Preparation for the inevitable

[Akka]

Bitcoin may be changing the financial system. But the political systems are changing as well.

Look at this guys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_Party_Germany

Last year they have already moved into four state parlament in germany and will probably move into the parlament in the next elections.

Parties like them are forming in all european states. And there is already one in Canada ( http://www.pirateparty.ca/ ). (Damn US with their two party system.).

Systems are chaning. Not only the finacial system, but on many layers in paralel.

Getting this party to accept bitcoin donation would be awesome though. Pirate Party of New Zealand has already stated they will accept bitcoins. And the founder of swedens pirate party has moved his complete savings into bitcoin.

So maybe bitcoin will not be illigal after all.

[ElectricMucus]

Interesting developments, the Cyberspace declaration as well as Internet 2. So, do you think Internet 2 will be something separate from the internet, or is it just a name for a project on the internet? Also, I'm not 100% sure if the analogy to an age old declaration of independence makes sense or is valid. It seems a bit wanted, as in made to fit, and I have difficulties of understanding how a world of thought can or should be disconnected from a world of bodies. Would love to learn more though.

AFIK Internet2 is a genuine separate network, a darknet if you will, only that people behind it are in academia and goverment.

No, internet2 is mostly just a physical network, a subset of the internet, but with faster lines.  It carries same internet protocols and traffic that you are used to.  It just means that nodes on it have reliable high speed links to each other.

For example, Stanford can send data to MIT using private I2 links between universities across the country rather than handing the traffic to commercial carriers.

This is new to me, that it uses the same protocols is clear, why reinvent the wheel. But from my understanding traffic from the regular internet isn't routed over internet2 lines.

[istar]

Bitcoin may be changing the financial system. But the political systems are changing as well.

Look at this guys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_Party_Germany

Last year they have already moved into four state parlament in germany and will probably move into the parlament in the next elections.

Parties like them are forming in all european states. And there is already one in Canada ( http://www.pirateparty.ca/ ). (Damn US with their two party system.).

Systems are chaning. Not only the finacial system, but on many layers in paralel.

Getting this party to accept bitcoin donation would be awesome though. Pirate Party of New Zealand has already stated they will accept bitcoins. And the founder of swedens pirate party has moved his complete savings into bitcoin.

So maybe bitcoin will not be illigal after all.

Bitcoins are legal its just numbers...

[Come-from-Beyond]

If they attack our infrastructure we attack theirs.  If they take down GLBSE we take down NYSE and NASDAQ.  We can make battle cries that will really be heard around the world.

Déjà vu. I've heard these words said by a guy who organized September 11 attacks...

[ElectricMucus]

If they attack our infrastructure we attack theirs.  If they take down GLBSE we take down NYSE and NASDAQ.  We can make battle cries that will really be heard around the world.

Déjà vu. I've heard these words said by a guy who organized September 11 attacks...

Excellent trolling sir!

[disclaimer201]

Even if the Pirate Party came into power in any European country, wouldn't they ultimately face the same problems that bitcoin will be causing?

I doubt any country/government can allow to be without full control over their currency, not even the most liberal of all. Or would it be different if they started to accept taxes in bitcoin?

[kjj]

Interesting developments, the Cyberspace declaration as well as Internet 2. So, do you think Internet 2 will be something separate from the internet, or is it just a name for a project on the internet? Also, I'm not 100% sure if the analogy to an age old declaration of independence makes sense or is valid. It seems a bit wanted, as in made to fit, and I have difficulties of understanding how a world of thought can or should be disconnected from a world of bodies. Would love to learn more though.

AFIK Internet2 is a genuine separate network, a darknet if you will, only that people behind it are in academia and goverment.

No, internet2 is mostly just a physical network, a subset of the internet, but with faster lines.  It carries same internet protocols and traffic that you are used to.  It just means that nodes on it have reliable high speed links to each other.

For example, Stanford can send data to MIT using private I2 links between universities across the country rather than handing the traffic to commercial carriers.

This is new to me, that it uses the same protocols is clear, why reinvent the wheel. But from my understanding traffic from the regular internet isn't routed over internet2 lines.

Right, they don't typically offer routes across their high speed network to the rest of the world.  The whole point is having a good system for connecting one I2 node to another I2 node, not improving the internet for everyone.  But the project also is for learning how to manage dynamic high speed networks, and that will trickle out to the rest of the world as the rest of the world upgrades their shit.

[stochastic]

If they attack our infrastructure we attack theirs.  If they take down GLBSE we take down NYSE and NASDAQ.  We can make battle cries that will really be heard around the world.

Déjà vu. I've heard these words said by a guy who organized September 11 attacks...

Wow, I did not know you knew OBL and he used bitcoin, or could see ironic jokes.

[herzmeister]

Look at this guys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_Party_Germany

Sorry, but the Pirate Party here in Germany are wussing out already.

They don't accept Bitcoins because it's too "uncontrollable", they largely lean towards leftish socialism. They want a basic income guarantee for everyone.

They weakened their position about copyrights due to pressure from the establishment, their position's got not much to do with Rick Falkvinge's recent point anymore. They'll go the way of the German Green Party in the 80ies which started with high (albeit leftish) ideals but eventually got assimilated into the system.

[bg002h]

If the amount of people using bitcoin continues to go up as it has along with corresponding increase in services, at some point it will become an honest threat to the sovereignty of the state. At this point, the states (the powerful ones anyway) will have no choice but to intervene and shut down all of the services (mtgox, glbse, bitinstant, this forum etc) that users depend on in order to facilitate exchange within and between currencies. My question is: Is it possible for this decentralized currency to build out an equally robust and decentralized service infrastructure? If not, what is the contingency plan for when this happens?

If they attack our infrastructure we attack theirs.  If they take down GLBSE we take down NYSE and NASDAQ.  We can make battle cries that will really be heard around the world.

Yeah, the last thing the governments wants to do is come and attack a nest full of high level hackers.

(and no that's not a threat, just saying)

i think a nation/state financed attack on the network would actually be quite harmful to Bitcoin.  They could hire a much bigger nest of hackers

oh...and they can kidnap people and send them to Cuba...without too much international outcry...

[justusranvier]

If Bitcoin becomes really big and I believe it will in a form or another, then the governments would gain more by embracing it and taxing it, rather then shutting it down. I don't know why some people on this forum hold such pessimistic views... They're not just pessimistic, they're also unlikely.

I believe that mid and high level bueracrats will become increasingly desperate to cash out before the fiscal situation becomes untenable so if they start paying attention to Bitcoin at all it will be to launder whatever public funds they can get their hands on for their own use.

[Trader Steve]

I believe tools like the following for "in person" exchanges can be beneficial to avoiding the use of banking services:

http://TradeYourBitcoin.com

[benjamindees]

Something tells me a certain washed-up comedy forum is going to be excited when they come across this.