Is stealing Bitcoin illegal?

[CrazyCraig]

If the question were you to make an account and it has some balance wouldnt be  a steal as you created the wallet, besides that if you had hackef or acessed someone wallets it would be ilegal as well a steal action.

Yeah that is what im trying to say, the wallet was created by you, how can you steal your own creation?  It is originally yours.  It is different from hacking thru accounts and getting bitcoins and transfer it to your account.  There is really big difference from this two.

In just having commonsense you can tell the difference of the two. If you didnt intentionally get the money or bitcoin on your wallet then it isnt stealing but hacking account to get money then its stealing and its illegal as we all know even in some things that we get that does not have permission to the owner.

In OP's scenario, i wouldn't quite call it hacking..

[romero121]

Every wallet is highly secure and generated with unique address, so the possibility to get a bitcoin address coinciding with other is nil. Very rare it happens. In my view people demanding ransom in terms of bitcoin is illegal than stealing, because in any way stealing is really hard with the improved and increased security features.

[deadsilent]

Thats a luck. You sure this thing happens? Or somebody send bitcoin on that address which is your address? I dont think if its possible to happen. If this really happen, we should not use wallets cause it generates bitcoin address that bong to others. By the way, as long as you did not use the bitcoin, thats not stealing. But if you use it, then thats stealing.

[carlfebz2]

Thats a luck. You sure this thing happens? Or somebody send bitcoin on that address which is your address? I dont think if its possible to happen. If this really happen, we should not use wallets cause it generates bitcoin address that bong to others. By the way, as long as you did not use the bitcoin, thats not stealing. But if you use it, then thats stealing.

It couldnt be called as stealing even he decide to spend those bitcoin was sent to him because  it was accidentally transfered to his address and he doesnt have any intention to get it to the owner. Stealing could be called if you force the owner  to get his belongings or you get the coin without the owners permission then its stealing but in his situation it couldnt  be.

[madwica]

Thats a luck. You sure this thing happens? Or somebody send bitcoin on that address which is your address? I dont think if its possible to happen. If this really happen, we should not use wallets cause it generates bitcoin address that bong to others. By the way, as long as you did not use the bitcoin, thats not stealing. But if you use it, then thats stealing.

It couldnt be called as stealing even he decide to spend those bitcoin was sent to him because  it was accidentally transfered to his address and he doesnt have any intention to get it to the owner. Stealing could be called if you force the owner  to get his belongings or you get the coin without the owners permission then its stealing but in his situation it couldnt  be.

That is true if there is someone send you bitcoin or accidentally transferred bitcoin into your wallet that is not called stealing and we all now stealing someone bitcoin is illegal and not tolerate by the law.

[QuestionAuthority]

The Bitcoin community has a special word for people that steal bitcoins: Entrepreneur

[Cryptonitex]

If that happens, just take it. But that chance of that happenening are next to nothing. Even if everyone started using it making crazy amount of addresses.

[entrepmind23]

Taking something that is not yours is really illegal may it be bitcoin or anything that you take without any authority from the owner. In the case you've given wherein you accidentally have bitcoin in your wallet upon generating it and you don't know who gave it then it is not stealing because there is no intention. But a chance of this happening is near to impossible.

[npredtorch]

Taking something that is not yours is really illegal may it be bitcoin or anything that you take without any authority from the owner. In the case you've given wherein you accidentally have bitcoin in your wallet upon generating it and you don't know who gave it then it is not stealing because there is no intention. But a chance of this happening is near to impossible.

It's confusing mate First you said that..

Taking something that is not yours is really illegal may it be bitcoin or anything that you take without any authority from the owner.

Then..

In the case you've given wherein you accidentally have bitcoin in your wallet upon generating it and you don't know who gave it then it is not stealing because there is no intention.

Lets just say that it did happen...

so, why would you say that it is "not stealing" to get the bitcoin in the generated address ( already been used by other people ), if you said in the first place that it is illegal to take anything without the authority of the owner?

[Zadicar]

Bitcoin is a possession. If you steal it, you're stealing someone's possessions! Theft is illegal in most places (Please feel free to name me a place that where it isn't)

Sure no one does, as we all know stealing is illegal all over the world  in all countries. Yes bitcoin is a possession and if ever  someone  tries to get it without your permission then its stealing. Even  if we dont refer to law,  its still on the bible written on 10 cammandments.

[trickshot22]

of course it is illegal because it is just regular stealing in my opinion

yeah, all the stealing is illegal and you just cannot do that to be honest, i think that i would just better try to make my own money instead of spending time stealing

[TastyChillySauce00]

I think that if you is stealing bitcoins in country when bitcoins is not legal, goverment will not start careing about it, but in countries where bitcoin is legal you will be a criminal.

can't be sure every country which consider bitcoin as a legal thing have already reglulated it yet,but,just for example like op's case,someone just found a money in the road when walking and suddenly got noticed,he pick the money and will leave,does the real money owner could use him because of it? i think no as long there's not enough evidence

[BrockHunter]

Of course stealing Bitcoin is illegal, everything that you take from someone else without there permission is considered stealing.
It does not matter if it is something real like a car or something that is on the internet like Bitcoin.

[davis196]

Let's say I generate a new address and by some miracle it has Bitcoin already in it belonging to somebody else. Is it legal to just take it? I understand those odds are very low, no need to lecture me, I'm just interested.

I don`t believe in miracles.If somebody sends btc to your wallet by mistake this isn`t stealing bitcoins.

It will be ethical to return those bitcoins.

I would return them,if i receive large amount of btc.

[danherbias07]

Let's say I generate a new address and by some miracle it has Bitcoin already in it belonging to somebody else. Is it legal to just take it? I understand those odds are very low, no need to lecture me, I'm just interested.

I don`t believe in miracles.If somebody sends btc to your wallet by mistake this isn`t stealing bitcoins.

It will be ethical to return those bitcoins.

I would return them,if i receive large amount of btc.

Not a lot of people will do that anymore. This world have been corrupted since it was created. But with your choice that would be correct and I hope after you do that at least the owner should give you a reward.

[extrabyte]

Stealing is ilegall whatever you want to steal especially when you want to steal money from someone's pocket (in this case someone's bitcoin wallet/address). People may not consider this as illegal because it is digital but it is still illegal because people can live from digital assets.

[Almagro]

I think that if you is stealing bitcoins in country when bitcoins is not legal, goverment will not start careing about it, but in countries where bitcoin is legal you will be a criminal.

[bjman]

I don't know of any place where having bitcoins is 'illegal'--they are just numbers. Maybe some places may not recognize the 'trading' of bitcoins for fiat and won't allow banks to deal with that, but they can't make just having bitcoins illegal.

[Viviyang]

Let's say I generate a new address and by some miracle it has Bitcoin already in it belonging to somebody else. Is it legal to just take it? I understand those odds are very low, no need to lecture me, I'm just interested.

Stealing from someone is Illegal, no matter what the thing is whether a good or money.

So ethics say that you should leave that wallet address and generate another one.

[QuestionAuthority]

Let's say I generate a new address and by some miracle it has Bitcoin already in it belonging to somebody else. Is it legal to just take it? I understand those odds are very low, no need to lecture me, I'm just interested.

Stealing from someone is Illegal, no matter what the thing is whether a good or money.

So ethics say that you should leave that wallet address and generate another one.

You're never going to make it in Bitcoin business with an attitude like that.