Counter Markets

Financial Newsletter for Free Marketeers and Libertarian Entrepreneurs

Bitcoin

Escape Hatches: Migration, Bitcoin, and the Ability to Get Out

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By Joakim Book For decades, those of us skeptical of our central banks’ monetary experiments have tried to punish them for their excesses – rein them in, have them follow a stated rule, or at least provide a way for us critics to opt out of their system. Immunize ourselves from whatever havoc they’re wreaking. Projects have come and gone: e-gold, DigiCash, B-Money, Bit … [Read more...] about Escape Hatches: Migration, Bitcoin, and the Ability to Get Out

World’s Best Chess Player: Bitcoin Empowers Individuals to Be More Than Just Pawns to Reckless Governments

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By Jeffrey Gogo Bitcoin’s finite supply compares favorably to agenda-driven printing of money by governments, noted the Avast security ambassador, who also chairs the Human Rights Foundation and the Renew Democracy Initiative. Speaking to Forbes on the intersection of human rights and new technologies, Kasparov said cryptocurrencies enable the public to regain control of … [Read more...] about World’s Best Chess Player: Bitcoin Empowers Individuals to Be More Than Just Pawns to Reckless Governments

Why the Counter Economy Is Necessary to Bitcoin’s Survival as a Disruptive Currency

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By Graham Smith As Bitcoin is adopted by more and more traditional financial institutions, and becomes regulated by governments worldwide, the question of its survival as a truly disruptive alternative to legacy financial systems is raised. After all, if governments like Qatar’s can ban it, and international banking laws like AMLD5 can push bitcoin-friendly companies out of … [Read more...] about Why the Counter Economy Is Necessary to Bitcoin’s Survival as a Disruptive Currency

Tackling 7 Myths About Bitcoin for Beginners

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By Graham Smith For those long involved in the crypto space, it’s easy to forget just how overwhelming and mystifying the world of bitcoin was when first encountered as a fresh-faced neophyte, unable to tell the difference between a bitcoin and a blockchain, or even what a private key was. In that interest, it stands to examine 7 common myths surrounding the permissionless … [Read more...] about Tackling 7 Myths About Bitcoin for Beginners

Activist Larken Rose Weighs In on Bitcoin, Anarchy, and the Importance of Permissionless Cash

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By Graham Smith Though his latest project with partner and fellow activist Amanda Rose, Candles in the Dark, is a program helping people escape authoritarian programming through non-confrontational dialogue, there’s nothing meek and mild about Larken Rose’s stance when it comes to government. News.Bitcoin.com recently connected with the outspoken anarchist via Skype to talk … [Read more...] about Activist Larken Rose Weighs In on Bitcoin, Anarchy, and the Importance of Permissionless Cash

“We’re Going to Find You” — How Undercover Agents Trade Prison Time for Bitcoins

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By Graham Smith An Australian national living in Boulder, Colorado was slammed with a one year and a day prison sentence last month for trading bitcoins. An August 23 statement from the Colorado U.S. District Attorney’s Office states that Emilio Testa, 32, was charged with money laundering, and claims Testa knew the funds he was acquiring had been used in narcotics deals. … [Read more...] about “We’re Going to Find You” — How Undercover Agents Trade Prison Time for Bitcoins

From Booze to Bitcoin Mining – Why Violent Prohibition Is Always Harmful

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Op-Ed by Graham Smith Stories continue to emerge about newly discovered illegal mining operations being busted by state and corporate authorities. Just last week Iranian media reported the seizure of 177 Bitcoin mining units worth over $270,000 being smuggled via truck in the Arak region. On July 31, Russia’s Kraskom power company reported illegal siphoning of power from … [Read more...] about From Booze to Bitcoin Mining – Why Violent Prohibition Is Always Harmful

Unbanked for Buying Bitcoin: How the Financial System Criminalizes Crypto

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By Kai Sedgwick When we think of the unbanked, we envisage citizens of developing nations who lack the means and documentation to obtain access. But you don’t have to be a Mongolian goat herder to find yourself financially excluded. In the West, relatively affluent citizens are having their banking services withdrawn suddenly and without warning. Their ‘crime’? Buying and … [Read more...] about Unbanked for Buying Bitcoin: How the Financial System Criminalizes Crypto

Bitcoin Mining And Money Laundering

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By Vin Armani Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. The ignorant view on Bitcoin, at least since the Silk Road takedown, has been that “Bitcoin is used for crime.” The media’s scandalizing of the Silk Road story certainly introduced … [Read more...] about Bitcoin Mining And Money Laundering

Bitcoin and Voluntaryism – Where Libertarian Philosophy Meets Crypto

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By Graham Smith For the uninitiated, voluntaryism is a philosophy based on consent. In the simplest terms it says: “If it’s not voluntary, it’s not moral.” This basic statement is often countered with “Yes, but not everyone agrees on that, some people use violence to get what they want.” This is 100% true. And this is why voluntaryists are not pacifists, but believe in and … [Read more...] about Bitcoin and Voluntaryism – Where Libertarian Philosophy Meets Crypto

Why Bitcoiners Are Turning to Unschooling for Decentralized Education

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By Graham Smith Unschooling is an alternative education movement quickly gaining popularity and currency worldwide. Like Bitcoin, it is an individualist approach to an area of human action long thought to be established beyond question―education. Both cryptoeconomics and unschooling seek to provide autonomy to individuals, providing a return to logical, natural systems that … [Read more...] about Why Bitcoiners Are Turning to Unschooling for Decentralized Education