China Requires Blockchain-Based Information Service Providers To Register Users Using Real Names, Censor Postings and Store User Data (scmp.com) 56
Chinese users will have to register their real names before they can use online information services based on blockchain, in the first set of rules specifically targeting the technology behind digital currencies like bitcoin that is known for providing anonymity for users. From a report: Under proposed new rules, companies and entities operating in China that provide blockchain-based information services will have to ask users to register their real names and national identification card numbers, censor content deemed to pose a threat to national security and store user data to allow inspection by authorities. The Cyberspace Administration of China published the draft regulations on its website on Friday for public consultation until November 2. It is not clear when the rules will come into effect. The latest rules come after an activist in China published an open letter in April about an alleged cover-up of sexual harassment at a top university more than two decades ago on the ethereum blockchain, after the post attracted censors on social media platforms such as WeChat and Weibo. The anonymous poster attached the letter to an ether transaction to himself, in a move similar to leaving a note in a bank transfer. But since all transaction records are public on ethereum, the letter can be read by anyone.
Fuck China (Score:2, Informative)
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They are, but that means we in the America or Europe should judge ourselves against them. Just so we can ignore our own Human Rights issues.
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We have migrants seeking asylum to America and Europe who are being turned away, threatened, Locked up...
General Race relations still sucks, and governments find coded laws to keep the disadvantage down.
Re: Fuck China (Score:2)
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I think we have witnessed peak China.
Communist Government (Score:2)
Communist Government requires totalitarian control. Why are Chinese headlines like these meant to be shocking?
Re:Communist Government (Score:4, Interesting)
The economic system is not related to to how totalitarian the government is.
A Capitalist system can be just as Totalitarian as a Communist one is. Also a Communist government could also be a nice place to live and work.
Now Communism has a problem where any person who doesn't play by the plan can hurt the system. While Capitalism expected no plan, so anyone who does better then nothing, is a net benefit. This creates a tenancy for communism to be more brutal in people following rules.
But Capitalism is often more insidious where the people who have money have the power, however they use their power behind the scenes, and are not the face of power.
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Communism doesn't require a totalitarian government, true, but to say they aren't related is not. When you centralize all power, government and economic, when mixed with human nature, it tends towards this. There's a reason all communist governments have had quite a severe totalitarian streak to them. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and such.
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Capitalism can't thrive under any totalitarianism; be it communism, or fascism (two sides of the same coin called 'tyranny').
What we have in the US is called crony-capitalism, AKA corruption. That's a result of the electorate not being actively involved in the democratic process. You can't just set the Gov to "auto pilot" and not expect it to breakdown and become the monster that it is today.
The government you get is the government you deserve.
Re:Communist Government (Score:4, Insightful)
The economic system is not related to to how totalitarian the government is.
Yes it is. If the economic system prohibits the free exchange of goods and services, then you need an oppressive government to enforce the ban.
A Capitalist system can be just as Totalitarian as a Communist one is.
Of course. Franco's Spain and Pinochet's Chile were capitalist and totalitarian.
Also a Communist government could also be a nice place to live and work.
Bullcrap.
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Suggests they move to China and find out instead of posting to the internet.
It is certain I can say TIANIMEN SQUARE here. China not so much.
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It is certain I can say TIANIMEN SQUARE here.
You can say it. But can you spell it?
It is: Tian (heaven/sky) An (peace) Men (gate). Tiananmen, the gate of heavenly peace.
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Compare the kinda sorta communist Cuba to the capitalist Haiti. Which of the two has the higher standards of living?
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Okay, if you insist turning this into a matter of skin colour, let's take another example
A capitalist cleptocratic democracy Ukraine vs a communism nostalgia dictatorship Belarus. Same white skin colour, a very similar language, the two countries have the same status of being former soviet republics. Yet Belarus has over twice the GDP per capita, despite Ukraine having far more natural resources and being a capitalist democracy. Apparently being corrupt sucks far more than being a dictatorship.
Economic systems don't equal nice government (Score:4, Informative)
Now Communism has a problem where any person who doesn't play by the plan can hurt the system. While Capitalism expected no plan, so anyone who does better then nothing, is a net benefit.
Nonsense. It's perfectly possible for someone under a capitalist system to be a drag on the system while making a lot of economic activity. Happens all the time. See the housing crisis in 2008 which was caused by a lot of people acting in their own self interest but eventually crashing the system. Explain to me how Bernie Madoff was a net benefit - I'd love to hear that one...
This creates a tenancy for communism to be more brutal in people following rules.
You mean as opposed to mass incarceration of people for minor offenses, prison camps for Japanese during WWII, Guantanamo Bay, routine murder of minorities by police, near genocide of native peoples, Jim Crow laws, etc - all of which happened in our capitalist society, some rather recently. While I understand and agree that what we call communist countries are generally more towards the dictator end of the spectrum, let's not pretend that capitalist countries have clean hands either. The US has a greater percentage of its population in prison than China does so it's pretty hard to argue that the US isn't rather brutal too - particularly to those without much money.
But Capitalism is often more insidious where the people who have money have the power, however they use their power behind the scenes, and are not the face of power.
That happens in both communist and capitalist societies as well as every other form of economic structure you can think of. That is not unique to capitalism.
Isn't the purpose of blockchain ... (Score:3)
... to make it impossible to remove or hide transactions? It would seem that this would outlaw the use of blockchain in China.
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Since every transaction is recorded, none can be hidden. Since every new transaction is added to the ledger, no transactions are removed. This is the perfect system for a totalitarian state, so long as you control the nodes that determine the truth, and the first transaction is you announcing yourself.
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... to make it impossible to remove or hide transactions? It would seem that this would outlaw the use of blockchain in China.
This doesn't per se outlaw blockchain in China. True, China could not remove things from blockchains, BUT if China knows who put any given thing on a blockchain and is willing to torture/disappear them, blockchains don't have to be illegal to be acceptable to the Chinese authorities.
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A. the immutable history can be just the metadata not the datadata
B. if enough nodes agree, they can mutate the history
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In fact, I mentioned essentially that in the original post. I included political speech and freedom from tyra
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There have been several scandals brought to light thanks to an anonymous whistleblower, ranging from Watergate (Deep Throat) to the recent Panama Papers.
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The solution is not less anonymity, but more: if your credit card details are kept secure thiefs can't steal from you, and if you could hide your IP cheaters couldn't DDoS you.
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I was thinking about it earlier today and it occurred to me: what innovations on the internet have been furthered by anonymity? I can think of a huge number of bad-actors that are supported by it, from Credit Card thieves to hackers and even video game cheaters.
Well, for starters nobody will be banging on your door to beat your ass for this comment.
Still China; Still Nazis (Score:2)
Just don't deal with Nazi China. Suffocate the Party; wipe out its interests overseas. Do not sell its goods; do not sell them goods.
Just because the leader doesn't have a little moustache doesn't mean he's a nice guy.