From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from sog-mx-2.v43.ch3.sourceforge.com ([172.29.43.192] helo=mx.sourceforge.net) by sfs-ml-3.v29.ch3.sourceforge.com with esmtp (Exim 4.76) (envelope-from ) id 1Rn2KE-0003zr-1R for bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net; Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:15:18 +0000 Received-SPF: pass (sog-mx-2.v43.ch3.sourceforge.com: domain of gmail.com designates 209.85.212.47 as permitted sender) client-ip=209.85.212.47; envelope-from=gmaxwell@gmail.com; helo=mail-vw0-f47.google.com; Received: from mail-vw0-f47.google.com ([209.85.212.47]) by sog-mx-2.v43.ch3.sourceforge.com with esmtps (TLSv1:RC4-SHA:128) (Exim 4.76) id 1Rn2KD-000665-7E for bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net; Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:15:17 +0000 Received: by vbnl22 with SMTP id l22so1442391vbn.34 for ; Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:15:11 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.52.94.208 with SMTP id de16mr7460146vdb.6.1326780911819; Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:15:11 -0800 (PST) Received: by 10.220.92.80 with HTTP; Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:15:11 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: References: <1326665394.7032.YahooMailNeo@web121002.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:15:11 -0500 Message-ID: From: Gregory Maxwell To: Kyle Henderson Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Spam-Score: -1.0 (-) X-Spam-Report: Spam Filtering performed by mx.sourceforge.net. See http://spamassassin.org/tag/ for more details. -1.5 SPF_CHECK_PASS SPF reports sender host as permitted sender for sender-domain 0.0 FREEMAIL_FROM Sender email is commonly abused enduser mail provider (gmaxwell[at]gmail.com) -0.0 SPF_PASS SPF: sender matches SPF record -0.1 DKIM_VALID_AU Message has a valid DKIM or DK signature from author's domain 0.1 DKIM_SIGNED Message has a DKIM or DK signature, not necessarily valid -0.1 DKIM_VALID Message has at least one valid DKIM or DK signature 0.6 AWL AWL: From: address is in the auto white-list X-Headers-End: 1Rn2KD-000665-7E Cc: bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: Re: [Bitcoin-development] bitcoin.org SOPA/PIPA blackout X-BeenThere: bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9 Precedence: list List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:15:18 -0000 On Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 9:37 PM, Kyle Henderson wrote: > For those that believe one particularly noisy country in the North Americ= a > region with a policy called SOPA or PIPA directly affects Bitcoin - can y= ou > point out precisely where it does so? In addition to the concerns about internet freedom and domain name system filtering which are against the interests of bitcoin users and the bitcoin system generally, SOPA contains new requirements for payment networks which may adversely impact Bitcoin services businesses and limit their ability to do business in the US and other places where similar legislation is adopted. There are many millions of potential Bitcoin users in the US, so US law matters for our ecosystem even though far from all Bitcoin users are in the US themselves. (21) PAYMENT NETWORK PROVIDER- (A) IN GENERAL- The term `payment network provider' means an entity that directly or indirectly provides the proprietary services, infrastructure, and software to effect or facilitate a debit, credit, or other payment transaction. [...] (i) PREVENTING AFFILIATION- A payment network provider shall take technically feasible and reasonable measures, as expeditiously as possible, but in any case within 5 days after being served with a copy of the order, or within such time as the court may order, designed to prevent, prohibit, or suspend its service from completing payment transactions involving customers located within the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and the payment account-- (I) which is used by the foreign infringing site, or portion thereof, that is subject to the order; and (II) through which the payment network provider would complete such payment transactions. If you really want to go for the more extreme interpretation, it's not hard to conclude that the Bitcoin system itself is a "payment network" by the definition under the act, and if so in theory the AG's office could=E2=80=94 without due process=E2=80=94 order miners and mining pools l= ocated in the US to, for example, not process transactions containing the well known addresses of targeted infringing sites (e.g. The Wikileaks donation address). Though I personally think this is far out. I also think that other people will covered the SOPA/PIPA awareness (e.g. Wikipedia is shutting down for 24 hours) more than we could possibly do with our own resources. But this attitude of it being someone elses problem? I think thats nonsense. We live in _one world_, one world which is getting smaller every day. The value of a network=E2=80=94or of a economy=E2=80=94 comes f= rom the number of potential connections it can make. One reason Bitcoin is good is because it deconstructs some of the old barriers and anything that risks imposing new ones is a threat to us all. So, don't participate because bitcoin.org's help would be so small as to be pointless=E2=80=94 sure. But because it doesn't matter? hardly.