this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2023
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As the AI market continues to balloon, experts are warning that its VC-driven rise is eerily similar to that of the dot com bubble.

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[–] aesthelete 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Many scams happen through a phone, but it wouldn’t make sense to blame phones for this.

A phone is a communication device...crypto isn't.

multi-level marketing is a pyramid scheme, which is completely legal in the US.

The answer here IMO is to ban MLMs, though it's worth pointing out that naked pyramid schemes are illegal in the US.

That’s because of lack of regulation and education in our society,

What society? The global society? Crypto isn't just scamming people here in the US, but in every place crypto is used.

I’m only not sure about money laundering.

A common method of money laundering is to sink money from ill-gotten gains into a volatile asset that can be said to either appreciate or depreciate in value to fuzz the numbers. Crypto is at least a reasonable tool for the job.

I think things like that should be taught at schools though. It would be harder to mislead people then.

I think this is an easy thing to say about lots of things. But schools have enough trouble teaching kids to read in this country...which I think would be a prerequisite to figuring out whether the Internet weirdo you're transferring your PooCoin(TM) to is a real deal "PooHead" or a scammer looking to scam people.

[–] Freesoftwareenjoyer 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

A phone is a communication device…crypto isn’t.

Correct. It's a currency and payment method.

What society? The global society? Crypto isn’t just scamming people here in the US, but in every place crypto is used.

Crypto isn't scamming anyone. Scammers are doing it in multiple countries. I am not being scammed by using crypto.

A common method of money laundering is to sink money from ill-gotten gains into a volatile asset that can be said to either appreciate or depreciate in value to fuzz the numbers. Crypto is at least a reasonable tool for the job.

Make sense. I think converting all of it to regular money might be difficult, but I'm not that familiar with how those criminals operate.

I think this is an easy thing to say about lots of things. But schools have enough trouble teaching kids to read in this country…which I think would be a prerequisite to figuring out whether the Internet weirdo you’re transferring your PooCoin™ to is a real deal “PooHead” or a scammer looking to scam people.

The first advice would be to not transfer your coin to anyone. Changing the education would certainly be difficult and there are many more important things that should be taught first. Like critical thinking, the ability to find and verify information, the scientific method. Technology is just another one of those things.

[–] aesthelete 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Correct. It’s a currency and payment method.

Sure, both of which are more straightforwardly useful tools for financial crimes than a phone is, and less generally useful for other purposes.

Crypto is so popular and useful for criming that ransomware is practically a first order use case for it.

Crypto isn’t scamming anyone. Scammers are doing it in multiple countries. I am not being scammed by using crypto.

Good for you? But many, many people are getting scammed...some directly through the technology itself.

Make sense. I think converting all of it to regular money might be difficult, but I’m not that familiar with how those criminals operate.

Generally speaking in money laundering you're trying to take criminal money and convert it into taxable dollars. One mechanism for doing so is saying "oh hey, someone gave me some crypto and it went up in value and look at this huge payday I had". This is true in lots of legitimate cases of crypto use as well, so that's what a criminal would masquerade as...someone who had "won" the "crypto lottery".

I think money laundering is generally done via other means (vs say ransomware which is generally not), but it's a useful tool to have for a criminal upstart who may not have a brick and mortar way to launder their money.

The first advice would be to not transfer your coin to anyone.

I guess? Makes it pretty useless as a payment method then. My first advice would be to not exchange dollars you need for digital junk that may become worthless, stolen, or forgotten.

[–] Freesoftwareenjoyer 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sure, both of which are more straightforwardly useful tools for financial crimes than a phone is, and less generally useful for other purposes.

I guess phones are better for spying people.

Good for you? But many, many people are getting scammed…some directly through the technology itself.

Technology doesn't scam people, it's not alive. People get scammed in all areas of life, regardless of technology they use. It's ridiculous that I have to explain this again.

Crypto is so popular and useful for criming that ransomware is practically a first order use case for it.

I doubt it, but it's irrelevant. Criminals use many things that ordinary people also use.

I guess? Makes it pretty useless as a payment method then.

Not really. There is a difference between giving someone your money vs paying for a service. But you know this. It's silly that you keep saying things like that. It just makes you look stupid or dishonest. There are many real things you could criticize about cryptocurrency and I would agree with you on many of them. There is no need to make stuff up.

My first advice would be to not exchange dollars you need for digital junk that may become worthless, stolen, or forgotten.

Right, only cryptocurrency could become worthless, stolen or forgotten. Paper junk can't.

[–] aesthelete 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Technology doesn’t scam people, it’s not alive. People get scammed in all areas of life, regardless of technology they use. It’s ridiculous that I have to explain this again.

"Crypto doesn't scam people, people scam people" 🙄. It's ridiculous that you have an inability or unwillingness to reasonably evaluate a tool and what its common and obvious uses are. Oh wait, you can do that with tools you don't like:

I guess phones are better for spying people.

There is a difference between giving someone your money vs paying for a service.

Depends upon how you're going to guarantee fulfillment of the service...which is a thing you can't really do without a mediating party....unless it's ugly ape art or a different form of shitcoin.

Right, only cryptocurrency could become worthless, stolen or forgotten. Paper junk can’t.

USD isn't only "paper junk", but I should've expected that as a crypto enthusiast you wouldn't understand actual currency.