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US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

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Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#91

Post by jp57 »

nickysielicki wrote: post #85

The founders of this country are rolling in their graves. Every part of this story. All he did was go to another country and spread truthful information. > "The most important feature of blockchains is that they are open. And the DPRK can't be kept out no matter what the USA or the UN says," This is conspiracy ? Is telling someone that a gun can kill now considered conspiracy to murder, too? Is it really the stance o…

Some of the founders of this country were responsible for the Alien and Sedition Acts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_and_Sedition_Acts

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#92

Post by sofixa »

kayamon wrote: post #83
sofixa wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but his work was exploring how digital systems can help bring peace to the world Surely nobody is that naive? Wars and sanctions aren't a technical problem that can be "solved" with a "digital system".

Yes they are. Wars are funded via inflation. Bitcoin solves inflation by using computers to allow trading bottled energy online, thereby pulling the funding out from under oligarchs.

> Wars are funded via inflation

That's got to be one of the weirdest things I've ever heard. Inflation is a side effect of war, either due money printing to fund ( rare in non-failing countries, bond issues and loans are much more popular) or, more often, due to supply scarcity ( due to more limited trade, redirection of resources to the military, conscription of men for the army).

Bitcoin does nothing for either scenario. Obviously it doesn't help supply, and no government would limit itself on monetary policy by exclusively adopting bitcoin; and even if for some reason they do, they can still emit bonds and get loans.

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#93

Post by xiphias2 »

A4ET8a8uTh0 wrote: post #79
radicaldreamer wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there's a kind of naïveté at work here. He cooperated when questioned after returning from North Korea, only to have his own words used against him when he was charged. He didn't take sanctions violations seriously enough and when he asked the State Dept for permission beforehand to go, they said no, and he went anyway.

I think I agree and I am willing to defend him a little bit here. Vast majority of US population would be astounded if they learned even a fraction of screening that goes on behind the curtain; that does not even include existence of SARs or differences between jurisdictions. And they typically don't know, because, usually, those issues touch either sophisticated players with money to spend on defense, or actual desi…

He was helping the worst dictator on Earth increase his power even more.

Right now there are sanctions against Russia, and some US companies are giving Bitcoin to Russians to help to escape the country, but the US government doesn’t make that illegal, because they are not helping Putin, but the refugees who got stuck in a horrible situation.

Of course US can make sending Bitcoin to Russian people illegal at any time, and then any person will know that they are risking going to prison if they still want to help those people.

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#94

Post by A4ET8a8uTh0 »

nickysielicki wrote: post #85

The founders of this country are rolling in their graves. Every part of this story. All he did was go to another country and spread truthful information. > "The most important feature of blockchains is that they are open. And the DPRK can't be kept out no matter what the USA or the UN says," This is conspiracy ? Is telling someone that a gun can kill now considered conspiracy to murder, too? Is it really the stance o…

It may surprise you, but providing information to sanctioned entities that could help them avoid sanctions is something Treasury does not like and it is explicitly listed as something that could land you in trouble.

It does not help that Virgil, with his own words, seem to indicate that he was aware that this could help evade sanctions.

In a sense, it is a little like openly saying you are aware this car was used for robbery. Obviously, we can easily argue that is not a good comparison at all, but in essence that is what is happening.

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#95

Post by gmuslera »

What if he did the exact same presentation in youtube, and in NK they saw that presentation? What if someone in NK downloaded the open source implementation of that blockchain, participated on it, or even mined quite a few coins?

Could be argued the same about any open source program (and their developers) dealing with encrypted information in any way?

What was the problem? Going in person? Answering questions in the same way that he would do to any other person? Giving a "forbidden hint" that is basically spam all over internet by now?

I don't care about crypto, but I do care about what this precedent implies.

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#96

Post by mtoner23 »

chatmasta wrote: post #48

I met Virgil at an academic workshop back in 2014. We went out in Amsterdam. He was a weird guy, to say the least (he’d probably be the first to agree). He was generally quite affable and obviously highly intelligent. He’s an idiot for this fiasco. But it’s also sad to see him in jail; I don’t see how this benefits society in any way. Five years in prison seems like a disproportionate punishment for an arguably victi…

Victimless? North korea is not a victimless country. There's a reason why they are sactioned. He clearly broke a big and important law and knew he was doing it. idk what else one would expect

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#97

Post by chickenpotpie »

simoncion wrote: post #31
chickenpotpie wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read the Atlantic article, but I don't think they made a strong enough argument to justify retiring the quote. Regardless of the circumstances that it was first used, it's meaning is still very true. It is still illegal to yell fire in a crowded theater and there are many exceptions to the first amendment. An american citizen cannot verbally harass someone, they cannot share child pornography, and they cannot go ar…

You should read the Popehat essay. The guy is a former Federal prosecutor. He knows what he's talking about. Moreover, you forgot to read this part of what you linked to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schenck_v._United_States#Subse... > A unanimous Court in a brief per curiam opinion in Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), abandoned the disfavored language while seemingly applying the reasoning of Schenck to reverse the convi…

>> An american citizen cannot verbally harass someone...

>They can, actually. See the quote from the wikipedia article above.

No they can’t. Verbal harassment is a crime. Someone can serve a year in jail for it the state of Colorado

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#98

Post by A4ET8a8uTh0 »

sofixa wrote: post #92
kayamon wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes they are. Wars are funded via inflation. Bitcoin solves inflation by using computers to allow trading bottled energy online, thereby pulling the funding out from under oligarchs.

> Wars are funded via inflation That's got to be one of the weirdest things I've ever heard. Inflation is a side effect of war, either due money printing to fund ( rare in non-failing countries, bond issues and loans are much more popular) or, more often, due to supply scarcity ( due to more limited trade, redirection of resources to the military, conscription of men for the army). Bitcoin does nothing for either sce…

That is actually.. a very intriguing ( yet horrifying ) question. Were there any studies of inflationary pressures pre, during, and after a war? My gut tells me it depends on the scale of destruction ( WW2 comes to mind ), but I don't remember reading anything on that subject.

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#99

Post by jollybean »

nickysielicki wrote: post #85

The founders of this country are rolling in their graves. Every part of this story. All he did was go to another country and spread truthful information. > "The most important feature of blockchains is that they are open. And the DPRK can't be kept out no matter what the USA or the UN says," This is conspiracy ? Is telling someone that a gun can kill now considered conspiracy to murder, too? Is it really the stance o…

Helping mass murderers with Nuclear Weapons avoid sanctions that are in place because they are ... mass murderers, is the issue here.

Not arbitrary knowledge.

Nobody is being arrested for giving Crypto talks otherwise.

Re: US sentences crypto expert to 5 years after North Korea blockchain presentation

#100

Post by Karawebnetwork »

kayamon wrote: post #83
sofixa wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but his work was exploring how digital systems can help bring peace to the world Surely nobody is that naive? Wars and sanctions aren't a technical problem that can be "solved" with a "digital system".

Yes they are. Wars are funded via inflation. Bitcoin solves inflation by using computers to allow trading bottled energy online, thereby pulling the funding out from under oligarchs.

>thereby pulling the funding out from under oligarchs

Only works if the people have access to the technology.

"As of December 2014, 1,024 IP addresses are known to exist in North Korea"

"North Korea - Population 2014 - 25,057,793"

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