the article is about western union. so not news worthy, althogh i do find it funny that people do try to grab any small thread or glimmer of mentioning money tothen turn it into a big deal about bitcoin..
even the OP is doing it, not only media..
summary, after reading the words western union 5 times you realise that its not a big bitcoin story..
Although usually I agree with you, I do not agree with you saying "I am turning it into a big deal about bitcoin". The Article is not just about Western Union, and it more points the finger at BTC if you look closely.
Quotes from the Article.""
Virtual CurrenciesThe task force has recommended that governments regulate virtual currencies and apply anti-money laundering rules to transactions using them. It called for limits on privacy and anonymity on services such as Tor. And it suggested police do more to use existing laws on currency transfers to investigate suspected child sexual abuse.
In April, Britain took steps to adhere to some of those guidelines. The Crown Prosecution Service allowed the Internet Watch Foundation to actively seek out and search online for child pornography, as opposed to simply acting on tips from the public as it had done in the past. The group is the only non-police organization worldwide with such powers, according to InHope, a network of 51 child abuse hot lines in 45 countries. ""
And Bitcoin is also referenced twice by name.
""
While credit-card payments for child porn on the public Internet have plummeted, huge amounts of material have moved underground, and are
often paid for using anonymous wire transfers and the
bitcoin virtual currency.""
"The delegates discussed the flourishing trade on sites with names such as PedoEmpire, Lolita City, Jail Bait and The Love Zone. Together those sites have hundreds of thousands of members, who pay for access with
bitcoins, prepaid cards, and anonymous wire-transfer services. "
time for me to chime in..
1. the article mentions western union 8 times
2. the article mentions Xoom 5 times
3. the article mentions credit cards a couple times
4. the article mentions wire transfer a couple times
5. the article mentions bitcoin .... a couple times
to me. it tells me
1. western union is being negatively used 4 times as much
2. Xoom is being negatively used atleast twice as much
3. bitcoin is used the same as credit cards and wire transfer
in short the article is pointing out ALL payment systems, thus it is not a direct bitcoin attack. so dont make a big deal out of it. nasty people will use any type of money they can, you cant stop that.
if you cant talk a sicko into getting a girlfriend his own age, you wont be able to talk him into staying away from bitcoins
you do know virtual currencies includes paypal, xoom.. right? so its not a direct attack, calm down.
by you posting it and making it into a issue, is highlighting a non-issue to become something directly affecting bitcoin. your own actions is adding more public awareness to the sexual predators and creeps and making those reading this forum realise that bitcoin is being linked to that gross crap. thus you are causing more FUD and more negativity about bitcoins legitimacy for average joe.
take for instance silk road. compared to the streets of detroit with paper money, silk road is a drop in the ocean. so whenever its mentioned most people here dont scream to the heavens that its being mentioned. they just brush it off as just another media story where the editor doesnt know the facts. those reading it no longer post forum messages about silk road, as its just unwanted attention.
so chill out have a coffee and relax i dont see that article as being a big nasty attack directed toward bitcoin specifically. and it wasnt worth my time even writing this to correct you. but i did. out of respect.
in short, this guy said it best
Same FUD different day. Mention bit coin along with child porn/terrorism/organized crime, scare a few people, rinse repeat ad nauseum.
have a nice day.