Edward Snowden Skeptical of Politicians at Bitcoin Conference - and Public Ledgers (msn.com) 45
Former U.S. president Donald Trump spoke at Nashville's Bitcoin Conference on Saturday.
But he wasn't the only one there making headlines, according to a local newspaper called the Tennesseean: Republican Sens. Cynthia Lummis and Tim Scott pledged their resolute support for the cryptocurrency industry at Nashville's Bitcoin2024 conference Friday — moments before whistleblower and political dissident Edward Snowden warned attendees to be wary of politicians trying to win them over. "Cast a vote, but don't join a cult," Snowden said. "They are not our tribe. They are not your personality. They have their own interests, their own values, their own things that they're chasing. Try to get what you need from them, but don't give yourself to them."
Snowden didn't call out any politicians specifically, but the conference has drawn national attention for its robust lineup of legislators including former President Donald Trump, independent presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and a number of other senators. "Does this feel normal to you?" Snowden said. "When you look at the candidates, when you look at the dynamics, even the people on stage giving all the speeches, I'm not saying they're terrible at all, but it's a little unusual. The fact that they're here is a little unusual...."
Two key tenets of Bitcoin are transparency and decentralization, which means anyone can view all Bitcoin transactions on a public ledger. Snowden said this kind of metadata could be dangerous in the wrong hands, especially with artificial intelligence innovations making it easier to collect. "It is fantasy to imagine they're not doing this," he said.... He added that other countries like China or Russia could be collecting this same data. Snowden said he's afraid the collection of transaction data could happen across financial institutions and ultimately be used against the customers.
Also speaking was RFK Jr — who asked why Snowden hadn't already been pardoned, along with Julian Assange and Ross Ulbricht, when Donald Trump was president (as Kennedy promised to do). According to USA Today, Kennedy promised more than just creating a strategic reserve of Bitcoin worth more than half a trillion dollars: Kennedy also pledged to sign an executive order directing the IRS to treat Bitcoin as an eligible asset for 1031 Exchange into real property — making transactions unreportable and by extension nontaxable — which prompted a roar of approval from the crowd.
Though Trump's appearance also ended with a promise to have the government create a "strategic national bitcoin stockpile," NBC News notes that Trump "stopped short of offering many details." Immediately following Trump's remarks, Senator Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said she would introduce a bill to create the reserve. However, the price of bitcoin fell slightly in the wake of Trump's remarks Saturday, perhaps reflecting crypto traders' unmet expectations for a more definitive commitment on the reserve idea from the presidential candidate...
Shortly after his morning remarks, Bitcoin Magazine reported that a group of Democratic representatives and candidates had sent a letter to the Democratic National Committee urging party leaders to be more supportive of crypto...
On Saturday, the Financial Times reported [presidential candidate Kamala] Harris had approached top crypto companies seeking a "reset" of relations, citing unnamed sources.
Ironically, in the end one conference attendee ended up telling Bloomberg that "It doesn't really matter who the president is. I don't really care much about it, because Bitcoin will do its thing regardless."
But he wasn't the only one there making headlines, according to a local newspaper called the Tennesseean: Republican Sens. Cynthia Lummis and Tim Scott pledged their resolute support for the cryptocurrency industry at Nashville's Bitcoin2024 conference Friday — moments before whistleblower and political dissident Edward Snowden warned attendees to be wary of politicians trying to win them over. "Cast a vote, but don't join a cult," Snowden said. "They are not our tribe. They are not your personality. They have their own interests, their own values, their own things that they're chasing. Try to get what you need from them, but don't give yourself to them."
Snowden didn't call out any politicians specifically, but the conference has drawn national attention for its robust lineup of legislators including former President Donald Trump, independent presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and a number of other senators. "Does this feel normal to you?" Snowden said. "When you look at the candidates, when you look at the dynamics, even the people on stage giving all the speeches, I'm not saying they're terrible at all, but it's a little unusual. The fact that they're here is a little unusual...."
Two key tenets of Bitcoin are transparency and decentralization, which means anyone can view all Bitcoin transactions on a public ledger. Snowden said this kind of metadata could be dangerous in the wrong hands, especially with artificial intelligence innovations making it easier to collect. "It is fantasy to imagine they're not doing this," he said.... He added that other countries like China or Russia could be collecting this same data. Snowden said he's afraid the collection of transaction data could happen across financial institutions and ultimately be used against the customers.
Also speaking was RFK Jr — who asked why Snowden hadn't already been pardoned, along with Julian Assange and Ross Ulbricht, when Donald Trump was president (as Kennedy promised to do). According to USA Today, Kennedy promised more than just creating a strategic reserve of Bitcoin worth more than half a trillion dollars: Kennedy also pledged to sign an executive order directing the IRS to treat Bitcoin as an eligible asset for 1031 Exchange into real property — making transactions unreportable and by extension nontaxable — which prompted a roar of approval from the crowd.
Though Trump's appearance also ended with a promise to have the government create a "strategic national bitcoin stockpile," NBC News notes that Trump "stopped short of offering many details." Immediately following Trump's remarks, Senator Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said she would introduce a bill to create the reserve. However, the price of bitcoin fell slightly in the wake of Trump's remarks Saturday, perhaps reflecting crypto traders' unmet expectations for a more definitive commitment on the reserve idea from the presidential candidate...
Shortly after his morning remarks, Bitcoin Magazine reported that a group of Democratic representatives and candidates had sent a letter to the Democratic National Committee urging party leaders to be more supportive of crypto...
On Saturday, the Financial Times reported [presidential candidate Kamala] Harris had approached top crypto companies seeking a "reset" of relations, citing unnamed sources.
Ironically, in the end one conference attendee ended up telling Bloomberg that "It doesn't really matter who the president is. I don't really care much about it, because Bitcoin will do its thing regardless."
Why am I not surprised? (Score:5, Insightful)
Former U.S. president Donald Trump spoke at Nashville's Bitcoin Conference on Saturday.
Well, quality attracts quality. And the other way round.
Re:Why am I not surprised? (Score:5, Insightful)
Given that it's Trump, presumably he thinks he can do a pump & dump. Or maybe he wants to open up a new way for billionaires to avoid paying their fair share of tax. Could be both.
One thing's for sure, it's not to help the average MAGA voter.
Re:Why am I not surprised? (Score:5, Insightful)
Indeed. Trump is out to help nobody but himself. And since he found that his fans are too stupid to recognize endless lies, even the most obvious ones, he now promises anything people want to hear. He knows he does not have to deliver.
Great cast (Score:5, Insightful)
including former President Donald Trump, independent presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy
One convicted felon, one guy with brain worms and one confused brown-skinned man trying to out-KKK the MAGA crowd.
Great advertisement for cryptocurrency.
Nailed it. (Score:5, Insightful)
including former President Donald Trump, independent presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy
One convicted felon, one guy with brain worms and one confused brown-skinned man trying to out-KKK the MAGA crowd.
Great advertisement for cryptocurrency.
Given the fact that the underlying theme of every craptocurrency conference is Instability, I’d say the casting director fucking nailed it.
Re:Great cast (Score:5, Funny)
One convicted felon, one guy with brain worms
You know, Trump might have been right to recommend Ivermectin in that one case.
Re:Great cast (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm still trying to figure out what grift Vivek Ramaswamy is working towards. Ann Coulter flat out said she liked his policies but wouldn't vote for him because he was Indian. https://www.thedailybeast.com/... [thedailybeast.com]
MAGA seems his skin tone and this is what they think of https://upload.wikimedia.org/w... [wikimedia.org]
Peter Thiel thinks the leopards won't come for his face either once his funding stops. https://www.newsweek.com/gop-c... [newsweek.com]
Which brings me to Terry Hogan. Oh hold on allow me to use his preferred pronouns, Hulk Hogan. Let's take a trip back to when Hogan was suing Gawker media for publishing his sex tape. Previously Gawker media had run a story outing Peter Thiel as being gay. The cherry on top was breaking the story while Thiel was visiting Saudi Arabia. Needless to say Thiel was not pleased with Gawker and began sending Terry Hogan blank checks to fund his lawsuit.
If you wondered why an elderly wrestler is simping for an elderly presidential candidate it's because he owed Peter Thiel favors.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Peter Thiel thinks the leopards won't come for his face either once his funding stops. https://www.newsweek.com/gop-c... [newsweek.com]
When a Republican says they want to kill gay people, that's easily dismissed as hyperbole intended to get media attention (the same way PETA is always saying something outlandish to grab headlines). However, when the GOP bans gays from a convention [vice.com], then you might want to take their prejudice seriously.
The Republicans' goals are to more or less roll back the clock to when same sex marriage didn't exist, and to make discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation legal again. I doubt someone with Thi
Re: (Score:3)
What do you expect in a cult comprised of scammers, marks and useful idiots?
Snowden (Score:3)
The "Cast your vote but don't join the cult" line is great, especially for people who should be classical libertarians.
Have to wonder why these politicians are speaking at these events though. Talk about an odd forum.
Re: (Score:2)
Thats what we get when we keep a 2 party system and polling shows everything so close to 50/50. Suddenly everything becomes pandering for every single vote from these extreme fringes. These 2 parties dont want to share. They will convince you that no matter how bad their candidate might be, the other candidate is worse. Any vote for a 3rd choice is just giving votes to the devil themself. Thats been our politics in concentrate form since 2000.
Re: Snowden (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
Have to wonder why these politicians are speaking at these events though.
Grifters gonna grift.
The primary appeal... (Score:1)
The primary appeal of "bitcoin" is the lack of government involvement. Soooooo.....
Re:The primary appeal... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, people are stupid. These here in particular (excluding the ones in it to scam others). Obviously "true believer" means ignoring the facts. Otherwise you would be a somebody that understands things, no requirement for belief.
Re: (Score:2)
The primary appeal of "bitcoin" is the lack of government involvement. Soooooo.....
If all you want to do is trade between various forms of magic internet money, sure. However, at some point along the line, someone is going to need to get real money in and out of the system, and that's where the government can get their grubby hands involved.
Plus, as long as the Fed requires that you pay your income taxes in real US dollars, it's impossible to switch entirely over to a cryptocurrency-based economy.
Why hasn't Snowden been drafted? (Score:3)
Re:Why hasn't Snowden been drafted? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Sad but true. Sending Snowden to the front would be exceptionally stupid. He is far more valuable alive than dead.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yep. That's the political & social territory the USA is finding itself in... again!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
And sent to the front? Russia needs all the men it can get.
Russian conscription ends at 30 and Snowden is over 40, but don't let simple facts get in the way of you stark.
Re: (Score:3)
This is yet another one of Trump's most odious (Score:5, Insightful)
personality traits on display. He will say/do literally anything to stay in the news cycle.
Even if he weren't a convicted felon, a convicted rapist, an accused pedophile, a democracy overthrowing coup attempter, incest coveting lying sack of shit in general; that alone would be enough for me to hate him. I'm sick to fucking death of seeing his fake name and orange raccoon eyes in the news every fucking day.
Maybe Biden will wake up enough to get this feckless cunt assassinated before he leaves office since SCOTUS says he's a fucking king beyond reproach thanks to the shamelessly biased corrupt as fuck right wing judges drumpf appointed.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
All Biden has to do is call a drone strike on Trump. According to the supreme court the worst punishment would be an impeachment vote.
Re: (Score:2)
Hmm. Could Biden not simply order the Secret Service to look away and then send a lonely SpecOps assassin to do the job? I mean, it would even be an official act as protecting the US Constitution is something PotUS is sworn to do.
Politicians make promises they know they'll never (Score:2)
RFK says blah blah
Trump says blab blab blabl...
Vote for me.
Snowden doesnt deserve the attention (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
Seems like you mental powers are shallow.
He already had a major effect (Score:5, Insightful)
Snowden is the reason people took a hard look at SSL/TLS and deprecated a pile of questionable features. Snowden is the reason forward secrecy is now mandatory in most server configurations. Snowden is the reason people no longer write off stories about mass surveillance as conspiracy theories.
Re: (Score:2)
Snowden is the reason people no longer write off stories about mass surveillance as conspiracy theories.
People know the truth yet still submit to the mass surveillance. So it was all for nothing.
Re: He already had a major effect (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I’m not arguing with what he revealed and the effect it had. I’m saying that his choice to join Team Putin probably put a stake in his future. He would have been far better off taking his lumps with Uncle Sam.
Government Bitcoin reserve (Score:3)
Let's make an analogy:
You're a guy who makes $50k per year income. However, you also have about $300k of outstanding personal loans credit card debt, which has been a chronic problem all of your adult life.
What's your best financial move to improve your situation? Would it to be to borrow more against your rapidly dwindling your credit limit to buy some Bitcoin?
The grand master plan of crypto (Score:2, Insightful)
The plan for all cryptocurrencies isn't what they want to make you think it is. It's more sinister than the egalitarian image the crypto boys portray for it.
After the 2008 financial meltdown, cryptocurrencies were born out of it, declared to be the means by which people could be freed from banks/governments, and promised to avoid any such future meltdowns from happening ever again.
But the crypto boys watched closely the result of that meltdown, and formulated their plan: create a new form of currency, and
Don't believe the dotard (Score:2)
He can't grok it.
Strategic National Reserve (Score:1)
The only "strategic national reserve" that can be stored on a thumbdrive.