Oddbean new post about | logout
 Well said. I'm not at all a fan of the idea of not being able to delete or edit a comment. The argument of a "more honest internet" is a cope. Yes, both features can be misused but privacy is a human right. While it's true that you can't truly, fully delete things online (and, of course, the technical challenges of throwing a decentralized platform into the mix), that doesn't mean users shouldn't have full control over their online presence as far as the technology permits.

I mean, every one of us has said things online that we would like to forget, and definitely wouldn't want associated with our modern persona. It's not like we're all born with the knowledge of privacy and the permanence of the internet, especially those of us who grew up with the internet. How is it fair that we would all have to potentially pay the price of our past internet idiocy just so we can have a "more honest internet"? It's just a stupid concept. It's like saying, "privacy is dead so let's just give every bit of info to everyone who wants it". That whole argument is a total joke and it doesn't hold up to logic.

See, this is exactly what bugs me about the maxi mentality against privacy coins like Monero. Yes, I love Bitcoin but that doesn't mean I don't take issue with some of its concepts. The immutable, public ledger is a privacy issue; just because it's pseudonymous, that doesn't mean I'm okay with people knowing every transaction I make if they are able to attach a real-world identity to my wallet address(es).

At the end of the day, you cannot have self-sovereignty without privacy.