SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the shocked-to-discover-there's-gambling-in-this-establishment dept.
Wired has a story about OpenBazaar, a software project created with the idea of being to e-commerce what BitTorrent was to file sharing. From the article:
This weekend, the developers behind OpenBazaar plan to release a beta version of the software designed to let anyone privately and directly buy and sell goods online with no intermediary. They describe it as “pseudonymous, uncensored trade.” Rather than hosting its commerce on any server, OpenBazaar installs on users’ PCs, and allows them to list products in a file stored in a so-called “distributed hash table,” a database spread across many users’ machines. Everything will be paid in bitcoin. The result of that peer-to-peer architecture, they hope, will be a marketplace that no one—–no government, no company, not even the OpenBazaar programmers—can regulate or shut down.
But Patterson and OpenBazaar founder Brian Hoffman adamantly insist OpenBazaar isn’t designed for selling narcotics, guns, or other contraband. They see their invention as a freer, more democratic eBay or Craigslist, with no seller fees and no one to arbitrarily change the rules or censor products. “We’re not the ‘Super Silk Road.’ We’re trying to replace eBay in a better form,” says Patterson. “We recognize that people may choose to use that technology in a way we see as distasteful, immoral, and illegal, but we’re giving them the option to engage in a kind of human interaction that doesn’t exist right now.”
(Score: 5, Insightful) by AlHunt on Sunday August 31 2014, @03:13PM
$100 bills can be used to buy and sell anything, too. And nobody is suggesting $100 bills should be outlawed, banned or otherwise taken out of circulation.
Well, there does actually seem to be a push to do away with non-trackable currency, but you get the idea.
If you don't like un-trackable digital currency, then you should be opposed to the folding stuff, too.
(Score: 1) by Horse With Stripes on Sunday August 31 2014, @07:12PM
I'm not against trackable or un-trackable digital currency. I'm also OK with folding money, coins, checks, etc. I just find his "if this turns out the way I think it will I can deny any responsibility simply by saying 'Raw milk, radar detectors and fireworks'" attitude repugnant.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 31 2014, @07:28PM
I just find his "if this turns out the way I think it will I can deny any responsibility simply by saying 'Raw milk, radar detectors and fireworks'" attitude repugnant.
So, precisely what kind of responsibility do you want him to take?
Do you want him to go to jail if someone hires a hitman using this system?
Or make restitution to the victim's family?
Seriously, what actions could he take that would make his attitude not repugnant in your opinion?
(Score: 1) by Horse With Stripes on Sunday August 31 2014, @07:40PM
I think he should man up and lose the "I only wanted good things from this ... radar detectors! ... I'm outta here" bullshit.
He sees a need for this type of marketplace. Many others see the same need. He helped create the marketplace. If it turns out that it's not all ponies and rainbows, which he already acknowledges it won't be, then he should stand his ground. "I can't control what everyone does with OpenBazzar, but I know the freedom it brings to the masses will far outweigh the potential for abuse. I'll stand by OpenBazzar even when it comes under fire from those whose intentions are not always what they portray, which is a similar situation that can occur on OpenBazzar."
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 31 2014, @08:22PM
So your entire complaint is a nit-pick over a minor wording difference in one interview.
Your life must be so empty.
(Score: 2) by CRCulver on Sunday August 31 2014, @07:33PM
Many countries are gently transitioning to a cashless economy, as this is very helpful in combating tax evasion. It has long been illegal in my neck of the woods for companies to pay salaries in cash, and the availability of ATMs has been restricted through zoning laws (so people have less access to cash and get accustomed to using their cards instead). Even without that government pressure, lots of businesses want to avoid handling cash because of risk of theft etc., so the self-service checkouts at my local supermarket only take cards, and bus drivers in many cities no longer accept cash, only an electronic ticket tied to your bank card or mobile phone. I don't know about the US ("$100 bills") specifically, but I can definitely see a near future where other Western nations dispense with cash entirely.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 31 2014, @08:25PM
> It has long been illegal in my neck of the woods
Anybody reading along doesn't give a damn if it is your neck of the woods or not.
What we care about is the actual country you are talking about -- tell us the name.
If you are going to write, know your audience.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 01 2014, @04:22PM
He knows his audience. Maybe it isn't you, since you can't figure out where his neck of woods is. Perhaps you're at the wrong site?