The slippery slope of "I'm fine with KYC in Bitcoin, I'm not a criminal. I pay all my taxes."

Once you grant a government the power of mass surveillance in the promise for safety and purpose of "catching criminals", it is not long before the loss of privacy turns against the law-abiding citizen, becoming a constant looming threat of control against political ideas that may conflict with government intentions. This is the seed of tyranny. There are too many examples in history to count, and even modern examples in countries such as North Korea and China. We don't need privacy, until we do.

In 2013, the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revealed that it had selected political groups applying for tax-exempt status for intensive scrutiny based on their names or political themes. This led to wide condemnation of the agency and triggered several investigations, including a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal probe ordered by United States Attorney General Eric Holder. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_targeting_controversy) It is not an issue of corrupt foreign nations. It is an issue today, and it's happening even in the United States.

Bitcoin, used properly, can be a powerful tool for freedom. But make no mistake, the government has long been waging war on freedom. And freedom has been losing since 1913. This isn't to say, we shouldn't pay our fair share of taxes, or break the law with complete disregard. But if we care about our freedom, we can benefit greatly from protecting our privacy and campaign against those who aim to take freedoms away.

Submitted February 18, 2020 at 02:32AM by anon517 https://ift.tt/2SEfTip