The lagest Bitcoin mixer is about to stop working

[BITMIXER.IO]

Hi all!
Despite the huge profit we earn, we are closing our activity. Let me explain why.

I'm bitcoin enthusiast since 2011. When we started this service I was convinced that any Bitcoin user has a natural right to privacy. I was totally wrong. Now I grasped that Bitcoin is transparent non-anonymous system by design. Blockchain is a great open book. I believe that Bitcoin will have a great future without dark market transactions. You may use Dash or Zerocoin if you want to buy some weed. Not Bitcoin.

I hope our decision will help to make Bitcoin ecosystem more clean and transparent. I hope our competitors will hear our message and will close their services too. Very soon this kind of activity will be considered as illegal in most of countries.

Cheers,
Bitmixer.IO

[1Referee]

Hi all!
You may use Dash or Zerocoin if you want to buy some weed. Not Bitcoin.

I hope our decision will help to make Bitcoin ecosystem more clean and transparent. I hope our competitors will hear our message and will close their services too. Very soon this kind of activity will be considered as illegal in most of countries.

I'm sorry to say, but this is just ridiculous. People are free to use whatever coin (yes, also Bitcoin) for whatever they want. Bitmixer offers a service to the public, a service that I highly appreciate and regularly make use of, from which it can't be blamed for any sort of illicit activities from the user side. Whether you close your doors or not, other mixers will just continue to operate like they have always done, and rightfully so. The only thing you do is making the competition gain more ground, and thus further centralize this tight part of the Bitcoin industry. Bitmixer is the only mixing service I am trusting to exchange my to be cleaned coins for 'clean' coins. Any date on when you think you will close the door permanently? Or is there still a small opening for you to reconsider this statement?

[richardsNY]

That's pretty dramatic to be honest. It makes no sense to shut down a highly profitable operating service just because of your changed opinion. It is in fact right, people do have the right to enjoy a high level of privacy. Especially nowadays where exchanges and other services start forcing people to fully verify themselves. Result of this is that people's personal information is attached to their coins. Exactly for that reason mixers offer a vital bit of freedom to basically every Bitcoiner. At the end of the day it's your choice of course, but do realize that you are taking away an asset from the community. Here also the question -- when will you halt your service?

[Heartilly]

I hope our decision will help to make Bitcoin ecosystem more clean and transparent. I hope our competitors will hear our message and will close their services too. Very soon this kind of activity will be considered as illegal in most of countries.

Hmm so you care now for illegal activities? Bitcoin and any other currency is prone to that.

Are you guys now targeted by the law enforcement authorities or is it just your opinion?

[BITMIXER.IO]

It was a really very hard decision. Especially it was hard to drop this business because of incredible high income. But we never had any government or legal pressure, it is only my own opinion. I really believe in clean transparent Bitcoin. I really happy that Bitcoin legalized as payment system and currency in many countries, I actually didn't believe in this in 2011.

[BitHodler]

I personally don't believe one would just drop something that allows him to earn crazy amounts of income, but it is what it is.

Even though Bitmixer stated that it was his own decision, I hint more towards something that has forced him to stop, but we'll likely never know for real.

For those wondering when Bitmixer will stop, it has already stopped according to bitmixer.io.

[OROBTC]

...

I can imagine it was a hard decision.  I really liked your service, and believed that Bimixer.io enhanced privacy, which is important in an age where hackers and others are scratching for every dime they can.  Many of your customers will be disappointed, but if you feel that is the right thing to do, then you must do it!

Best Wishes from a happy customer and Signature Campaign participant.

[Lauda]

It was a really very hard decision. Especially it was hard to drop this business because of incredible high income. But we never had any government or legal pressure, it is only my own opinion. I

As much as I hate to see you go, and am thankful for employing me to combat the spam in your campaign, I don't believe this to be true. I am almost certain that this is government pressure, but you obviously can't admit to that for the same reason.
In an optimal world, you'd pass along the project code to someone else and let it live. If there are people who are willing to run it, or use it, then we should make that happen (one of the ideas of Bitcoin are openness and accessibility).

[1Referee]

It seems that the service has been shut down already. In that regard, I want to thank you for every single time I had the opportunity to use your service to enjoy a certain form of privacy. I wish you the best of luck with every future project you get involved in, and perhaps we'll see you pop up again in a different way. I seriously feel bad right now.

[BITMIXER.IO]

The government pressure doesn't work like "Oh man please close your service!". No way. They just come and arrest you for illegal activity. We are the privacy experts, it is hard or impossible to find out our location and personality, our servers are located in the country where Bitcoin is not considered as a currency, etc, etc. I could sell the business for our competitors for $5-6M, but I will not do this. It is important that you understand my position. I really revised my view about Bitcoin as a transparent system. Bitcoin has no future with drug/weapon traffic or any other illegal activity. This is my point.

[VC George]

It was a really very hard decision. Especially it was hard to drop this business because of incredible high income. But we never had any government or legal pressure, it is only my own opinion. I

As much as I hate to see you go, and am thankful for employing me to combat the spam in your campaign, I don't believe this to be true. I am almost certain that this is government pressure, but you obviously can't admit to that for the same reason.
In an optimal world, you'd pass along the project code to someone else and let it live. If there are people who are willing to run it, or use it, then we should make that happen (one of the ideas of Bitcoin are openness and accessibility).

Same here, I don't believe that he turned 180 degrees to anti-privacy. Anyhow, thanks for your service mate!
Goodnight & good luck 

[hilariousetc]

Bitcoin has no future with drug/weapon traffic or any other illegal activity. This is my point.

If you truly  believe in bitcoin as a currency then it should be used to buy anything and everything good or bad. If people want to buy drugs or whatever then they should be allowed and Bitcoin gives you the freedom to make these choices without a middleman or a government restricting or prohibiting you from doing do, which is the true beauty of it in my opinion.

I could sell the business for our competitors for $5-6M, but I will not do this. It is important that you understand my position.

Why don't you sell it and donate the money to charity or do some other good with it? Seems a waste just to shut a profitable business you built up down.

[TryNinja]

So... you went from "I'm not a criminal. Why should I mix my coins?" in the front page, to "Bitcoin has no future with drug/weapon traffic or any other illegal activity." ?

I know that the overwhelming part of BitMixer users were only using the mixer because of ilegal activities, but still seems odd.

Why don't you sell it and donate the money to charity or do some other good with it? Seems a waste just to shut a profitable business you built up down.

Look on the bright side: he didn't exit scam his costumers. Props on you for doing something great to the community for so many years.

[freedomno1]

Moving to legitimization is a valid view, we have moved far from those days where the Silk Road and MTgox were our fun times, the fun of BTCT, Bitfunder and Havelock were speculated to the Armageddon.

To an extent I still feel Bitcoin should retain its privacy function and utilization through non-associated addresses on a ledger, but I feel like your concerns about being in trouble and getting caught would make it complicated. The shutdown from that view makes sense, I would say if you ever diversify and make another type of bitcoin industry or campaign I wish you the best of luck you escaped a Segwit2x ^^.

[examplens]

The government pressure doesn't work like "Oh man please close your service!". No way. They just come and arrest you for illegal activity. We are the privacy experts, it is hard or impossible to find out our location and personality, our servers are located in the country where Bitcoin is not considered as a currency, etc, etc. I could sell the business for our competitors for $5-6M, but I will not do this. It is important that you understand my position. I really revised my view about Bitcoin as a transparent system. Bitcoin has no future with drug/weapon traffic or any other illegal activity. This is my point.

It is very difficult to see such works. someone get out from profitable work Because of the global interest. Respect for this decision. I am not sure that i will do the same.
I think this will not bring about a major change, Somebody else will catch up on the position

[investinator]

Its unfortunate to see bitmixer cease operations but I am sure there will be plenty of other services to fill the gap.

I know Stratis is working on trustless bitcoin mixing through their masternodes.

[BitMixerExit]

Hi all!
Despite the huge profit we earn, we are closing our activity. Let me explain why.

Be honest:

What logs have you kept, for how long and with what countries law enforcement do you cooperate?

[Shinpako09]

I didn't expect that bitmixer will do this thing. He sacrifice the huge profit that he are getting and he may get in the future for this aspiration. That's a hard decision you've been done especially if you are in this business for how many years. Anyway, we understand and respect your decision sir.

[BitMixerGone]

Is your server seized??


https://censys.io/ipv4/82.221.106.20

[Kemarit]

...

I can imagine it was a hard decision.  I really liked your service, and believed that Bimixer.io enhanced privacy, which is important in an age where hackers and others are scratching for every dime they can.  Many of your customers will be disappointed, but if you feel that is the right thing to do, then you must do it!

Best Wishes from a happy customer and Signature Campaign participant.

Its really a hard decision indeed. You said you have earn a lot so I guess you can channel your funds in other business in the crypto world. I just hope for the best. I'm also a happy Signature campaign participant and I still hoping that we can work in the future.