Bitinstant brokering extortion threats? - page 5.

Transisto

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At best their offer being condescending to Romney and his team.

Quote

Not only that, we’ll also show you how to safely use a Bitcoin wallet, back up and encrypt it, and make payments. We’ll even set you up with a Bitcoin app on your iPhone! You’ll be a Bitcoin expert in no time!

Who the F you think you are ?

PR fail on multiple level.

benjamindees

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Quote from: JoelKatz on September 08, 2012, 02:22:22 AM

Quote from: benjamindees on September 08, 2012, 02:15:38 AM

I'm referring to the fact that you, personally, could be responsible for relaying or hashing the actual Bitcoin transaction that goes to the actual "extortionist".

You mean he might be helping the extortion victim to minimize the damage he suffers as a result of the extortion, right? If someone receives a ransom note and chooses to pay the ransom, there's absolutely nothing wrong with helping them do so.

Excellent point as usual.

Luno

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That's rather plausible Phineas.

dissipate

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Quote from: Phinnaeus Gage on September 08, 2012, 02:47:05 AM

I have a different take. It would sadden me (further) if we later learn that this supposed hoax stemmed from somewhere within this community, them(s) utilizing black-hat marketing techniques simply to advance business concerns.

The last two Bitcoin episodes, Bitfloor and Mitt, seemed to have hit the wire quicker than previous ills. It's as if shit was written prior to each event's occurrence, starting with an article placement on some lesser viewed site, then rapidly adopted by the mainstream media.

If this sounds far-fetched, color me orange.

~Bruno~

I don't think it is far fetched at all. Seems to me the plot could have been executed by someone holding a lot of BTC, hoping to cash in on a price rise from the publicity. Seems like their plot could have worked. For the cost of a few flash disks and a drive over to some political headquarters, nonetheless.

Phinnaeus Gage

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I have a different take. It would sadden me (further) if we later learn that this supposed hoax stemmed from somewhere within this community, them(s) utilizing black-hat marketing techniques simply to advance business concerns.

The last two Bitcoin episodes, Bitfloor and Mitt, seemed to have hit the wire quicker than previous ills. It's as if shit was written prior to each event's occurrence, starting with an article placement on some lesser viewed site, then rapidly adopted by the mainstream media.

If this sounds far-fetched, color me orange.

~Bruno~

Luno

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If the claimed motives were right, the offer would have been given to the family or the Republicans alone. and not to the world. If a result of this is a price rise, because of publicity, the purpose of the offer is lost.

FlipPro

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Quote from: dissipate on September 08, 2012, 02:23:27 AM

Quote from: FlipPro on September 08, 2012, 02:08:29 AM

Quote from: eldentyrell on September 08, 2012, 01:37:07 AM

Quote from: benjamindees on September 08, 2012, 01:34:29 AM

Are you sure you want to make this argument?

I don't run a blog and Forbes doesn't write articles about me, so I'm not sure I follow you here.

If you're referring to the fact that Romney accepting the offer might increase the bitcoin price and therefore increase my fiat-denominated revenues, I can do without it. In fact I think in the long term it will damage the value of BTC more than it will boost it.

Unfortunately, those in political office won't see it as just a tool, and they might try to shut down exchanges and Bitcoin based businesses. Sad

My ultimate fear.

Innocent businesses like Alpaca Socks and many other organically successful BTC businesses having to stop excepting BTC (thus killing their businesses), because of this nonsense.

dissipate

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Quote from: FlipPro on September 08, 2012, 02:08:29 AM

Quote from: eldentyrell on September 08, 2012, 01:37:07 AM

Quote from: benjamindees on September 08, 2012, 01:34:29 AM

Are you sure you want to make this argument?

I don't run a blog and Forbes doesn't write articles about me, so I'm not sure I follow you here.

If you're referring to the fact that Romney accepting the offer might increase the bitcoin price and therefore increase my fiat-denominated revenues, I can do without it. In fact I think in the long term it will damage the value of BTC more than it will boost it.

This is an important point in all of this. I am in BTC for the long term. This may help the PRICE in the short run, but it is detrimental to BTC in the long term. I pray that people do their research, and truly understand that this is an important open source project with thousands of individual developers/investors/contributors. And that NOT everyone in this community feels and/or operates in this fashion. Bitcoin is a beautiful new technology that can solve the great debt crisis that humanity currently faces itself with. It can reinvigorate old legacy markets that are worn and tired. It can give industries that may have dim futures a chance to rehash themselves in innovative ways that can only better humanity. It can open up the finance world to fresh new ideas that would have not been possible before, because of cost and/or redundancy. Point blank - It's more than just an "unregulated" online currency. It's a new technology that can free up capital, and potentially turn the world around from a great depression.

We need to consider the possibility that individuals who have nothing to do with this 'community' can and will use Bitcoin for all kinds of ransoms. That's not a possibility that I like very much, but it's a fact. Bitcoin, like any type of money can be used for good or for bad. However, since it is a far superior type of money than has ever been created, the bad can be greatly magnified as well. It is a tool, like any other tool. Unfortunately, those in political office won't see it as just a tool, and they might try to shut down exchanges and Bitcoin based businesses. Sad

JoelKatz

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Quote from: benjamindees on September 08, 2012, 02:15:38 AM

I'm referring to the fact that you, personally, could be responsible for relaying or hashing the actual Bitcoin transaction that goes to the actual "extortionist".

You mean he might be helping the extortion victim to minimize the damage he suffers as a result of the extortion, right? If someone receives a ransom note and chooses to pay the ransom, there's absolutely nothing wrong with helping them do so.

benjamindees

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Quote from: eldentyrell on September 08, 2012, 01:37:07 AM

Quote from: benjamindees on September 08, 2012, 01:34:29 AM

Are you sure you want to make this argument?

I don't run a blog and Forbes doesn't write articles about me, so I'm not sure I follow you here.

If you're referring to the fact that Romney accepting the offer might increase the bitcoin price and therefore increase my fiat-denominated revenues, I can do without it. In fact I think in the long term it will damage the value of BTC more than it will boost it.

I'm not. I'm referring to the fact that you, personally, could be responsible for relaying or hashing the actual Bitcoin transaction that goes to the actual "extortionist". And you seem to be fine with that. In fact, your sig is hilariously ironic:

Quote

Miners are apolitical. Hashpower has no ego.

Yet you somehow want to heap scorn upon Bitinstant for offering to do something similar, in offering their services to both sides of what is basically a political tuffle.

And the worst part, I think, is that you aren't actually the least bit concerned with the actual "extortion" itself. You're only concerned with how it might make you, or Bitcoin, look bad. In short, you seem to be a hypocritical dipshit.

FlipPro

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Quote from: eldentyrell on September 08, 2012, 01:37:07 AM

Quote from: benjamindees on September 08, 2012, 01:34:29 AM

Are you sure you want to make this argument?

I don't run a blog and Forbes doesn't write articles about me, so I'm not sure I follow you here.

If you're referring to the fact that Romney accepting the offer might increase the bitcoin price and therefore increase my fiat-denominated revenues, I can do without it. In fact I think in the long term it will damage the value of BTC more than it will boost it.

This is an important point in all of this. I am in BTC for the long term. This may help the PRICE in the short run, but it is detrimental to BTC in the long term. I pray that people do their research, and truly understand that this is an important open source project with thousands of individual developers/investors/contributors. And that NOT everyone in this community feels and/or operates in this fashion. Bitcoin is a beautiful new technology that can solve the great debt crisis that humanity currently faces itself with. It can reinvigorate old legacy markets that are worn and tired. It can give industries that may have dim futures a chance to rehash themselves in innovative ways that can only better humanity. It can open up the finance world to fresh new ideas that would have not been possible before, because of cost and/or redundancy. Point blank - It's more than just an "unregulated" online currency. It's a new technology that can free up capital, and potentially turn the world around from a great depression.

eldentyrell

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Quote from: benjamindees on September 08, 2012, 01:34:29 AM

Are you sure you want to make this argument?

I don't run a blog and Forbes doesn't write articles about me, so I'm not sure I follow you here.

If you're referring to the fact that Romney accepting the offer might increase the bitcoin price and therefore increase my fiat-denominated revenues, I can do without it. In fact I think in the long term it will damage the value of BTC more than it will boost it.

benjamindees

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Aren't you a miner? Are you sure you want to make this argument?

FreeMoney

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Strength in numbers

Quote from: eldentyrell on September 08, 2012, 01:06:03 AM

Quote from: JoelKatz on September 08, 2012, 01:03:37 AM

Quote from: eldentyrell on September 08, 2012, 12:50:20 AM

All they see is the biggest retail player in the bitcoin world offering to broker an extortion threat.

There is nothing wrong with helping someone who is blackmailed come up with the money,

This is not about some fine point of theoretical law, it is about public relations. Show the Forbes article to your grandmother and ask for her immediate gut reaction.

The severely mentally handicapped is the only demographic coming to mind that matters less than grandmothers here.

Matthew N. Wright

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Quote from: JoelKatz on September 08, 2012, 01:08:54 AM

Quote from: eldentyrell on September 08, 2012, 01:06:03 AM

This is not about some fine point of theoretical law, it is about public relations. Show the Forbes article to your grandmother and ask for her immediate gut reaction.

I do agree that it's a cheezy way to get free publicity. But I'm not convinced people will have that kind of reaction to the Forbes article.

I did, and I'm a troll.

Quote from: FreeMoney on September 08, 2012, 01:09:16 AM

Besides the whole thing (taxes, hiding tax paperwork from people you expect to vote for you, pretending (or actually doing it) to steal tax paperwork) being a huge farce, lets just say someone wanted to pay a million dollars worth of bitcoins to some anonymous punk, they would probably appreciate free help from someone who can get that done.

"Hey, you want to pay the terrorists, you can use our Bitcoin services! We want to be involved in this terrorist transaction, because that's basically what bitcoin is for anyway!"

FreeMoney

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Besides the whole thing (taxes, hiding tax paperwork from people you expect to vote for you, pretending (or actually doing it) to steal tax paperwork) being a huge farce, lets just say someone wanted to pay a million dollars worth of bitcoins to some anonymous punk, they would probably appreciate free help from someone who can get that done.

JoelKatz

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Quote from: eldentyrell on September 08, 2012, 01:06:03 AM

This is not about some fine point of theoretical law, it is about public relations. Show the Forbes article to your grandmother and ask for her immediate gut reaction.

I do agree that it's a cheezy way to get free publicity. But I'm not convinced people will have that kind of reaction to the Forbes article.

eldentyrell

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felonious vagrancy, personified

Quote from: JoelKatz on September 08, 2012, 01:03:37 AM

Quote from: eldentyrell on September 08, 2012, 12:50:20 AM

All they see is the biggest retail player in the bitcoin world offering to broker an extortion threat.

There is nothing wrong with helping someone who is blackmailed come up with the money,

This is not about some fine point of theoretical law, it is about public relations. Show the Forbes article to your grandmother and ask for her immediate gut reaction.

Bitcoin Oz

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Wat

Its not extortion its community service

JoelKatz

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Democracy is vulnerable to a 51% attack.

Quote from: eldentyrell on September 08, 2012, 12:50:20 AM

All they see is the biggest retail player in the bitcoin world offering to broker an extortion threat.

There is nothing wrong with helping someone who is blackmailed come up with the money, assuming you played no role in the blackmail itself. If someone's child was kidnapped at 6PM on Christmas eve and a ransom was demanded in cash by the following evening, would there be something wrong with a bank offering to open on Christmas to allow the ransom to be paid should they choose to pay?

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