in the wikileaks case its a great danger.
+1, I agree completely
We know that private and government forces are actively tracing, and trying to shut down, sources of wikileaks funding through all available means of pressure.
Does it make sense to actively give
multiple world governments incentive to shut down bitcoin?
No matter how symathetic wikileaks' cause... if you care about bitcoin's success, the answer is no.
This is a very good point.
"PayPal Freezes WikiLeaks Account"
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/12/paypal-wikileaks/We must weigh...
---> the potential financial benefit bitcoin would give to wikileaks at This moment
vs.
---> the potential demise of bitcoin itself (or at least the impact of bitcoin being mortally wounded at this very early stage of its existence.)
I think that -- no matter how righteous anyone may feel about the work wikileaks does...
1. They don't need that much money to do what they do.
2. What they could potentially get via bitcoin at the moment wouldn't be a drop in the bucket of what they're receiving via other private means.
3. Nothing wikileaks is doing is WORTH the potential demise of Bitcoin.
We don't need to make Bitcoin, or each of US for that matter, into targets of world governments. Especially not so early in Bitcoin's life.
Wikileaks is probably being funded, at least partially, by other governments with interests in leaking damaging information.
But in any case, Wikileaks probably has a bankroll larger than the ENTIRE bitcoin economy at this point in time.
Also, when you create a new Iron Man suit in your lab, you don't take on all the militaries of the world on your first trip out on the "test track". Bitcoin is still in "beta", remember.
I say, we MUST get Bitcoin accepted at Starbucks and the local grocery store.... BEFORE it gets accepted at Wikileaks.
Then, we'll have a chance.
Starbucks. Anyone have contact info for them?