Effects of Banning Bitcoin ?

[bitbunnny]

Banning has no sense, this can't stop people from using Bitcoin. This reaction of some governments is just product of their fear of new and unknown to them but you can't stop the progress, we all know that.
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have become the part of financial world and inevitable facts in everyday life. Sooner or later even the countries who have banned  Bitcoin will have to accept it if they want to be the part of modern and civilized world.

[Jeremycoin]

Some of the users would stop using it at first, but as time goes by most of them would be back again to use Bitcoin. Because even tho Bitcoin got banned people wouldn't just leave it there, and the government shouldn't intervene with it.

[Milkduds]

Banning bitcoin achieves a slow strangle on the situation. You stop those people that where on the fence in the said Country from jumping on board. You also detract a few people active in the community because some of us have lives that can be easily tarnished or destroyed with the wrong light.
The tools used alone always look less than but when you use them together with other aspects you do achieve the goal they set forth.
Basically I see a lot of talk about bitcoin being above governing powers but people that state this usually have not been in a country that has stripped basic rights and made people do things they never would have imagined to their own loved ones.
Its easy to state these things when times are good or you trust the governing powers. Try to put your selves in the shoes of those that face far greater punishment and you may see that bitcoin is more fleeting than you are lead to believe.

[AgentofCoin]

...
Basically I see a lot of talk about bitcoin being above governing powers but people that state this usually have not been in a country that has stripped basic rights and made people do things they never would have imagined to their own loved ones.
Its easy to state these things when times are good or you trust the governing powers. Try to put your selves in the shoes of those that face far greater punishment and you may see that bitcoin is more fleeting than you are lead to believe.

When people are referring to "governmental powers" they are usually not referring to
an oppressive regime that is torturing and killing their own citizens. In that case, anyone
"caught" using Bitcoin/bitcoin would be effectively "eliminated" as the way to "regulate" its use.

But in normal countries, that is considered illegal and immoral, so your statement does not apply.
Currently, government attempts to "regulate by law" can not be incorporated into the Bitcoin network.

Your "bitcoin is fleeting" comment is pretty naive, since in your scenario Bitcoin/bitcoin use would be
the least of our worries. Western civilization, human rights, justice, and freedom would be over.

[Jambolb2]

Some of the users would stop using it at first, but as time goes by most of them would be back again to use Bitcoin. Because even tho Bitcoin got banned people wouldn't just leave it there, and the government shouldn't intervene with it.

The first point is that it wont get banned now as it has been around for almost 8 years now... and in that period it had already faced quite a lot of ups and downs and now it has already started progressing towards mainstream... i don't think any good or big country would like to ban a technology like bitcoin that can be of help for them in coming time...

[arcanaaerobics]

The funny thing here is: everybody talks about USA like a freedom source/power/whatever

Well, they can/will ban because anyone can use it and they can't control, like ISIS or whatever

On the other side, they can use the blockchain to create their own altcoin and have control

I don't know how many wales are using bitcoin in this countries, but if you are a wale, just move to another country, freedoom is everything

[DOGE12321]

I don’t know. I mean there are quite a large number of people that still use Bitcoin although it is banned in their countries. Moreover, Bitcoin does not really pose any threat to a country in any way at the moment. However, if more people opt for Bitcoin rather than fiat, the government’s economy could be affected.
Personally, I want Bitcoin to develop and to be open to all. It should not be restricted to only a minority of the population. I think it would be great to see this community expand and grow.

[Dassi]

Bitcoin can not be banned worldwide, there will always be countries where it can be spent without hassles.

[Milkduds]

...
Basically I see a lot of talk about bitcoin being above governing powers but people that state this usually have not been in a country that has stripped basic rights and made people do things they never would have imagined to their own loved ones.
Its easy to state these things when times are good or you trust the governing powers. Try to put your selves in the shoes of those that face far greater punishment and you may see that bitcoin is more fleeting than you are lead to believe.

When people are referring to "governmental powers" they are usually not referring to
an oppressive regime that is torturing and killing their own citizens. In that case, anyone
"caught" using Bitcoin/bitcoin would be effectively "eliminated" as the way to "regulate" its use.

But in normal countries, that is considered illegal and immoral, so your statement does not apply.
Currently, government attempts to "regulate by law" can not be incorporated into the Bitcoin network.

Your "bitcoin is fleeting" comment is pretty naive, since in your scenario Bitcoin/bitcoin use would be
the least of our worries. Western civilization, human rights, justice, and freedom would be over.

Its all different lines of the heavy hand by government. Just because "normal" government uses a slow push,as opposed to the heavy hand does not change the statement. What seems like a plan for the better is often a strip down of more human rights in the long term and does nothing to close the gap on the issue they where doing it for.
Just because people do not talk about the violent nature of governing bodies in some countries does not dismiss the fact that government does not have the interests of the people at hand when they crack down on things like bitcoin. "Normal government is also not as normal as you would like to believe and we are a global forum that draws from all parts of the world.

I do not see my statement about bitcoin being off either,if we enter a turbulent time it is what it is. You can not cast the statement aside because it is more black and white than you prefer. Think you also make a lot of the same points you just take issue with how I say it.

[mindrust]

There would be a huge amount of panic if a major country like Russia, China or USA bans bitcoin. It can go below half of what it is in seconds.

Banning bitcoin is practically impossible but illegal is illegal. If your government says it is illegal to do it, you have to accept it. You can still do it but if you get caught, they can punish you for doing it.

That's going to create a huge negative psychological effect on bitcoin and it won't be easy to recover from there.

[tempo7]

Prohibit something is never a good solve. In history we see a lot of examples about it. For instance drugs are prohibit in most of countries but millions of people using different drugs for years. Banning bitcoin has a positive effect for bitcoin i think because people always wonder forbidden and hidden things.

[AgentofCoin]

...
Basically I see a lot of talk about bitcoin being above governing powers but people that state this usually have not been in a country that has stripped basic rights and made people do things they never would have imagined to their own loved ones.
Its easy to state these things when times are good or you trust the governing powers. Try to put your selves in the shoes of those that face far greater punishment and you may see that bitcoin is more fleeting than you are lead to believe.

When people are referring to "governmental powers" they are usually not referring to
an oppressive regime that is torturing and killing their own citizens. In that case, anyone
"caught" using Bitcoin/bitcoin would be effectively "eliminated" as the way to "regulate" its use.

But in normal countries, that is considered illegal and immoral, so your statement does not apply.
Currently, government attempts to "regulate by law" can not be incorporated into the Bitcoin network.

Your "bitcoin is fleeting" comment is pretty naive, since in your scenario Bitcoin/bitcoin use would be
the least of our worries. Western civilization, human rights, justice, and freedom would be over.

Its all different lines of the heavy hand by government. Just because "normal" government uses a slow push,as opposed to the heavy hand does not change the statement. What seems like a plan for the better is often a strip down of more human rights in the long term and does nothing to close the gap on the issue they where doing it for.
Just because people do not talk about the violent nature of governing bodies in some countries does not dismiss the fact that government does not have the interests of the people at hand when they crack down on things like bitcoin. "Normal government is also not as normal as you would like to believe and we are a global forum that draws from all parts of the world.

I do not see my statement about bitcoin being off either,if we enter a turbulent time it is what it is. You can not cast the statement aside because it is more black and white than you prefer. Think you also make a lot of the same points you just take issue with how I say it.

Your original response was in the context of governments that "[make] people do things they never
would have imagined to their own loved ones." and "Try to put your selves in the shoes of those that
face far greater punishment.". Those statements refers to oppressive regimens since it implies bodily
harm that is illegal in most if not all Western Countries, with rights that protect individuals as well as their
families. Interestingly, in most western countries today, the death penalty is outlawed, even for people
where there is video of their murder of another. So in most western countries today, even that is
considered "wrong" and not acceptable.

In addition, there are many mechanisms that exist in order to "correct" a failure of government that may
become more tyrannical or begin outright violating the laws. For you statement to be true, those nations
would need to be in martial law situations or the outright disbanding of the documents which grant the rights
to those citizens.

Normal governments are governments that are run by their own citizens, as opposed to the military, religious,
dictators, or other "self appointed leaders or council members". These are the types of governments you were
originally referring to, since in those countries it is possible that illegal bitcoin use could lead to "greater
punishments", then just fining or jail time.

Are you arguing that if Western Counties ban or make bitcoin illegal, they will suspend all known laws and start
having parents beating their children's feet with wooden poles and pulling the teeth out of their brother-in-law's
head, or leaving people in isolation for decades in secret prisons, because they transferred a bitcoin to another
person? I don't think so. Your original statement referred to "non-normal" governments.

If they become "tyrannical" one day, we are all done. Bitcoin was not designed to exist in a world were no one is
free. Bitcoin/bitcoin is dependent and contingent on freedom and freedom fighters.

[CoolJakeB]

I don't believe that the banning of Bitcoin from country to country would have a major effect, unless there was a world-wide effort to stop the crpytocurrency from gaining notoriety. Every country has different laws and regulations when it comes to Bitcoin. At the current moment, Bitcoin is not banned by any major country, as far as I know. Doing some research, I could only find Indonesia and Malaysia as two countries that do not accept Bitcoin as legal tender, although many countries do not want to regulate it.

[outatime1]

If bitcoin is banned in all of the major countries, a couple of things could happen. Most likely people will stop mining and bitcoin will become worthless. Another possibility is that there will be a black market that exists outside of the law. A third possibility is that there will be enough miners to keep the system running and at some point in the future, countries will begin to reverse the ban and it would thrive.

[Milkduds]

...
Basically I see a lot of talk about bitcoin being above governing powers but people that state this usually have not been in a country that has stripped basic rights and made people do things they never would have imagined to their own loved ones.
Its easy to state these things when times are good or you trust the governing powers. Try to put your selves in the shoes of those that face far greater punishment and you may see that bitcoin is more fleeting than you are lead to believe.

When people are referring to "governmental powers" they are usually not referring to
an oppressive regime that is torturing and killing their own citizens. In that case, anyone
"caught" using Bitcoin/bitcoin would be effectively "eliminated" as the way to "regulate" its use.

But in normal countries, that is considered illegal and immoral, so your statement does not apply.
Currently, government attempts to "regulate by law" can not be incorporated into the Bitcoin network.

Your "bitcoin is fleeting" comment is pretty naive, since in your scenario Bitcoin/bitcoin use would be
the least of our worries. Western civilization, human rights, justice, and freedom would be over.

Its all different lines of the heavy hand by government. Just because "normal" government uses a slow push,as opposed to the heavy hand does not change the statement. What seems like a plan for the better is often a strip down of more human rights in the long term and does nothing to close the gap on the issue they where doing it for.
Just because people do not talk about the violent nature of governing bodies in some countries does not dismiss the fact that government does not have the interests of the people at hand when they crack down on things like bitcoin. "Normal government is also not as normal as you would like to believe and we are a global forum that draws from all parts of the world.

I do not see my statement about bitcoin being off either,if we enter a turbulent time it is what it is. You can not cast the statement aside because it is more black and white than you prefer. Think you also make a lot of the same points you just take issue with how I say it.

Your original response was in the context of governments that "[make] people do things they never
would have imagined to their own loved ones." and "Try to put your selves in the shoes of those that
face far greater punishment.". Those statements refers to oppressive regimens since it imply bodily
harm that is illegal in most Western Countries, with rights that protect individuals as well as their families.
Interestingly, in most western countries today, the death penalty is outlawed, even for people where there
is video of their murder of another. So in most western countries today, even that is considered "wrong".

In addition, there are many mechanisms that exist in order to "correct" a failure of government that may
become more tyrannical or begin outright violating the laws. For you statement to be true, those nations
would need to be in martial law situations or the outright disbanding of the documents which grant the rights
to those citizens.

Normal governments are governments that are run by their own citizens, as opposed to the military, religious,
dictators, or other "self appointed leaders or council members". These are the types of governments you were
originally referring to, since in those countries it is possible that illegal bitcoin use could lead to "greater
punishments]", then just fining or jail time.

Are you arguing that if Western Counties ban or make bitcoin illegal, they will suspend all known laws and start
having parents beating their children feet with wooden poles and pulling the teeth out of their brother-in-laws heads,
or leaving people in isolation of years in secret prisons, because they transferred a bitcoin to another person.
I don't think so. Your argument refers to non-normal governments.

Lets not fixate on the example I give,since you seem to be having a real hard time with it and its taking you down a discussion I am not attempting to make.

The initial point was directed at the responses you see in this forum where people in Western Countries believe the world runs the same way everywhere.
I pointed out that we are not all fortunate to be born in such areas of the world and that government often does clamp down on people in a manner using violence.
The issue is government control and not that bitcoin users are going to be paraded through the streets,its possible but not as likely as a clamp down in the form of jail sentences or fines.

When we talk about bitcoin we should be thinking in a global term,reason I am saying people need to understand the every day plight of some people in these less privledged countries when they say government can not do this and that. In some of these countries that is exactly what has happened,so its narrow focus to look at this in a Western world only scope.

Besides the example I really do not know what we arguing about.

[outatime1]

By the way, even though I gave my opinion of what would happen if bitcoin were banned (see above),I don't think America will ever ban bitcoin. There are too many businesses that have been created because of bitcoin to ban it. Plus, the US government auctioned off the silk road bitcoins. I don't think they can auction something to the public and then ban it.

[arransiv]

By the way, even though I gave my opinion of what would happen if bitcoin were banned (see above),I don't think America will ever ban bitcoin. There are too many businesses that have been created because of bitcoin to ban it. Plus, the US government auctioned off the silk road bitcoins. I don't think they can auction something to the public and then ban it.

They banned PokerStars and other things like that, why they can't ban bitcoin too?

If people are spending USD for bitcoin, for sure they will have a reason to ban.

Let's see who will be the next president.

And if bitcoin was banned in a lot of countries, bitcoin will be dead.

[tubexc]

 If the next President will be King Arthur then they will ban Bitcoin 

[outatime1]

By the way, even though I gave my opinion of what would happen if bitcoin were banned (see above),I don't think America will ever ban bitcoin. There are too many businesses that have been created because of bitcoin to ban it. Plus, the US government auctioned off the silk road bitcoins. I don't think they can auction something to the public and then ban it.

They banned PokerStars and other things like that, why they can't ban bitcoin too?

If people are spending USD for bitcoin, for sure they will have a reason to ban.

Let's see who will be the next president.

And if bitcoin was banned in a lot of countries, bitcoin will be dead.

I just don't see how the government would auction bitcoins to the public and then ban it. I know the government does a lot of things that don't make sense, but that would be ironic and would cause a backlash of media attention.

[Yakamoto]

Okay so, bitcoin is outright banned in some countries, so the banning of bitcoin is already a reality. The major government including Russia, China, and the USA (just to name a few) could also ban bitcoin and cryptocoins in general. My questions to you guys are: What do you think will happen to bitcoin? If any, what is your plan of action and what would you like to see from the community in terms of continuation and development? Bitcoin probably will never die but the banning of bitcoin could change the whole dynamics (let alone a temporary major price dip).

I'll give my thoughts first. I think bitcoin will grow and develop into what we want it to be regardless of the legal status. Fundamentally what bitcoin represents is anti-authoritarian and governments banning of it should not much of an impact fundamentally. Sure the price will suffer for at least a while although still climb "to the moon" probably, but as far as technical development and social spreading goes, I think that will continue. Unfortunately that could mean that it operates in the black market only for a while which would slow things down but I do think that would be a temporary affect. I am curious though if the governments could have a strong enough desire to destroy bitcoin or prevent it from growing past a certain point, that they could actually do that. So I wonder what you guys' thoughts are.

all these countries especially those big ones for example Japan are trying to adopt bitcoin so hard and they are so interested in bitcoin. i have even heard Japanese saying we want to make bitcoin an official currency so the banning will never happen.

I don't think that they'd be taking it that far, however they might definitely push for it to be more ubiquitous or whatever in their society while keeping it out of the "official" list.

Japan seems like a country who would accept it, but they don't seem like a country that would push it that far.