Ali, The criminal argument against Blockchain is probably the weakest, especially from a Kenya PoV where you might want to ask, how many criminals have been caught in the mainstream financial system viz-a-viz the amounts of monies laundered? Rgds On Tue, May 9, 2017 at 5:21 AM, Ali Hussein via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Dear Listers
BlockChain Technology is in its infancy the world over. From the US to China to Europe, countries and players haven't really figured out how to play this ground breaking Technology when it comes to regulation. It doesn't help that the Technology is marred by the criminal elements that use Bitcoin to launder money and generally use it to hide from law enforcement agencies. For example Kidnappers and Denial of Service Hackers insist on being paid by Bitcoins because of its potential anonymity.
However, criminals since time immemorial have always conducted their activities using mainstream financial engineering methods and tools to hide their ill gotten wealth. Should we confine a Technology that has the biggest potential to positively impact the world in a way not seen since the advent of the internet to criminality because it is being used by criminal elements? Or should we harness its great potential while mitigating its darker side?
Many of us know that the Internet has a darker side - The dark web, where activities like Mass Identity Theft, Child Pornography and DDoS Ransoms routinely happen. This hasn't stopped it becoming mainstream and being unequivocally a force for good.
http://weartv.com/news/local/dark-web-542017
So why then is the conversation around Bitcoins, other cryptocurrencies and the Technology that makes them possible so marred in controversy?
The article below and a research linked therein seeks to answer some of these questions.
However, even as we read global stories on BlockChain we must chart our own path. This will take players from diverse backgrounds and motivations to pull together to ensure we are not left behind and we harness the full potential of BlockChain Technologies to advance ourselves.
*Ali Hussein* *Principal* *Hussein & Associates* +254 0713 601113
Twitter: @AliHKassim
Skype: abu-jomo
LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle
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