Oddbean new post about | logout
 Since the start of Bitcoin people have been saying it should have been anonymous. Then they made Monero for that. But actually I like the way it is. I like that everyone just watched the German government liquidate their assets in real time. We all just watched that happen.

Compare that to the fiat system. When's the last time anyone was able to audit the Federal Reserve?

This transparency is good. 
 A few problems.

Nothing is forcing them to use Bitcoin for their shady deeds or use it at all.
And if they do use Bitcoin, they can use the same current and future privacy tools/layers that any Bitcoin user can.
And if they do use Bitcoin without doing that, so what? They freely admit sending billions of our money to foreign countries right now. No one cares or does anything about it anyway.
Proof of assets means little if you don't have proof of liabilities.

https://github.com/libbitcoin/libbitcoin-system/wiki/Auditability-Fallacy 
 If it is the government and it is spending people's money, yes, transparency is key. 

But crypto was created as p2p cash for the people to transact, sending money to a business or acquaintance giving the receiver the possibility to know how much you own of Bitcoin or ETH or PLS is very unappealing for most privacy conscious people who understand that they are risking if their savings are not modest. Thiefs and cyber criminals have it too easy nowadays with the youth thinking they are safe and they have nothing to hide. That is very dangerous and if you do a quick search, you will find that many people are getting visited at home, torture and worst for their crypto, just recently there was a gang dismantle in USA that was doing so, there are reports all over the world, here few examples:

India:
https://www.newsweek.com/cryptocurrency-traders-abducted-tortured-india-criminal-gang-arrested-bitcoin-ransom-1449274

Spain:
https://cryptopotato.com/tuentis-founder-tortured-to-reveal-his-bitcoin-private-keys-report/

Argentina:
https://nypost.com/2023/07/27/millionaire-crypto-influencer-found-dismembered-in-suitcase/

USA:
https://www.wired.com/story/crypto-home-invasion-crime-ring/

And when you say they made Monero for that, it was more complicated than that, but yes, Monero is great to transact with privacy, probably the best we have, but... Billions of dollars are invested in DeFi financial instruments in chains like Ethereum, Solana or Pulsechain, therefore, while in those chains, once having profits if any, to bridge out into anything else (like Monero and from it to Fiat) it is important to break the chain analysis first, so you and your family stay safe, and for that you need privacy tools, Monero does not live in any of those EVMs, nor has any DeFi contracts with billions of dollars locked into it.