Am I the only one who doesn't care about Samourai?
Discussion
I'm curious to hear why you don't
I know why people do care, but never having used the software or even heard of the devs before all this, and then learning that they were so openly hostile that they became prime scapegoats, it's hard to muster up sympathy.
I'm sure that those at the top who ordered their imprisonment—ordered, like kings—dont care about freedom of code or money transmission. They saw an enemy to their power and eliminated its what they thought was its head. Same with Ross, same with Assange, and same with every other political prisoner ever.
I could post Free Samourai, Free Ross, Free Whomever all day, but I just don't want to. And I don't want to ride any bandwagons no matter how righteous they are.
I respect this take.
Yeah I see your point. I always get a little twitchy when I see bitcoiners bandwagoning, but I think we're a little late on this particular issue. Initially I didn't feel much sympathy for them either because I knew they drew that hostility towards themselves.
However, once I listened to how the trial went down I realized two things:
1. The DOJ shouldn't be able to get away with that behavior.
2. Their case sets a tough precedent against Bitcoin services being categorized as money transmitters.
This is just one battle in a much longer process imo. It may not affect me directly, but I think it's worth standing up for them being imprisoned over a victimless crime. Just my two cents.
As a person who did use their software and continues to use the forks of their software I will say that they were the most helpful, honest, principled and technically versed cohort in bitcoin. The broader samourai community is still the tightest group of bitcoiners holding the privacy torch offering guidance and help to anyone who asks an =onest question. The complete stack from node to wallet, the development of privacy tools and educational material is unrivaled.
I encourage you to even try Ashigaru in test net just to see the stack. (honestly some of which comes as close to softwar implimentations as I could recognize like auth47)
They are truth tellers. Many can't handle or want to be told the truth about how a public blockchain reveals information about people and the societal implications. I learned more about bitcoin from samourai community than any other group.
They are much more true to core bitcoin values like separating the control of money from the state. In this case they did in fact have a grand legal loophole. They were non custodial. They did not participate in illegal activity. It is legal. The state just doesn't like it. They thought they would get a chance to make the legal and logical case if ever challenged. That didn't happen.
I personally find the lack of sympathy you describe or the "they got what they deserve" type of arguement hard to square. Is brash freedom of speech such a crime?
If they were silent and operated in the dark wouldn't that also be used against them like rogue black market types?
I look at this from an Elizabeth Warren anti crypto army Russian fear mongering capital controls sdny fever that wanted some examples and sneak precedent over the line.
I have been a supporter from the start. Seeing the podcast push is an effort to stay free. I believe it is imortant to foster a community that supports those that are persecuted for the things we find value in.
No, a lot of people don't seem to care.
I think it's kinda sad.
Ignoring every other detail, innocent people who hurt nobody getting sent to prison.
Nope. Never heared of it at all...
literally.
Same, until they got arrested.
oh...? mind giving me a tldr then?
they got arrested for providing a coinjoin service that they took a fee for being the coordinator. that was the mistake, and it was already known in the industry that you can't participate in these kinds of things because they are and historically have been prosecuted under AML laws.
ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ᴡʜʏ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏ ꜱʏᴍᴘᴀᴛʜʏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜱɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʀᴏꜱꜱ ᴜʟʙʀɪᴄʜᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀʀʀᴇꜱᴛᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴅɪʀᴛʏ, ᴄᴏʀʀᴜᴘᴛ ɪɴᴠᴇꜱᴛɪɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏꜰꜰɪᴄᴇʀꜱ ᴇɴɢᴀɢɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴄʀɪᴍɪɴᴀʟ ᴀᴄᴛꜱ ᴛʜᴇᴍꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ, ʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴘᴀʀᴅᴏɴᴇᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ꜱɪʟᴋ ʀᴏᴀᴅ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀ ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄ ꜰᴏʀᴜᴍ. ɪᴛ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛʟʏ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴀɴʏ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ ᴇxᴄᴇᴘᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴄᴜʀɪᴛʏ ᴅᴇᴘᴏꜱɪᴛ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪꜱ ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛʟʏ ʟᴇɢᴀʟ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴡᴇʙꜱɪᴛᴇ - ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴀʀɢᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀɴ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴄᴄᴇꜱꜱ
I didn't care much for them, but some of the shit from the government seemed shady and potentially dangerous going forward. I care about that in general more than them specifically.
I completely forgot how much I used their software until I watched this video. It's sad because subconsciously I wanted to distance myself from them. It hurts way more when you were an avid user.