Never tried Peach Bitcoin before (will look into it), and I'm not 100% positive I tried Robosats but the others all had those issues I listed about DEXes, unfortunately.

Will bookmark this and return later, many thanks.

I should have been clearer with my concerns. I'm not worried about the government knowing what I'm doing. I may hate tax and despise how big the federal government is, but I'm not interested in being an outlaw.

My issue with KYC lies with the exchanges. Seems like there are 5 data breaches a day, these exchanges are high-value targets, and I do not have the time or money to be able to afford the risk of a data breach with my SSN, ID and likeness of my face. As we all know, federal bureaucracy is a sluggish nightmare and that's about the last thing I need on my plate right now.

I'm in the States, which is why this is such a nightmare to work through haha. Tried those DEXes but they were where I found the issues I listed in my original note. No local Bitcoiners or meets that I know of; that's the one disadvantage of living in a rural small town. 😩

Many thanks, I will try to do that sometime in the next day or two if I can. Thanks again!

I can't afford any major risks to my finances or time at this point in my life, which is my concern here. It's not about being a ghost to the government, I just can't afford risks right now (and believe me, that's just as frustrating for me as I'm sure it is for all of you).

No, I know. I'm not referring to the government, I just don't have the time or money to worry about data breaches. Messing with government bureaucracy is a time-consuming nightmare and the last thing I need is to take a month working with the SS office or whatever if there's a data breach leading to identity theft.

Bookmarking this, I had no idea. I'll definitely look into that and see if it's something I could do. I was researching mining XMR but learned it would be very unlikely for me to get much from it, so I'm a bit discouraged oj that front but hey, maybe this one will work 👍

The wealthy have the time and money to take care of things if their data is stolen. Best I can do is keep my info safe, because I have neither the time and money.

Time running out is what worries me and frustrates me about this issue.

I appreciate the advice. I don't drive and don't know anyone in person who is into any form of crypto, so it'd be tough to go to a meet. Nonetheless, I will keep an eye out to see if the nearest city has any events to consider.

As for Bisq, I tried AgoraDesk first but then tried Bisq when AgoraDesk closed. Similar issues, unfortunately.

As for the building contacts part, that might be a consideration, but it will take time and I'm quite sporadic on social media right now haha. Still, I don't have any plans to leave Nostr so it could happen one day, who knows?

Thanks again, going to bookmark this note for later!

I do but I don't have the time to spare on freelancing again. In the midst of a career change while struggling to find work here that will help me grow in that career.

I understand the higher rates but it's a bit excessive IMO. Even so, it's definitely not an option for me at this point in my life.

Its not, though. I take great care to keep my info safe. I'm a ghost to people search sites. I didn't even slightly show up in the recent data breach with all the SSNs listed.

Never heard of it but I'll make note of it, thanks.

Basically means I'd be going back to freelancing which never made me much lol

I *think* I looked into Robosats already but I might be getting it confused with the hundred other DEX options I looked into haha

Like I said, it's not really the government that concerns me in this instance, it's the exchanges. I don't trust them with that kind of info and it's a huge pain to sort if there's a data breach.

I have nothing to sell and living in a rural small town is unlikely going to give me any room to ask for payment in it, unfortunately.

Yes, it was one of the first DEXes I tried. Unfortunately, it falls prey to the same issues I mentioned, at least in my own experience.

I won't lie, I'm at the point where I think I'm just DONE trying to get into #Bitcoin, #Monero or any other coin.

I love the technology. I think it's phenomenal, it presents some truly incredible future possibilities. I also do think it has the potential to free people from the fiat scam. I wouldn't be on Nostr and continually trying to find ways to get into this space if I didn't believe in it.

However, its number one weakness is KYC/AML. Even to buy small amounts, you have to upload sensitive documents to an exchange with some stupid selfie, and you have absolutely no way of verifying that they are doing their absolute best guarding that data even if I were comfortable with them having it (I'm not). It's not even the concern of them tying my identity to my Bitcoin (though that is still problematic), I just don't have any intentions of trusting a CEX with my sensitive data, I am aware of no-KYC DEXes and Bitcoin ATMs. Neither of them work without major sacrifice, risk or geographic issues.

With DEXes, you're risking your money trading with sellers that might not honor the deal. Sure, you usually have escrows, but then you're trusting that DEX. Ignoring that issue for a moment, whatever DEXes I'm on have offers that usually demand either cash by mail or credit card, ans some of them actually run KYC checks of their own. Cash by mail is a huge risk in this day and age, and I certainly have no plans to send a credit card number to a total stranger (and that's assuming one has a credit card; I don't). Then, once again, ignoring that issue brings up another one: the minimum trade amount. Nine times out of ten, any offers I see on a DEX set like a $150 minimum. Problem is, for people like me who just want to start slowly, to test the waters, this is problematic as well. Plus, it goes back to the high potential for scams, and risking $150 that I'm locking away is not a good risk to take, particularly when you're in a tight financial spot like I am.

Then, you have Bitcoin ATMs. Provided you can find one (only one in my area and not in the best town), you're going to spend truly exorbitant amounts on their fees. The one near me charges 20%. If I wanted to start with, say, $50 to start stacking, they'd take $10 of that. Plus, unlike other industries, I've found that it's very difficult to find reviews on these companies and as such, I have no idea how reputable the company is.

At the end of the day, I seriously don't know how y'all do it. Are you all just complying with the absurd KYC regulations or what? Because every other method I've tried (and believe me, I've tried so much) has fallen through in spectacular fashion. How can Bitcoin truly become the replacement I believe it can be, if we all have to either go along with draconian regulations or make a big financial risk?

Please help me understand, because I really am at the point where I'm thinking I'm done trying.

#asknostr #KYC