On Tue, Feb 27, 2018 at 8:19 AM, Henry Baker <[email protected]> wrote: > (I'm going to use the term "Bitcoin" here as the best-known examplar of many > block-chain-based cryptocurrencies.)<br> > > I was listening to a radio program where an investigative reporter was > describing the (laborious) process by which she traced campaign contributions > using the various disclosure statements required by the U.S. government.<br> > > It occurred to me that she was performing -- by hand -- many of the same > steps that a Bitcoin miner has to perform, by tracing the sources and sinks > of the various money flows through individuals, corporations, LLC's, law > firms, etc.<br> > > If these money flows had all been Bitcoin-based, her job would have been > trivial: the government would simply require the disclosure of the Bitcoin > addresses of the various participants, and the Bitcoin miners (and the > various Bitcoin tracing technologies) would do the rest.<br> > > Thus, instead of *resisting* Bitcoins & blockchain technologies, perhaps > democracies interested in "open" governments should *embrace* Bitcoins, and > indeed, *require* Bitcoins for all lobbying transactions.<br> > > Thus, the "Fourth Estate" -- the press -- performs "mining" for the control > of democratic governments themselves.<br> > > Thomas Carlyle and Edmund Burke would have approved.<br>
Perhaps it is closed governments that are "interested" in democracies, lobbying, and the press. And that control rests with crypto users as a route around such layers.
