In addition to that point, Monero relies on I2P which doesn't provide anonymity against the NSA.
Once you are on the internet it is not possible to hide from the NSA that you are using an application such as I2P and I think it will be the case with your new application as well. The NSA will know who is using your network just like they can figure out who is using I2P. I doubt it is possible to design anything in which the TCP or UDP traffic is not traceable by the NSA. The NSA is able to track down what users use once the application is connected to the internet. However, if I2P is properly configured it is possible to hide the content of the communication from even NSA. At this stage and using the current computing power NSA unable to break the encryption of I2P. Using this internet the traceability can't be avoided but an adequate privacy can be achieved with I2P which in my opinion terms of content privacy is a safe solution.
I have already designed an anonymity network that can statistically hide patterns of traffic from an entity that can see every packet that moves over the internet. Tor and I2P aren't even close to accomplishing this. For example, for Tor and I2P just flood an onion route with traffic and the path through to the hidden server lights up with more traffic than the rest of the nodes. Numerous other fundamental flaws.
The remaining issue is that the governments can simply ban an anonymity network. So if you don't make something popular then don't expect it to be resistant to government.
I can definitely improve upon Tor, I2P, and Bitmessage and give us anonymity for some years when we really need it. But the governments will eventually wise up and cooperate with each other and ban it (will take them some years to get there though). Or maybe there will be a few governments that don't, then we be on a new playing field and win. Or maybe the people of the world end up using it and it becomes very popular, then the governments can't ban it (just like they can't ban porn and other popular activities).
Please do not say what it is not technically possible if you haven't actually gotten down into the nitty gritty details. It is indeed very difficult to hide traffic patterns. The main challenge will be insuring that not most of the nodes in the anonymity networked aren't Sybil attacked. For this, reputation is very important. Humans will have to do what they do best, which is gauge trust levels. For example, would you trust my nodes if I digitally signed that I was operating them honestly? There must be a profit incentive to operate a node, which is where micropayment channels come in (even Bitcoin could in theory do real-time channels with the proposed Lightening network).
Overall we need to look at anonymity as a hedge of our bets. What we most want is decentralized digital currency
that can scale to a million transactions per second, that no government nor global entity can control. Even if it is not anonymous that will be a big win. Bitcoin can't scale and remain under decentralized control. If we also can get strong anonymity in there, then perhaps jurisdictions will open up in the world where they respect and use the anonymity. Or perhaps we there remain enough avenues to continue to use the anonymity in spite of government's attempts to ban such things (there are technical possibilities as well good ole human ingenuity). I think it is important to get those technologies out there and enable people to start employing them in different ways, so the ecosystems become mature, funded, and out pacing the government. The government has a difficult time of telling widespread humanity not to earn money on something they are already profiting from. Humans are hard headed in that case. For example, the Chinese, the Mongolians, the Iranians, etc, etc, etc.
I have perfected all those designs. Again a Bitcoin killer. And I am not joking. You miss this investment and you miss an opportunity of a lifetime.
P.S. Feeling great today. I think I am on the way to being cured of M.S.!!! So excited. But I said this in the past. So hold on for confirmation. So far, I feel entirely different. I feel my life coming back.
The contagion that will accelerate end of this month, will cause a stampede into sovereign bonds. This will be the final peak in the 30+ year sovereign bond bubble.
Since speculative capital follows speculative capital, this will suck capital out of everything else. Gold and Bitcoin will experience massive short selling because they are small markets easily driven down by such. Thus any sell off to below $700 and $100 will be a very significant buying opportunity for those who are wise.
After Spring 2016, as the bond bubble is clearly crashing, there will be a global stampede into that will envelope into a phase transition high in mid to late 2017 for us dollar and us stocks:
- us dollar
- us stocks
- private assets such as gold and Bitcoin will start to get a bid
The greatest craziest gains for gold and crypto may come after 2017, as the us dollar and us stocks fall into the global collapse and there are no other assets to turn to in order to safeguard capital. By that point, cypto features such as anonymity may be very important.
From 2016 to 2017, the most important features of crypto will be scalability and ability to do safe instant transactions while not centralizing the mining. Bitcoin can't do this.
Government dictatorship is one of the very ugliest set of scenarios facing us. I hope TPTB's project is a step on the long & hard road to eventual freedom.
It will be a mixed bag. There won't be an absolute solution in any direction. Again diversification.
By leading the way for more people to be productive with a scalable crypto currency, we will be laying the ground work for humanity.
This is a our duty as well as our profit.