How could you be sovereign using LN if this network is largely dependent of custodial nodes? It isn't simply "If you want more privacy then you just need to configure your own node and... VOILÀ!" Even your non-custodial node on LN need to pass through centralized hubs. It's not so hard to understand with this picture 👇
The argument is that even if the routing nodes are centralized, they cant tell where the payment is coming from or where it is going.
So they lack any criteria to censor txs.
But its true that the network design lends itself to surveillance and will end up that way when theres enough volume for anyone to care.
I agree with the first half, but disagree with the second. How do you get to the conclusion that it will be heavily surveiled, while you seemingly agree that routing nodes not get much info to surveil?
Ok, so this centralised node gets to route my transaction. Because of onion routing he only get the information important for routing, so he only knows which node it comes from, how many sats and which node he passes it on to. He doesn't know who the initial sender and receiver is. What is he going to do to me?
Exactly, all he CAN do is choosing to route or to sensor. Guess what, If he start censoring he becomes a very unreliable node to route through, so he will lose its dominant position.
Your argument is comparable to people who think we would see all these evil monopolies in a stateless society. This is simply not how it works. Without state coercion monopolies can be exelent and remain, or abuse their position and be disrupted.
