(Those needing references could google themselves)
The french will this year starting to restrict cash trades to 1000 eur.
It is not strange how every act of terror is followed by tighter restrictions and eroding the freedom and privacy of citizens, yet governments are claiming the opposite?
They're in general claiming that tighter controls will give a more secure society. Is anyone really buying that? Is your non-bitcoin friends really buying that?
The question is, who will benefit the most from increased control of cash trade? The people or the government? I think the answer is clear.. But they are using these acts of terror as a wrench to get their way.
There are two options here, either the governments really believes that tightening control of cash is going to help prevent terrorism, or it is a deliberate action to increase their control and limit the usage of cash for the citizens. Now, all governments have lots of advisors and bright(?) heads among them, so it would be naive to think this is stupidity on the part of the governments.
As for the incidents that actually happens, these could be legit, or they could be orchestrated. I'm not putting any blame here, but if it was an official investigation all possibilities would've needed to be kept open..
I'm putting on my tinfoil hat predicting that cash limits will be reduced step by step, until cash vanish entirely.
The question is, will this drive bitcoin usage?
Also, since the war on cash is on, and since bitcoin exchanges effectively dispense digital cash (bitcoin) in exchange of fiat money, there's a trail left at the exchange. Everyone having an account at an exchange must assume that their account is "compromised" by one or more governments, if not now, it will be in the near future when every country's equivalent of the IRS starts demanding full transaction history from all exchanges, this is already happening (google is your friend). By the exchange disclosing your outgoing transactions to the government, the government will be able to look into what you're doing with the bitcoins, and they will do so, even if you're not part of a criminal investigation. Most likely we must assume that major exchanges at this point is in talks, if it has not been implemented already, the ability for certain govt. organizations to peek at users of interest in real time, as they do with traditional financial institutions. Exchanges will deny they're working with governments on these issues, some of them are honest about it (they're not yet hit), and the rest will outright lie. If they're honest, it means that customers will leave that exchange, and they might also be put out of business by their overlords.
Also, look at the explanation some exchanges give for closing up shop, it might not be honest explanations, but a coverup. Some exchange operators have spine, and will rather claim they were compromised through an electronic break in or similar, or no reason at all, and then close up shop, rather than caving in to the govt thugs.
So be careful, and take appropriate steps to protect your own freedom and privacy.
To be honest, I do not think that setting lower limits for cash purchases will help one bit against the terrorists. I also do not think that tax-income will be increased because of this. I'm quite certain that lots of people will be inconvenienced by this though.
It won't take long before ordinary folks will be hassled and harassed because they one way or another step over certain monthly limits or "suspicious transaction" limits, so instead of depositing the money from your grocery store to the bank, you will be brought in for intensive questioning, likewise the unsuspecting exchange user who traded his bitcoins with a random dude on the internet which thereafter went on to commit a hideous act for some weapon he bought with said bitcoins, might face a hard time with the police. Not like the criminal would not've done the same if he used cash or barter to get the same weapon..
When you disrespect people, they will not grow as humans. They might in fact turn to the "dark side", when they see there's no opportunities or respect in store for them. So perhaps governments should start looking at the very root of what causes people to become bad instead of trying to restrict the usage of "bad tools".
My opinion is that govts. do not care much, if anything about their people, they just look at what benefits they can gain themselves. So, it's all a poor masquerade in reality. Also, who's the largest criminals in this world, doing the largest transactions? I rest my case...
