One interesting thing I noticed this time, as opposed to the last hearing, is that the Bitcoin backers seemed to be much more on the defensive. In the previous hearing, law enforcement officials came on and were the ones tackling the regulation questions. They gave a positive outlook on the situation, and the Bitcoiners really didn't face as much questioning in terms of regulation. Now, this isn't the fairest direct comparison; there were no law enforcement officials being questioned in the NY Hearings.
However, now the Bitcoiners were having to answer really tough questions. Questions they don't have an answer to, whether they admit it or not. They are being asked how Bitcoin can be regulated to prevent money laundering and illicit activity. They bring up past successful investigations by law enforcement, such as the Silk Road shutdown, but offer very little insight into how they themselves can combat these issues. They're alluding to the notion that law enforcement just needs to continue investigating the bad guys, and they'll do their best to enforce KYC.
Unfortunately, I don't think these answers were satisfactory to the panel. Granted, they're nearly impossible to satisfy here, but to give the answer "you guys just need to keep working hard at finding the criminals" made me cringe a bit. The government understands that it can expend a bunch of resources going after these guys, and if they invest enough into it, they should be able to find them. But they're saying they want Bitcoin and Bitcoin-based businesses to make sites like Silk-Road more difficult / impossible to run.
I would have said that there have been many advancements since Silk Road 1.0 was created. Exchanges were not even requiring customers to verify their identities up until Q2 2013. That's under 1 year ago. Buying Bitcoin has become less anonymous everyday, and you will not find a notable exchange which provides service to US citizens without completing KYC verification. Furthermore, the successful Silk Road raid has scared a vast majority of potential clients and sellers away from this type of marketplace. We've also seen many new illegal marketplaces shut down due to operators fleeing with users' funds. The confidence in the Dark Markets is very low right now.
If you look how far Bitcoin has come in just 2 years, where people could easily and without fear of repercussions trade contraband with BTC, to today, where only the most technology-savvy users can be confident at all in anonymity, and with the Dark Markets, it is night and day. It's unfair to expect things to change overnight, but there have been obvious and major progressions over a fairly short time span.
Furthermore, if the government refuses to accept crypto-currency and figure out a way to keep the average user happy, it will simply slip into the underworld. There is no way for the government to shut these things down. The criminals will find a way to continue on crypto with or without government approval of Bitcoin. These are decentralized instruments, and by over-regulating them, you will just kill the currency and the criminals will operate with other derivatives of crypto. By working with Bitcoin and Bitcoin businesses, you keep the volume in your playing field, where you can at least call some of the shots.
All in all I don't think this was the best showing for Bitcoin in general. The cool new feeling of Bitcoin is wearing off and the government is starting to really focus in on the negative aspects (in their POV). Realistically, I don't think we have an answer for these problems at the end of the day. The government wants absolute control, they always want absolute control, and I think they're starting to realize that crypto is a step in the wrong direction in achieving this goal. No one should be surprised. The more popular Bitcoin gets, the more it's going to get hated by governments. Bitcoin, at its roots, is designed specifically to exclude the need for authority.
Final side note, hilarious to see those Winklevoss leeches on the panel. You can just see how scummy they truly are. In nearly all questions they answer, all it looks like to me is them saying "please let my Bitcoins be worth more, please!" These twinkle twins look like they'd toss each other under the bus if it meant making a quick buck. Some of these guys, I believe truly exist in the currency for the right reasons, but the twinkle twins only believe in a panned out pump and dump. Who would expect anything else from them.
I disagree. I think it was very positive today.
Senators aren't regulators. So that was more softball, general stuff. Regulators are a different breed. The fact that bitcoins continued existence was an assumed fact speaks volumns. It sounded like the regulators were ready to write guidelines and I didn't get any indication that those guidelines would be overly suppressive. You obviously have some issue with the twins that is abnormal. The creation of the ETF is a HUGE step for the acceptance of bitcoin.
I think you assume that governments inherently hate bitcoin. I think you are wrong. Governments, like ours in the US, are run by elected officials. Their #1 priority is job security. To be reelected. Those that say governments hate bitcoin are just extremists and conspiracy theorists.