this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2025
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[–] trk@aussie.zone 12 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Crypto

Fraud

Name a more iconic duo

[–] YesButActuallyMaybe@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)
[–] thatonecoder@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 day ago

Repulican

Pedophile

Maybe?

[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (4 children)

There are only two good use cases for crypto:

  1. Financial speculation
  2. Criminal activity and fraud
[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 0 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

What about paying for censored games?

[–] ZombieMantis@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

If it's censored by the government, it'd fall under use-case #2.

[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 0 points 12 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 0 points 10 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

No, it's not a viable use case.

Developers of such games what the broadest market possible and consumers want easy accessibility and stable updates/support.

The groups outlined above are interested in the product and not promotion of some cryptocurrency.

Both these goals are best served using real currencies, not monero. Such payment systems (using real currency, aimed at content with erotica/porn) are widely available and haven in use for 30+ years.

If you don't want to deal with such payment systems directly (e.g. setup an LLC and other such matters), there are multiple easy to implement distribution approaches that one can launch in ~15 minutes.

This is why I don't trust crypto promoters.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 0 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

You would use real currencies for everything except the transfer. The consumer only sees USD. The provider swaps back to Fiat as soon as necessary.

The use case is enabling payment over the Internet while avoiding traditional, censoring providers.

[–] hark@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Couldn't those transactions be cut off at those swapping points to fiat? I assume if a bank doesn't support a business directly transferring funds for a particular purpose then they'd take issue with indirectly transferring funds for the same purpose and would work to close those accounts.

It can happen. That would involved cutting off access to all crypto for that individual. It's not common.

Even on the token side there are often blacklist addresses (e.g. USDC) that perform a similar function. Usually for hacks rather than terrorism.

[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

This does not make sense.

What you're saying is that it's impossible to buy porn/erotica online without monero. This is clearly wrong.

You most definitely could do that before blockchains were a thing.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

What you're saying is that it's impossible to buy porn/erotica online without monero

I haven't said anything like that.

I'm saying crypto is an additional, uncensored payment channel.

[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

And why exactly is it a use case if you can already buy erotica/porn via specialized payment services without monero?

What's the benefit here? Be clear and specific. Don't randomly bring terms like "privacy", "uncensored" and "freedums".

It's called a use case because you can use it.

What's the benefit here?

An additional vector to avoid censorship.

[–] trk@aussie.zone 1 points 1 day ago

I've always maintained that the dude who spent like 10,000 Bitcoin to buy a pizza was the first and last legitimate use of crypto.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

And:

  • privacy friendly transactions

For example, think of:

  • activists and political dissidents
  • victims of domestic abuse
  • people who don't want banks and governments tracking their purchases

Bitcoin ain't it, bit privacy coins like Monero exist and tend to not have as much fraud spam since they don't have as many crazy spikes. I want Monero to be a thing because:

  • low fees, and no foreign transaction fees
  • privacy, so my bank can't sell my transaction data to advertisers
  • fast transactions

I wouldn't use it for everything since it has no purchase protections, but I'd absolutely use it for a lot of small stuff if it was possible.

[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Have to disagree on this one.

How would this even work? You transfer monero to a person in an authoritarian state and then what? What do they do with Monero? You think an authoritarian state is going to allow you to pay for utilities with Monero? Buy food?

Monero doesn't allow for private transactions as this issue is a social and political problem, not a technology issue.

I wouldn't be surprised if your transactions would be less private with monero than a bank payment (because of Monero's unlicensed nature).

[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone -1 points 1 day ago (2 children)

sad thing is that it could be great as an alternative to mastercard/visa but crypto fash have just ruined any attempt to make it appealing to anyone other than crypto fascists.

[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

You don't need crypto as an alternative to MasterCard/Visa. There are multiple national payment systems that de facto work on a public benefit basis or offer no fees or very low fees.

One major example is India's UPI:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Payments_Interface

Even in a medium sized developing country like Ukraine, I can send anyone money (P2P, business payment, business transaction) with minimal or no fees on a near instantaneous basis off my phone.

I am not on top of recent payment infrastructure developments, but from memory this is relatively common.

No need for scam services like PayPal, Venmo.

And this has been avaible for half a decade minimum (was living in another country before then).

[–] DSN9@lemmy.ml -1 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Sure sure, is it a sound, decentralized bottom up monetary network built by the people for the people on cryptography rails on an uncensorable network?

[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 0 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

bottom up

built by the people for the people

Love your style!

[–] DSN9@lemmy.ml -1 points 14 hours ago
[–] MushroomsEverywhere@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

As I understand it, cryptocurrency funnily enough works awfully as a means of transaction, because the amount of processing power required to make transactions is ridiculously high.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 0 points 13 hours ago (1 children)
[–] hark@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

If a cryptocurrency concentrates into the hands of a few, as assets tend to do in capitalism, then wouldn't proof of stake mean those few control the cryptocurrency anyway?

If the protocol is badly designed, yes.

In theory, the stakers should only be rewarded for correctly confirming transaction and that capital (staked tokens) should carry no votes in any protocol changes.