’s meteoric rise has been driven up largely by speculators who believe, like gold, it could be a haven from the fluctuations of other currencies. But in small part, that jump also has been driven by those who believe the digital currency provides anonymous cover for illicit transactions
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/bitcoin-is-not-anonymous-but-it-could-be/
