Can Governments Really Stop Crypto? The Reality Behind a Full Ban

[stompix]

To bun bitcoin, need to block the internet, but that's impossible. Until then, P2P is our salvation.

Sometimes I think people here ot of touch with reality

Update: #Iran's internet blackout continues through its 18th day, obscuring the extent of a deadly crackdown on civilians.
Meanwhile, gaps in the filternet are being tightened to limit circumvention while whitelisted regime accounts promote the Islamic Republic's narrative.

https://mastodon.social/@netblocks/115960623813759479

3 weeks without internet, show me how you will use Bitcoin!

Crypto can't be stopped, lol! Yes it can, a government that is able to kill 40 000 poeple without remorse will be able to stop crypto!
If a manic government decides to kill every crypto user how many of you keyboard warriors are still going to use it?
I know the answer already, nobody!

[Somto9Light]

Not possible, the government can only ban crypto offline while online they don't have the power to do that. Take for instance in my country crypto is not made legal but the thing is that I have not see where it is written that crypto investment is prohibited here rather i barely see people mentioning crypto here in my country, not now that the  government is considering to adopt bitcoin but even before they bring this idea alot of folks is already in that system it is only those law abiding citizens that don't care if the government is doing the right thing or not that would Stick to such law.

[serjent05]

Crypto can't be stopped, lol! Yes it can, a government that is able to kill 40 000 poeple without remorse will be able to stop crypto!
If a manic government decides to kill every crypto user how many of you keyboard warriors are still going to use it?
I know the answer already, nobody!

Has pirated file torrenting ended?  If the government is able to end this kind of piracy, then I would greatly agree that the government can stop cryptocurrency.  But sadly at the current situation, the government has yet to stop this kind of piracy.  So for now, I do not think that the government has the ability to stop cryptocurrency.

The government can ban and suppress crypto infrastructures, and if the government truly wanted to take down cryptocurrency, it would have to pay a huge price by turning the internet off.  I do not think they can afford that, and the effort may possibly be futile because crypto users will find ways to enable them to use cryptocurrency.

[Botnake]

They can always ban crypto but they cannot beat the occurrence of crypto, so therefore its not possible for them to shut down crypto, particularly bitcoin.

Because if they can actually do it, then we will no longer witness or experience the advantages of bitcoin and other valuable cryptos now because the government is greatly against on them from the very beginning.

The government can stop gambling and other matters, however crypto is probably an exception.

[Cleanslate_]

Crypto can never be ban by any government because it is not a centralized entity, but "decentralized currency" and digital currency which means nobody can deny your application, close your account or charge you outrageous fees, this is why decentralized currency is so powerful, the government can only do that in their country from operation or not legalizing it to be spent in their country, bitcoin/cryptocurrency is a global asset, therefore stopping it from functioning in your country does not mean individuals cannot a which access it. if you have bitcoin in such country or you are into crypto all you have to do is convert your cryptocurrency/bitcoin into fiat, which now makes it easier for transaction.

[Ziskinberg]

As far as I remember, the same topic made when China was imposing a full ban on crypto. And I'll still be giving the same answer, no government can stop crypto no matter how powerful it is, but banning crypto will always be possible, and lift the ban when they think its already time to.

And just to be clear, all governments are highly against with bitcoin at first, so they could have stop bitcoin that time when they think its a big threat to the people. But look at bitcoin, slowly getting globally legalized, it just proves that any type of government is not capable to stop crypto or shut down its system.

[Achalugo BTC]

Governments cannot stop cryptocurrency, had it been that they can do so, this could have been achieved by them long time ago, also, we have to understand more about bitcoin and why we can only rely on it as being a decentralized digital network, because the government cannot regulate on it and we are in control instead it's an independent currency anyone can use, now government themselves are taking measures to make things work for them as well with bitcoin, we are all familiar more with Bitcoin reserves from them trending now.

Exactly, due to how decentralized Bitcoin is, the governments can't really stop cryptocurrency, which they have already being trying. Which is the reason why people are adopting the idea of Bitcoin, because of how helpful and supportive Bitcoin has contribute in the lives of other people and how its still helping.
Though some countries are really using Bitcoin but its essential for people to always apply the right tools at the right time, which will be a help to them.

[BALIK]

Governments cannot stop cryptocurrency, had it been that they can do so, this could have been achieved by them long time ago, also, we have to understand more about bitcoin and why we can only rely on it as being a decentralized digital network, because the government cannot regulate on it and we are in control instead it's an independent currency anyone can use, now government themselves are taking measures to make things work for them as well with bitcoin, we are all familiar more with Bitcoin reserves from them trending now.

Exactly, due to how decentralized Bitcoin is, the governments can't really stop cryptocurrency, which they have already being trying. Which is the reason why people are adopting the idea of Bitcoin, because of how helpful and supportive Bitcoin has contribute in the lives of other people and how its still helping.
Though some countries are really using Bitcoin but its essential for people to always apply the right tools at the right time, which will be a help to them.

The government cannot stop or completely eliminate bitcoin because of its decentralized and open source nature. However, if they crack down hard, do not expect it to become popular and reach a market capitalization of trillions of dollar
In the past, many governments have expressed skepticism and even animosity toward Bitcoin, including the US and Eu. But if I remember correctly, they never imposed a complete ban on bitcoin like China did. For the most part, they simply do not support it and constantly spread negative messages about it. If they impose a complete ban like China did, I'm not sure what will happen to bitcoin

Therefore, do not underestimate the power of the government.

[stompix]

Crypto can't be stopped, lol! Yes it can, a government that is able to kill 40 000 poeple without remorse will be able to stop crypto!
If a manic government decides to kill every crypto user how many of you keyboard warriors are still going to use it?
I know the answer already, nobody!

Has pirated file torrenting ended?  If the government is able to end this kind of piracy, then I would greatly agree that the government can stop cryptocurrency.  But sadly at the current situation, the government has yet to stop this kind of piracy.  So for now, I do not think that the government has the ability to stop cryptocurrency.

Has the government come with guns and shot evey guy that was torrenting?
How is torrenting doing in North Korea and Iran?
Oh wait, they don't have internet at all!

I do not think they can afford that, and the effort may possibly be futile because crypto users will find ways to enable them to use cryptocurrency.

Do you actually read the news or something like that?
Iran internet shutdown nears day 20, Netblocks says

[Plutomanian]

The government did try to stop crypto permanently but all their efforts was to no avail. They couldn't stop crypto and thereby, they imposed a huge ban on crypto that affected the investors and traders of the crypto market. But no regrets, these men still found a chance to upgrade their game and become more profitable in the market. We understand the market is based on fundamental and technical analysis but I do deal with the main trend which is price action. Following up with every zeal to become successful in the market. Cryptocurrency have grown more generally around the universe and I must say this, there's no need to become adamant, we just have to get it right and head up our pattern in the game. Cryptocurrency is not going anywhere as far as there's presence of investors and traders.

[Kasabus]

This answer has been raised countless times and majority are also telling everyone that any government cannot stop crypto because its now becoming more inevitable particularly bitcoin. They can put a long term or short term ban, but it will never reach a point that crypto will be totally out in the market or out in people's lives.

People will definitely find means to access crypto, and no government can stop these people from chosing crypto.

[Achalugo BTC]

The government cannot stop or completely eliminate bitcoin because of its decentralized and open source nature. However, if they crack down hard, do not expect it to become popular and reach a market capitalization of trillions of dollar
In the past, many governments have expressed skepticism and even animosity toward Bitcoin, including the US and Eu. But if I remember correctly, they never imposed a complete ban on bitcoin like China did. For the most part, they simply do not support it and constantly spread negative messages about it. If they impose a complete ban like China did, I'm not sure what will happen to bitcoin

Therefore, do not underestimate the power of the government.

You are completely right, no matter the ups and downs that one is facing in life, Bitcoin will still remain and rise to the happiness of the people, because the existence of Bitcoin has really impact people positively and also contribute to their financial status, which people are so glad and happy that Bitcoin is created to be decentralized because of the governments, which they might really see a need why they should be in  control of it but that will never happened.  So, instead of Bitcoin to be ban or continuing regulating,  it will be adopt by them some day.

[SquirrelJulietGarden]

You are completely right, no matter the ups and downs that one is facing in life, Bitcoin will still remain and rise to the happiness of the people, because the existence of Bitcoin has really impact people positively and also contribute to their financial status, which people are so glad and happy that Bitcoin is created to be decentralized because of the governments, which they might really see a need why they should be in  control of it but that will never happened.  So, instead of Bitcoin to be ban or continuing regulating,  it will be adopt by them some day.

Bitcoin is similar to all other things can not make everyone happy.

The market includes many people who have different mindsets and different actions, sometimes very oppositely as well. So the happineness of you can be pain of the others. With investors, price growth means happiness as they have profit while with traders, they might feel disappointed by different reasons. Like they sold bitcoin for lower price, hoped that there will be corrections for them to buy back but price grows up more means they lost their bitcoin. Or leveraged traders can short bitcoins and they will face with liquidations when price moves oppositely with their trading positions, surely these traders can not feel happily.

The market is zero sum game so happiness of some people means unhappiness of the others.

[Oasisman]

This answer has been raised countless times and majority are also telling everyone that any government cannot stop crypto because its now becoming more inevitable particularly bitcoin. They can put a long term or short term ban, but it will never reach a point that crypto will be totally out in the market or out in people's lives.

People will definitely find means to access crypto, and no government can stop these people from chosing crypto.

Exactly. Also considering how valuable Bitcoin is today,  a lot of people will find a way to accumulate more, regardless if it's being banned in their country. Every time a ban news came up, it tends to have negative effects on Bitcoin causing it to drop it's value. Well, that will only encourage hodlers to buy more.

Most governments on the other hand, are now fully aware and understands what Bitcoin is capable of, so, there's no way Bitcoin is gonna get totally banned, like globally.

[noorman0]

The key word is, bitcoin does not stand and run alone. If you look again, there are several entities involved, bitcoin, people, infrastructure, and tools. Governments can stop bitcoin in various ways. If bitcoin can't be rejected, just punish the person, limit gpu or disk storage suppliers, turn off electricity.
I think, no civilian in North Korea owns Bitcoin today.

[fuguebtc]

Has pirated file torrenting ended?  If the government is able to end this kind of piracy, then I would greatly agree that the government can stop cryptocurrency.  But sadly at the current situation, the government has yet to stop this kind of piracy.  So for now, I do not think that the government has the ability to stop cryptocurrency.

The government can ban and suppress crypto infrastructures, and if the government truly wanted to take down cryptocurrency, it would have to pay a huge price by turning the internet off.  I do not think they can afford that, and the effort may possibly be futile because crypto users will find ways to enable them to use cryptocurrency.

Agreed, the government lacks the capacity to stop crypto or to do so they would have to pay a very high price. However, do you think crypto would have become as popular and widely used as it is today if they had imposed a strict ban on it? I do not think so

Torrents have not disappeared, but they are not as popular anymore. Or bitcoin mixer service, do you still see anyone using or mentioning them regularly since the government banned them?


Crypto will lose their popularity immediately and could become tool used in the underworld and black markets if governments issue a comprehensive ban. Then, not many people will want to use it anymore.

[Rustam Meraj]

As far as I remember, the same topic made when China was imposing a full ban on crypto. And I'll still be giving the same answer, no government can stop crypto no matter how powerful it is, but banning crypto will always be possible, and lift the ban when they think its already time to.

And just to be clear, all governments are highly against with bitcoin at first, so they could have stop bitcoin that time when they think its a big threat to the people. But look at bitcoin, slowly getting globally legalized, it just proves that any type of government is not capable to stop crypto or shut down its system.

Countries tend to use ban and remove method to control money during home crises but studies have shown that most of governments have given up struggle to kill crypto and instead used many ways to take it over, such as MiCA laws and company Spot ETFs managing it in EU.

This has brought about Gilded Cage situation, in which Bitcoin is legally accepted, but is closely watched by making required KYC rules on large exchanges. I think fight in 2026 is no longer whether Bitcoin will survive, but whether it could keep promise that it promised at first, meaning privacy, although basic system is tech wise unbeatable, freedom of single users is given up to acceptance of companies and government watching.

[Faisal2202]

That’s why most countries focus on regulation instead of trying to erase crypto. Regulation gives them a way to control how exchanges work, how taxes apply, and how scams can be reduced, which is something the crypto space honestly needs.

If you want a clearer idea of how crypto rules work in real life, check this simple guide on where we break it down without the confusing legal talk.

What if they cut electricity all over the world? What if they cut the internet? As with electricity, people now have solar panels, but what about the internet? How is that in our control, governments sits together, plan to cut the internet for a straight 10 days, only allowing a number of banks to access it, or only to banks.

What will the miners do?

I am asking this, I have faced this issue, I am not a miner, I am just a simple crypto user, but once upon a time, here in my country, there was a blackout of internet, due to some political issues. Now at that time I was unable to access my wallet, or do anything.

What to do in such situations? You are right they can't control blockchain but blockchain works on electricity haha.