bitcoins

[tengreenfingers]

For who and to what ends though?

I don't understand it well enough to be able to answer it with more detail than "Really... really... REALLY hard sums" so all I can do is suggest you listen to this.

If YouTube causes you trouble for some reason, look for the Security Now podcast episode 287 which is available as an mp3. That's the audio record of the video below.

[Noah Bennet]

Yep - staying anonymous online is a MASSIVE effort. You're effectively creating an entirely new, virtual identity that must be completely divorced from your real identity in every way. A slight slip can remove that separation.

I don't think an entry and exit node would be enough though.

Entry node knows who you are and that you're doing something through TOR.

Exit node knows what is being done through TOR but not who is doing it.

Without the mid node I don't think there's a way to connect action to individual without a lapse in security.

To the best of my knowledge, the encrypted bundle the entry node recieves doesn't reveal anything useful when the first layer of encryption is removed. It's just an encrypted bundle sent on to another node. As I understand it, ONLY the exit node knows what website/service you're attempting to connect to, but that connection could be coming from almost anywhere in the world. How could that connection be traced back to its origin without knowing which entry-node sent it to the mid-node?

Didn't know that. You don't mean Operation Dark Net do you? Where they broke into and DOSed child porn sites?

Agreed to a point. If the network were a bit swifter it'd be good to see everyone get on there - but then I'm a big believer in the RIGHT to privacy and anything that pokes the nosey feckers in government in the eye and stops them prying is a good thing in my book.

Not sure if it was operation darknet but it was child porn related, i remember they published details of the accounts on one of the sites on a pastebin somewhere.

Hacking encryption is simply a trade off of time vs resources, tor was developed how many years ago by the US military iirc? In ten years your average home PC will likely be able to brute force the encryption, i would imagine intelligence forces have looked at the encryption with something more powerful than a quad core AMD.

Maybe im being a little too paranoid but i do think these things often give a perception of anonymity rather than anonymity itself.

I do agree with your last statement in principle, there are fast easy ways to stay secure, insecure wifi and anonymous VPN springs to mind. i have access to a VPN to cheaply watch premier league from egypt, US netflix etc and for a little bit of web/seo stuff where its handy to appear to post from various IP's, i cant think of any real security need for it. Certainly not ordering seeds or talking about growing cannabis.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Noah Bennet

[mrchang]

Unless your ordering drugs/hitmen or your a nonce, I dont see the point?

[Boojum]

Can I buy beer with bitcoins ?

And even if I can't, I don't really see how some hacker who knows a lot more about computers than me isn't gonna steal all my bitcoins off me.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Boojum

[Hashishin]

bit cons

Looked into it & decided I prefer dealing with people face to face.

[Noah Bennet]

Can I buy beer with bitcoins ?

And even if I can't, I don't really see how some hacker who knows a lot more about computers than me isn't gonna steal all my bitcoins off me.

You can't

and many many many people have had their bitcoins stolen by people who know more about computers than them.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Noah Bennet

[Guest _nomad_]

You can't

and many many many people have had their bitcoins stolen by people who know more about computers than them.

Like the guy who invented/came up with the idea of bitcoins - how much million did he loose, and how much value did bitcoins loose overnight?

nomad

[tengreenfingers]

Unless your ordering drugs/hitmen or your a nonce, I dont see the point?

With respect... you probably need to think more broadly.

Start off with reading the Falkvinge result when you search google for nothing to hide debunked.

Then read the TechDirt result and then the "why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide" linked from that article.

Then consider that successive governments are doing more and more to completely monitor and log all our communications, our car journeys and (work in progress using biometric systems made for passports and the nation's CCTV) on-foot journeys all while they turn the screws tighter and tighter on civil liberties, outlawing more and more victimless behaviour and cracking down harder and harder on civil protest.

Bitcoin (or other electronic currency with some effort expended to ensure anonymity) is another tool in preventing the nosey fuckwits in government/banks/credit agencies prying into things they have NO business knowing about.

If you don't see the point, you probably aren't paying enough attention.

Edited January 23, 2013 by tengreenfingers

[mrchang]

too busy for all that tgf.

how does it really affect me fella?

[tengreenfingers]

Do you have curtains?

Do you wear clothes?

Do you ever enjoy private moments?

Same thing.

Read any one of the articles then - all three give the "nothing to hide" idea a thorough kicking, but any one alone does the job. I'm not going to spend longer typing it all up for you to digest than it'd take for you to read about it though. I'll leave that ball in your court.

Privacy itself is important and valuable. When the powers that be try to force their way into your private life, there are valuable tools to take your private beyond their reach.

[mrchang]

ok i read the first 1 tgf.

n i think i still dont need TOR or bitcoins for the reasons i stated earlier.

The rest of that article is conspiracy theory bollox imo.

[tengreenfingers]

Without some sort of technology to keep your browsing, communications and purchases private - how are you going to keep your browsing, communications and purchases private?

Or are you of the opinion that ONLY nonces and the likes need/desire privacy?

If so, are you willing to forego curtains, clothes, door locks, closing doors when using public toilets and so on to prove your point?

What exactly is "conspiracy theory bollocks" about the article?

Edited January 24, 2013 by tengreenfingers

[BiPolar Dave]

If so, are you willing to forego curtains, clothes, door locks, closing doors when using public toilets and so on to prove your point?

I value my privacy....however...I left the curtains open, doors too, also went out naked walking....they sectioned me and spent 28days trying to run me down nd drug me

[blankSteve]

The interesting thing about Bitcoin is that is stands in the way of the governments attempts to remove cash from our society.

Paying for bus fares is becoming more and more difficult. The bus drivers often do not carry change even though the busses are equiped with coin trays. The defacto identity cards known as the Oyster is now being depreciated by means of payment by chipped credit cards or mobile phone apps.

The one thing that we expect from govermentment is a stable monetry system. They have been stealing value by means of Printing money, devalueing the paper in our pockets.

If we can establish Bitcoins as a currency independant of government, we remove our dependancy of the corrupt fast talkers know as politicians.

Blank

[tengreenfingers]

I value my privacy....however...I left the curtains open, doors too, also went out naked walking....they sectioned me and spent 28days trying to run me down nd drug me

Proof positive that you've got to be nucking futs to not take steps to protect your privacy. If they catch you doing it with things they aren't trying to get a closer look at (exceptions made for airports where they'd grab a torch and look inside you if you gave them a chance) they section you - if they sectioned people for not taking care of their online and other less obvious areas of privacy this world would be a better place.

The interesting thing about Bitcoin is that is stands in the way of the governments attempts to remove cash from our society.

Paying for bus fares is becoming more and more difficult. The bus drivers often do not carry change even though the busses are equiped with coin trays. The defacto identity cards known as the Oyster is now being depreciated by means of payment by chipped credit cards or mobile phone apps.

The one thing that we expect from govermentment is a stable monetry system. They have been stealing value by means of Printing money, devalueing the paper in our pockets.

If we can establish Bitcoins as a currency independant of government, we remove our dependancy of the corrupt fast talkers know as politicians.

Blank

There was a farmer who had a dog and BINGO was his name-o.

Exactly, precisely, completely and utterly right.

The ONLY legitimate reason we previously had for government controlling the supply (and so the value) of money was that we couldn't do it ourselves. Well, now we can. We should no longer need them if this picks up like it could.