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Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

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Re: Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

#61
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, is he wrong? Genuinely the only other application I’ve seen which seems plausible is for use in places like Venezuela where the official currency is worthless.

Other uses include local crimes and national crimes. They don't have to be global... Oh, and gambling/speculating of course.

There's nothing wrong with gambling, and it could eventually become a currency that could replace the dollar. It won't, but it could

Re: Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

#62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An exchange is basically a bank without the regulations and consumer protections of real banks. It also defeats the purpose of crypto. It's the worst of both worlds.

And then they wonder why regular consumers aren't fleeing banks to start using crypto for everything. I've yet to see cryptocurrencies actually solve a problem that your everyday average person has when buying groceries or going out to eat. They just make things more difficult and confusing, and all these attempts to alleviate that just lead us straight to "banks, but worse".

The volatility alone must be a dealbreaker for most people. Shockingly, the average consumer does not enjoy the rollercoaster thrill of having no idea how much buying power they'll have tomorrow.

Re: Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

#63
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that almost all of that is violates securities laws, this still fits.

I don’t know, I’m relatively certain securities laws do not affect me.

US securities law effects all US citizens. In current state, they act as a moat for the most profitable investments in society. People claim that securities laws are there to prevent grandmas from getting scammed, but grandmas (and many others) still get scammed on the daily. I would rather them lose $5,000 from investing into a high profit potential startup that could 1000x, instead of a call center in a distant country. US securities laws are geared to give the privileged private knowledge and prevent the poor from getting wealthy in their current state.

Re: Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

#64
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, is he wrong? Genuinely the only other application I’ve seen which seems plausible is for use in places like Venezuela where the official currency is worthless.

Yep, the only use cases for decentralized, programmable monetary systems are criminal. /s

This, but without the "/s"

Re: Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well you don't seem to have any other examples of things that can't be done with fiat

You comment this as many major central banks are conducting trial / rollout plans for CBDC. I prefer the decentralized side of cryptocurrency where the rules, censorship, and supply is transparent and limited.

You are not alone. There are lots of folk who have your opinion. You are of course free to have it.

That doesn't change the fact that the only killer app is criminal activity. Of course you -can- do non-criminal things with it, but frankly as a currency it's terrible. It's way too volatile, and transactions are both too expensive and too slow.

I get the goals - decentralisation, limited money supply (which in theory is supposed to limit inflation, but doesn't) and so on. Unfortunately the volatility dwarfs any inflation hedging etc. It's also super-risky right now, so I recommend holding your own coins. Not your keys not your money.

Sure it's different. Sure it's idealistic. But it's also, well, a terrible currency.

Which means mostly it serves as a nice way to do criminal transactions.

Re: Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

#66

John Reed Stark is their expert? https://twitter.com/JohnReedStark/status/1670457201943511040 "The only killer app for crypto that seems tangible is its excellent use to orchestrate global crimes." The bias is abundant, it's well known this guy hates crypto.

The question is not, "Does this guy hate/understand crypto?"

The question is, "Is this guy right about centralized platform regulation causing industry-wide collapse?"

Re: Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if the SEC knows how to use a blockchain explorer? That claim is made false from a simple glance at one.

They do. The SEC pays competitively and there are a lot of crypto adept people who feel there is also a case for regulation in the space.

People need to justify the battle they are paid to fight so they find reasons to do so? I hope they realize at some point that they are playing for the wrong team. The increased surveillance they want means privileged access for few versus everyone needing to play under the same rules of transparency.

Re: Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

#68
post #14

It's strange to me how people keep comparing cryptocurrencies to equity, but don't compare them to their closest counterpart - fiat currencies. Are fiat currencies treated like securities? No. Are there "best execution requirements" when I exchange my USD for EUR. No. Did somebody have to register the Brazilian Real with the SEC for it to be exchangeable in the US? No.

You invented and answered your own false premise. You set it up by proclaiming fiat the closest counterpart, and then proclaimed that fiat isn't treated like a security. You're the one saying it's closest to fiat, not the regulators. The regulators consider it to be more like an asset class and not fiat money like USD. They have been very clear about that. > Did somebody have to register the Brazilian Real with the S…

My premise is that I don't agree with the regulator :) Of course a regulator is there to regulate so their incentive is to find things to regulate.

> The regulators consider it to be more like an asset class

Being an asset is also applicable in my opinion. But assets and securities are not the same, and this is what's changing - regulators switching the categorization from assets (which was implicitly and somewhat explicitly the state until now) to securities.

Re: Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An exchange is basically a bank without the regulations and consumer protections of real banks. It also defeats the purpose of crypto. It's the worst of both worlds.

And then they wonder why regular consumers aren't fleeing banks to start using crypto for everything. I've yet to see cryptocurrencies actually solve a problem that your everyday average person has when buying groceries or going out to eat. They just make things more difficult and confusing, and all these attempts to alleviate that just lead us straight to "banks, but worse".

This is what most people got wrong. Crypto solves one problem and one problem only: censorship. Crypto is the only, single censorship resistant asset on the entire earth. You can't remove private key by force ($5 wrench is not an argument). You can confiscate land, stocks, freeze bank accounts, take gold. You can't extract a string of numbers which you aren't even sure is there in the first place. Not yet at least. Might not be the biggest threat in US, but in Asia right now that property is crucial.

Re: Former US SEC attorney: 'Get out of crypto platforms now'

#70
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People cannot create fiat currencies out of thin air. When done it's a crime (currency forgery).

It's a crime if you or I do it. It's a blessing of quantitative easing when the rulers - our lords and saviors - do it.

Yea, turns out the rule of law works rather well, and when it doesn't work well nothing is going to stop the henchmen from beating you to death with a hammer anyway. What makes a government a government is their monopoly on violence, what makes a good government good is only having to minimally exercise their monopoly.
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