Ok, so this is the very first time I am seriously concerned about the future of bitcoin:
https://gizmodo.com/child-pornography-that-researchers-found-in-the-blockch-1823927566This article talks only about child pornography within the blockchain, but apparently the researchers also found copyrighted material, and other illegal content. Having worked on international governance matters, I fear this could mobilize sufficient national authorities to arrange a concerted crack-down on anything related to bitcoin (starting with, for instance, prohibiting exchanges, fiat flows related to bitcoin etc.).
Given the nature of the blockchain, I can't see any TECHNICAL solution.
Child pornography existed way before bitcoin and the blockchain's inception, so technically if the government can't do shit about this type of activity, it would just be one of their petty reasons as to why bitcoin should be banned because these things exist. If the government really is sincere in ending such worldly and immoral things, they'd go to the root of it and not only kill the branches; it will keep on spreading in different media as long as the root still exists.
Most of the time, the governments are just interested in getting something out of crypto gains and just seize such kinds of opportunities if they think they can milk some $ in the process. A government caring for its people's interests is just an illusion nowadays.
1) do you agree that this is a major threat to the existence of bitcoin?
If CP and other illicit activities is a threat to bitcoin, shouldn't these things a threat to fiat as well knowing that these industries flourished with the funding of fiat first before getting into the realms of bitcoin? That is if the government is
sincere in chasing down the operators of such industries, but no, they're just after monetary gains and personal interests lol.
2) assuming that bitcoin would have be "restarted" (a fork obviously would not solve the problem), how could an "ethical" and "legally acceptable" from of the blockchain and thus bitcoin work?
Bitcoin isn't intended to be pure and ethical in the first place. It's basically another form of money, and where there is money, there'd obviously be scums ready to do everything just to get $$$ no matter what their ways are. If the blockchain isn't
legally acceptable right now, then how come the banks and several nations are trying to do some research about it to see whether they can integrate it in their systems? This is yet another topic of crooked morality being linked to a money which, we all know isn't going to be vindicated no matter how much effort we exert. Money is money, no matter what form it may be or what medium it exist, there'd be illegal things happening around it and you can't prevent that with a single kill-switch/change of code/system overhaul.