By Graham Smith Thanks to the EU’s most recent money laundering directive, a small business called Post-a-coin, which sold cute postcards pre-loaded with tiny amounts of bitcoin, is being forced to shut down. Meanwhile, the most heinous criminals in history are continuing to facilitate violence, trafficking and laundering of cash with impunity. Also Read: Why the Counter … [Read more...] about Unnecessary Evil: How Government Regulations Kill Crypto Startups and Encourage Crime
Graham Smith
Why the Counter Economy Is Necessary to Bitcoin’s Survival as a Disruptive Currency
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
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
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
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
Mega Drug Pushers Johnson & Johnson Get Away While Peaceful Silk Road Is Destroyed
By Graham Smith It’s been said that those who protest the loudest are often the ones who are guilty, and when it comes to government and their pet corporations, things are no different. No surprise, then, that the blustery moralizing — and violent state force brought to bear against businesses — are most intense where the money and power stand to be lost, as in the case of … [Read more...] about Mega Drug Pushers Johnson & Johnson Get Away While Peaceful Silk Road Is Destroyed
IRS Revoking Passports Shows How Government Erodes Everything We Hold Dear
By Graham Smith If you have outstanding tax debt, the IRS may now want to take your passport. For U.S. crypto holders still waiting on promised IRS guidelines for filing — especially those overseas who may have missed these warning memos — the over 400,000 agency notifications issued since February last year are troubling. This kind of behavior from government is nothing … [Read more...] about IRS Revoking Passports Shows How Government Erodes Everything We Hold Dear
From Booze to Bitcoin Mining – Why Violent Prohibition Is Always Harmful
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
When Cash Is Banned, Centralized Cryptos Are Not Going to Save You
By Graham Smith Australia is now moving forward with its proposed legislation to ban cash purchases over 10,000 AUD ($6,900) for business purposes. According to the treasury website: “The Black Economy Taskforce recommended this action to tackle tax evasion and other criminal activities.” While many Aussies are celebrating Bitcoin’s exclusion from this clause, others find … [Read more...] about When Cash Is Banned, Centralized Cryptos Are Not Going to Save You
Bitcoin and Voluntaryism – Where Libertarian Philosophy Meets Crypto
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
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