BarefootJoe (OP)
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 8
Merit: 0
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 27, 2011, 07:13:20 PM |
|
I was wondering what was your personal opinion on how long till bitcoins become outlawed? I read that a few governmental officials are trying to ban them do to being anonymous and being a competing currency with the USD.
|
|
|
|
ShaggyB (BitCoinWorldMarket)
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 32
Merit: 0
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 27, 2011, 07:36:57 PM |
|
I would think it would be as successful as trying to ban Euros or any other type of foreign currency. Maybe I'm being naive here but I don't see bitcoin as any different than any other currency except that its decentralized.
|
|
|
|
gamer4156
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 27, 2011, 07:39:26 PM |
|
The more people try and get rid of it the larger it will get, especially with all the anti-gov't sentiment these days
|
|
|
|
BarefootJoe (OP)
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 8
Merit: 0
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 27, 2011, 08:01:01 PM |
|
The more people try and get rid of it the larger it will get, especially with all the anti-gov't sentiment these days
Good point, when they start going after it, people will take an interest to it and maybe pick it up (kinda like k2, synthetic coke, etc.).
|
|
|
|
BitPay Business Solutions
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 27, 2011, 08:14:09 PM |
|
The more people try and get rid of it the larger it will get, especially with all the anti-gov't sentiment these days
Anyplace they get banned will drive business elsewhere. I'm not sure this can be stopped.
|
BitPay : The World Leader in Bitcoin Business Solutions https://bitpay.comDoes your website accept bitcoins?
|
|
|
johnyj
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1988
Merit: 1012
Beyond Imagination
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 27, 2011, 11:08:58 PM |
|
Actually I think some of the politicians might consider using this tool to attack the traditional banking system, which government have no control at all today.
Lincon was murdered just because he did not take loans from those bankers to support the war.
|
|
|
|
cyklo
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 10
Merit: 1
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 27, 2011, 11:40:30 PM |
|
It will be interesting to see how they try to do it. ISPs block certain ports? If you get caught with them on your harddrive, you face criminal charges? What form would that take?
|
|
|
|
Gosroth
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 5
Merit: 0
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 28, 2011, 12:04:51 AM |
|
The easiest method of attack would be shutting down the exchange of bitcoins with fiat currency.
Taking out the large exchanges would make finding the price of bitcoins at any given time more difficult.
It would be near impossible, however, to stop local bitcoin trading.
Price befuddlement in addition to illegality would prevent adoption by any meaningful scale of retailers (legitimate ones anyway).
So, worst case scenario is a very distributed network of exchangers and merchants. Not too bad, but more difficult certainly.
|
|
|
|
|
Krang25
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 11
Merit: 0
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 28, 2011, 05:56:03 AM |
|
I would like to agree with what others have said already. Trying to ban bit-coins will only attract more adopters. And besides, if they do try and ban it, it's just gonna result in something similar to what is happening with torrents. Shut one site down, 10 more will pop up. And there are too many people using these for them to go after everyone, so they will most likely just make "examples" out of the biggest users.
|
|
|
|
ptfff
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 11
Merit: 0
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 28, 2011, 06:01:31 AM |
|
They can try and ban it, but it wont work.
That said, they could try to kill the markets... and other things without directly affecting bitcoin itself.
It'll probably become a black market though because they pop up everywhere.
|
|
|
|
|
wumpus
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 28, 2011, 07:41:05 AM |
|
To be honest I don't think they will ever be outlawed, either that or all other virtual and in-game currencies need to be disallowed too... it's just not practical. There needs to be some form of cash in the digital age and cryptocurrency is the way to do it.
|
Bitcoin Core developer [PGP] Warning: For most, coin loss is a larger risk than coin theft. A disk can die any time. Regularly back up your wallet through File → Backup Wallet to an external storage or the (encrypted!) cloud. Use a separate offline wallet for storing larger amounts.
|
|
|
Bert
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 28, 2011, 10:04:10 AM |
|
If they can't raise taxes at the points of sales/services, that is where the real problem is to any government. In some ways it is like a cash in hand business, but on the bright side for taxmen/IRS it is traceable in ways that cash is not.
|
Tip jar: 1BW6kXgUjGrFTqEpyP8LpVEPQDLTkbATZ6
|
|
|
Ente
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 2126
Merit: 1001
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 28, 2011, 10:34:03 AM |
|
Indeed, a networkprotocol cant seriously be banned (in the way that it doesnt exist any more afterwards). But even if its illegal and perfectly useable, it will deter 99% of all possible users and all legal merchants. Without that as a backup, it would even get uninteresting for blackmarket use. So, ban the trading (which is somewhat easy to do), bring the BTC system to a halt.
That said, I highly doubt it will ever get banned in european countries. Which might be enough for a stable system..
On a sidenote: In Germany they try to pass a law to outlaw any anonymous purchase of money, currency, vouchers, no matter how small the amount..
Ente
|
|
|
|
allten
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 28, 2011, 11:08:21 PM |
|
My opinion:
Before they can outlaw BitCoin in supposedly a free country like USSA, the Main Stream Media will need to mold a decent portion of public opinion to be in favor of its destruction. I don't think it will be easy for them to make it illegal, but you'll know they are pushing for it when there are big stories on national TV demonizing the currency.
I believe they are still banking that it will fail on its own or it will never achieve the potential that many of us see in it.
|
|
|
|
Mousepotato
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 28, 2011, 11:11:07 PM |
|
I hear the govt is going to ban Bitcoins right after they shut down ThePirateBay.
|
Mousepotato
|
|
|
Dextro
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 16
Merit: 0
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 29, 2011, 12:12:58 AM |
|
I don't think it's possible for them to take out Bitcoin fully, and people have invested a lot of money in Bitcoin, I think it would just be too controversial for them to shut it down. It's not like it's causing anyone harm [yet].
|
|
|
|
TKHatch
Newbie
Offline
Activity: 19
Merit: 0
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 29, 2011, 12:18:35 AM |
|
I don't think it could be made illegal in the UK.
Well if it did the law would also apply to the Brixton Pound and many other regional currencies in the UK.
|
|
|
|
indio007
|
![](https://bitcointalk.org/Themes/custom1/images/post/xx.gif) |
July 29, 2011, 12:30:22 AM |
|
Bitcoin can never be outlawed in the US.
They can refuse to enforce bitcoin contracts in their court's but that is it.
Bitcoin would have to be inherently unlawful, which of course it isn't.
|
|
|
|
|