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Topic: [2017-03-30]How Amir Taaki Tried to Build Bitcoin Economy in Syria While Fightin (Read 404 times)

legendary
Activity: 1792
Merit: 1000
One thing is for sure - it is always interesting to read what Amir is up to Grin

He's a unique character and part of early Bitcoin history.
hero member
Activity: 728
Merit: 500
In cryptography we trust
At least his approach was pretty straightforward and consequent. Instead of wasting years talking in forums about libertarianism, no government and this kind of things, he went to a place - a kind of "no man's land" - where such a development could eventually take place.

I don't know how close is Rojava to a real libertarian/anarchist society (it seems it's pretty far away actually, mainly due to obligations that rise because of Syria's civil war) but at least, if you have the balls, it's worth a try. And if you can make Bitcoin popular in these places, the better ...

Groups of people fighting for the gun of the state is not the same as a real libertarian/anarchist society with sound moral principles as I imagine it.

Humanity first and desperately needs a new age of enlightenment. People better wake the fuck up from this statist religion before they destroy us all. Or first destroy themselves so the rest can start rebuilding.
legendary
Activity: 3906
Merit: 6249
Decentralization Maximalist
At least his approach was pretty straightforward and consequent. Instead of wasting years talking in forums about libertarianism, no government and this kind of things, he went to a place - a kind of "no man's land" - where such a development could eventually take place.

I don't know how close is Rojava to a real libertarian/anarchist society (it seems it's pretty far away actually, mainly due to obligations that rise because of Syria's civil war) but at least, if you have the balls, it's worth a try. And if you can make Bitcoin popular in these places, the better ...
legendary
Activity: 2408
Merit: 1121
Gads, not this attention-whore again.

He went to a country in conflict, tried his hand at being a LARPer Revolutionary, then when reality didn't match his romanticized vision, ran back home to the UK.

Along the way he made sure to "run into" a journalist who wrote a story about it. How convenient.

I don't know if he's mentally ill, but his ego needs a serious reality-check.
sr. member
Activity: 2618
Merit: 439
With Bitcoin and Kalashnikov


In early 2016, Taaki disappeared from the Bitcoin scene and traveled to Syria to fight against the terrorist group ISIS. With the Kurdish People's Protection Units [YPG] military group, the anarchist hacker stood at the front line and actively engaged in the war against ISIS. In an interview, Taaki stated:

"When I discovered Rojava [the term Kurds use to refer to northern or Syrian Kurdistan] I felt I had to go there. At first, I was completely scared - I thought I was going to die. I got sent to the frontline. I had no training, and I was given a Kalashnikov. I learned how to use a gun on the way, another Western fighter showed me. I found myself on the front with a gun, I had to fight. But I wanted to go elsewhere, where my skills would be useful."

Who is Amir Taaki?

Taaki, who is best known as the creator of DarkMarket and operator of Bitcoin exchange Bitcoinica, was one of the most important figures in the early stages of Bitcoin development. In fact, New York Times reporter Nathaniel Popper, who wrote the book Digital Gold, initially planned on focusing the narrative of his book on Taaki and his involvement with Bitcoin.

At one point, Taaki was one of the four main developers to write off the Bitcoin code. During that time, Taaki also introduced DarkMarket, an anonymous marketplace which operates like Tor’s darknet marketplaces, which allows users to purchase or sell items with full anonymity. The platform was based on a technology called Dark Wallet, that essentially allowed users to make anonymous Bitcoin payments, for financial privacy.


https://cointelegraph.com/news/how-amir-taaki-tried-to-build-bitcoin-economy-in-syria-while-fighting-isis
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