Is it just me or has the entry bar become a lot higher?

[Parazyd]

After about five years of not touching Bitcoin, I notice that it became quite difficult to acquire BTC and get (back) into crypto compared to what it was like some years ago. Registering on an exchange and trying to deposit money has lead me into plenty of rabbit holes where I was requested different ways of identity verification which aren't quite comfortable per-se. Moreover, it seems that more and more regulations are in place and it's not as easy as it once was. Mining aside, I think things are getting difficult in a way, and it provokes certain thoughts. Thoughs of Bitcoin being more exclusive than it ever was.

Is it just me, or are people really ready to give out their identity just to buy some Bitcoins on an online exchange?

[coupable]

Of course not only you. Many users still refuse to reveal their personal info just to use an online exchange. The case is different with you because you were absent during the last years as many changements has been happened so far.
There are still some good options that can help you buy and sell bitcoin without the need to expose your identity through KYC process. I guess you didn't search for decentralised exchanges or peer to peer exchanges where you can just make direct trades or a fast swap, but it still depends on the pairs your are using/looking for.
Take a look at localcrypto (old localethereum), it's maybe the suitable option for you after you being inactive for a long period.

[Yamifoud]

The moment had come that we can't hide anything in crypto and our identity will prevail. Things that it changed and most likely people aren't wanting it to happen but this will also help to prevent scam and other fraudulent actions or any kind of market illegalities. That's to accept that you'll not need to become anonymous once you are a crypto holder and much more of you are in trading.

Anyway, it doesn't make me feel bad about it as it was in the concern of our security but I don't have to accept becoming a centralized one in the future and being controlled by someone else.

[Kemarit]

After about five years of not touching Bitcoin, I notice that it became quite difficult to acquire BTC and get (back) into crypto compared to what it was like some years ago. Registering on an exchange and trying to deposit money has lead me into plenty of rabbit holes where I was requested different ways of identity verification which aren't quite comfortable per-se. Moreover, it seems that more and more regulations are in place and it's not as easy as it once was. Mining aside, I think things are getting difficult in a way, and it provokes certain thoughts. Thoughs of Bitcoin being more exclusive than it ever was.

Yes, back in the days, it was really easy to acquire Bitcoin, even faucets are very profitable many years ago. But as soon as Bitcoin gain some traction as supposedly money making scheme, in the last 4 years. the landscape has change, specially that world regulatory bodies is coming after crypto traders and obviously exchanges are going to be at the mercy of this regulations like FATF.

Is it just me, or are people really ready to give out their identity just to buy some Bitcoins on an online exchange?

I guess crypto traders here are in a dilemma, we are suppossedly (psuedo) anonymous but it looks like it will not be the case now and moving forward. But there are options like DEX, and some CEX will not require KYC if you don't reach their withdrrawal threshold.

[KrisAlex18]

I think it's not only you, but there are also so many people who keep their identity when doing an online exchange, the anonymous here in this crypto world is very high because once you show off your identity you will be prone to many attacks. There are many hackers and scammers in this crypto world, so once you didn't hide your identity they will become interested in you, it will be easy for them to gain access to your accounts. So if you don't want to have any problems, you should keep your information private, there is nothing for us to show our information publicly, you are just encouraging hackers and scammers by the things you have done.

[Darker45]

Everybody's going through the same.

However, rather than seeing a more exclusive Bitcoin, I am seeing a more mainstreamed Bitcoin, a Bitcoin that has already kicked the hornet's nest, a Bitcoin that has already gained enough attention. Hence the labeling, KYC, tight regulations, attacks, and so on.

As much as I hate to reveal some personal information about me, I have done it quite a number of times for convenience's sake. But if this is non-negotiable to you, there are always ways to get away with it.

[Wexnident]

Probably cause you went to the exchange that actually requires KYC to buy Crypto. We're all in the same boat tbh, quite disappointed with how exchanges are ruining the concept and idea of anonymity that Bitcoin provides with their KYC just so that you can buy some. Anyway, most people just use KYC now for the sake of avoiding any hassle to buy BTC. Yes, it makes your identity public, but it's a lot more convenient in the long term. There's also the idea of people using KYC because they want security, after all, they might see BTC not as a currency but rather just an investment. This makes the usage of KYC quite reasonable imo, and this is another sad part of how it's turned out today.

[meanwords]

I noticed that your last post was January 29, 2016 which is a long time ago. Just above that (2017-2018) is the largest pump that Bitcoin had which you probably missed and the boom of ICO and a lot of projects which a lot of have turned out to be scam. Because of that, authorities have become aware of cryptocurrency and have made a lot of regulations and rules to control illegal activities within cryptocurrency.  

Is it just me, or are people really ready to give out their identity just to buy some Bitcoins on an online exchange?

A lot of people, especially investors who are into the profit, doesn't really care much about their personal information getting presented to some exchanges because it is easier to exchange cryptocurrency in centralized exchanges than decentralized one which doesn't need any personal information.

But there's still a lot of exchanges that doesn't require KYC to withdraw but limited features and requires KYC for a larger activity.

[ranochigo]

The rise in the popularity of Bitcoin has made it a lot more attractive for people who are seeking to do illicit activities. I don't think KYC is the panacea to money laundering and terrorist financing but it could help to filter out those who are doing so. Its fairly normal that KYC has increased given the fact that there's a higher adoption of Bitcoin and that there are legislation passed to regulate it.

[Eugenar]

Obviously, it's not only you, but there also are many bitcoin who keeps their identity for safety and security, it is really advisable for every bitcoin because they don't do it they will be prone from the attacks, once the hackers or the scammers access their information and data, they can use it for some purposes. They can use it to access some of your accounts.

[rodskee]

After about five years of not touching Bitcoin, I notice that it became quite difficult to acquire BTC and get (back) into crypto compared to what it was like some years ago.

Bitcoin is widely popularized unlike before, you need now to follow the process, it's not the same where you can mine from your laptop
of pc and send it to a exchange wallets and trade.
Nowadays, there are  regulations coming from each countries who adopted this system that you need to comply. Old years are no longer
exist in terms of the process.

Registering on an exchange and trying to deposit money has lead me into plenty of rabbit holes where I was requested different ways of identity verification which aren't quite comfortable per-se. Moreover, it seems that more and more regulations are in place and it's not as easy as it once was. Mining aside, I think things are getting difficult in a way, and it provokes certain thoughts. Thoughts of Bitcoin being more exclusive than it ever was.

Again, regulations are being implemented by each government rules, since bitcoin a form of currency each government have it's own
laws to avoid laundering and illegal activities.

Is it just me, or are people really ready to give out their identity just to buy some Bitcoins on an online exchange?

People / investors who are treating this venue as a good place to earn money are willing to take this risk, knowing that high rewards
are waiting if you make it into succession.

[pooya87]

i don't think they are.
as far as i can remember ever since i joined bitcoin world (which was in 2014) trying to buy bitcoin with fiat has always been hard and the centralized exchanges always required KYC and had a lot of "jump through hoop" requirements because they were working with fiat and banks. things might have become a little more strict but not by a lot.
the only major change i see is the altcoin exchanges that didn't have fiat or KYC which now have it and that makes no sense.

Is it just me, or are people really ready to give out their identity just to buy some Bitcoins on an online exchange?

you are not giving out your identity to "buy bitcoin" you are doing it to "deposit fiat from a bank or similar method". and since fraud is a very common thing when fiat and banking system is involved they must require KYC.
if you wanted to do anything else similar with fiat you still have to take similar steps.

[Anonylz]

Things have really change from five years before bro, nowadays the procedure to buy btc is more rigorous than what it use to be, the process of identification is more tedious than before, now your personal information are not only required, you still need to do selfie with ID for the process to complete, yeah, I believe there are more regulations than before I guess this is part of the growing acceptance of btc by the larger population and some top companies and parastatals,

Majority don't care about given out identities now, it is not just buying btc your identity is required, now doing bounties too some require identification, kyc also required for participating in some IEOs, it is like the norms of crypto now,  the days of being a complete anonymous space is gradually becoming a thing of the past.

[maydna]

After about five years of not touching Bitcoin, I notice that it became quite difficult to acquire BTC and get (back) into crypto compared to what it was like some years ago. Registering on an exchange and trying to deposit money has lead me into plenty of rabbit holes where I was requested different ways of identity verification which aren't quite comfortable per-se. Moreover, it seems that more and more regulations are in place and it's not as easy as it once was. Mining aside, I think things are getting difficult in a way, and it provokes certain thoughts. Thoughs of Bitcoin being more exclusive than it ever was.

Is it just me, or are people really ready to give out their identity just to buy some Bitcoins on an online exchange?

It is not difficult to answer because that will depend on each people. Some people are okay to buy some bitcoin on an online exchange with KYC, but other people prefer to buy bitcoin at the online exchange without KYC, and we already have that choice. We have many ways to buy bitcoin, and we don't have to purchase bitcoin directly on the online exchange because I am sure that we have so many bitcoin sellers in each country who will help people who want to buy bitcoin without filling the KYC. We can use them to buy some bitcoin, and I think the fee will not be big than the online exchange.

But once again, that will depend on where people want to buy bitcoin.

[davis196]

After about five years of not touching Bitcoin, I notice that it became quite difficult to acquire BTC and get (back) into crypto compared to what it was like some years ago. Registering on an exchange and trying to deposit money has lead me into plenty of rabbit holes where I was requested different ways of identity verification which aren't quite comfortable per-se. Moreover, it seems that more and more regulations are in place and it's not as easy as it once was. Mining aside, I think things are getting difficult in a way, and it provokes certain thoughts. Thoughs of Bitcoin being more exclusive than it ever was.

Is it just me, or are people really ready to give out their identity just to buy some Bitcoins on an online exchange?

Why did you left the Bitcoin community for five years?You missed a lot of opportunities.
Government regulations and KYC are a thing,but KYC policies and ID verification is mandatory if you register a bank account and for almost every fintech company in the world,even the online wallets like Paypal,Skrill,Transferwise,etc.Opening a forex trading account also requires ID verification.The crypto trading platforms want more customers,that's why they have to abide by the rules.Staying in the shadows and refusing to implement regulations has some advantages,but a lot more problems and disadvantages in the long term.
Everyone hates KYC,but almost nobody (except the scammers) wants to break the law.
Bitcoin isn't more "exclusive". It's just more widely accepted then 5 years ago.

[Lorence.xD]

Things have really change from five years before bro, nowadays the procedure to buy btc is more rigorous than what it use to be, the process of identification is more tedious than before, now your personal information are not only required, you still need to do selfie with ID for the process to complete, yeah, I believe there are more regulations than before I guess this is part of the growing acceptance of btc by the larger population and some top companies and parastatals,

Majority don't care about given out identities now, it is not just buying btc your identity is required, now doing bounties too some require identification, kyc also required for participating in some IEOs, it is like the norms of crypto now,  the days of being a complete anonymous space is gradually becoming a thing of the past.

I think the bar was set to higher for the greater good because in my opinion, there is a prevalence of cybercrime and with the population slowly leaning to technological advancement, I think that the bar being higher is a reasonable thing to do, remember that crypto has been used for illegal activities such as drug trade, prostitution, terrorism and money laundering ever since its conception so I think that having these threats as backing reason for the standards is reasonable enough.

[jakkk]

Crypto is changing so quickly and you are back after 5 years, which is more than enough time in crypto world. Everything has changed, from exchanges to prices to everything

[Parazyd]

i don't think they are.
as far as i can remember ever since i joined bitcoin world (which was in 2014) trying to buy bitcoin with fiat has always been hard and the centralized exchanges always required KYC and had a lot of "jump through hoop" requirements because they were working with fiat and banks. things might have become a little more strict but not by a lot.
the only major change i see is the altcoin exchanges that didn't have fiat or KYC which now have it and that makes no sense.

While you're kinda right, I still feel is's more rigorous than it ever was. I agree that it always was a bit difficult, and this reminds me of a topic I started back in 2015 where I was saying the same thing. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1301320.msg13336921#msg13336921

Times were different indeed, I'm just kind of annoyted that it got worse, rather than better.

Is it just me, or are people really ready to give out their identity just to buy some Bitcoins on an online exchange?

you are not giving out your identity to "buy bitcoin" you are doing it to "deposit fiat from a bank or similar method". and since fraud is a very common thing when fiat and banking system is involved they must require KYC.
if you wanted to do anything else similar with fiat you still have to take similar steps.

It's nitpicking and I still stand by my statement that the only way to acquire bitcoin these days (for a "mere mortal") is by getting it with fiat money. Hardly any non-technical person will go through the trouble of setting up miners, or even going to buy scamcoins just to get some bitcoin in their wallet.

What I'm talking about here is the entry bar as I've mentioned in the topic title. And people will still get introduced to this "anonymous and private cryptocurrency" by online exchanges, not shady people selling it to you for cash in a McDonalds restaurant.

[Parazyd]

I noticed that your last post was January 29, 2016 which is a long time ago. Just above that (2017-2018) is the largest pump that Bitcoin had which you probably missed and the boom of ICO and a lot of projects which a lot of have turned out to be scam. Because of that, authorities have become aware of cryptocurrency and have made a lot of regulations and rules to control illegal activities within cryptocurrency.  

Is it just me, or are people really ready to give out their identity just to buy some Bitcoins on an online exchange?

A lot of people, especially investors who are into the profit, doesn't really care much about their personal information getting presented to some exchanges because it is easier to exchange cryptocurrency in centralized exchanges than decentralized one which doesn't need any personal information.

But there's still a lot of exchanges that doesn't require KYC to withdraw but limited features and requires KYC for a larger activity.

Exchanges such as...? I've tried three popular ones, and they all wanted stuff either upon registration or fiat deposit.

You're right about investors after profit, yes. They won't care about their personal data, the same way they don't when they trade Forex.
However I'm not one of them, but rather using it - or at least trying to use it - as an anonymous asset.

[joniboini]

Exchanges such as...? I've tried three popular ones, and they all wanted stuff either upon registration or fiat deposit.

All centralized exchanges will ask for your KYC if you're doing a fiat transaction. If you don't wanna do that then P2P like Bisq is your choice. There are several options and reviews on the Service section, you might want to check it out.

That being said, if you're only dealing with crypto to crypto, some centralized exchanges don't ask for KYC as long as you're not making more than 2 BTC tx a day. That being said, they can still randomly ask it if they found something 'suspicious' about your account.