How can they enforce it? Pirating is illegal but people still do it
Discussion
The measures they can take to enforce it are only limited by your imagination. Thereβs a great many ways.
They will enforce selectively. Make examples of people they especially don't like.
What are the on ramps and off ramps for pirating?
I'm pretty sure this would only affect merchant adoption in the US. Many would at least remove those "Bitcoin accepted here" signs and stop reporting any bitcoin income to the IRS.
Sounds good to me, actually. Bitcoin merchant adoption in the US is near zippo.
Piracy doesn't pose a major risk of them losing control though. If it's ineffective at first, they might first increase the sentences gradually, and arrest high profile targets at first, making sure there's "correctly" biased media coverage. If even life in prison doesn't deter, they might mandate ISP:s to scan and report traffic that looks like Bitcoin - cost is not an issue, they'll either put it on the customers or all taxpayers/fiat holders - or mandate operating systems to scan for it, and ban hosting of FOSS OS downloads without it, this maybe also together with mandating some kind of encryption scheme with the ISP:s that blocks all Internet traffic unless the user is logged in with their E-ID - there's probably a reason for all the "client side scanning" bullshit. If all that fails, after several years of course, they might even restrict internet access altogether to a "need to use" basis for the open internet, building some kind of intranet that only allows approved services for the people. Nothing is above them when everything is at stake. And they will make sure with propaganda that the regular people are with them emotionally against the "money laundering terrorists", if necessary including a few false-flags, and that the measures are a necessary thing, much like airport security theater, gun control outside the US, KYC practices, etcetera, are viewed today.
They can print trillions for the purposes if they want.
But I'm of course just a pessimist, or maybe even a paid shitcoin or fiat shill... Bitcoin is inevitable... That's the standard reply in Bitcoin circles when you're pointing out future problems visible from a mile away...