also dont forget these two details

1. many bitcoiners lobbied to get governments to recognise bitcoin as a currency.. opening the door to currency regulations
   (2009-2013 bitcoin was defined as private property. 2014-now its currency)

2. regulations actually require businesses to watch/monitor mixer users that deposit with them, more so than other random people transacting on the blockchain. so using a mixer doesnt offer better privacy, it puts you on a watchlist due to using a mixer.

the solution, if regulators require businesses to monitor mixer users..
a. stop using mixers
b. invent a new service that does not even mention privacy/cleaning, mixing.. and is more creative with how it takes in deposits and withdraws .. cough cough satoshi-dice cough cough

I guess your both right to an extent.
The thought never crossed my mind about that.
A lot of prominent members have issues with it , it makes me wonder are they upset over the concept or does it directly affect them
What are a lot of these guys doing to aquire coins that necessitates a mixer?

The decision to ban mixers is not the creation of the bitcointalk community. It was a result of pressure from external forces that has the potential or power to negatively affect the forum. Mixers are now erroneously seen as a service that promotes criminal activities and associating with it will make those forces see the forum as a place that promotes criminality. So the best thing to do is disassociate with mixing service. The values of this community have not changed, we still believe in privacy and decentralization.

The main reason why governments are shutting down mixers is not because they are used for criminal activities, they want to centralise Bitcoin so that they can kill privacy. But there is a battle you cannot fight. These Law enforcement agencies can seize any website, including this one. They cannot stop us from talking about decentralization but they have the power to control our platforms. If you don't do what they say, then you might not have the platform to spread your beliefs.

The views of most members of the forum have been expressed in this thread
https://bt.irlbtc.com/view/5476162.0

I don't know how he will feel about the current situation but it is glary that things are changing and the community is facing so many attacks. Maybe he might start researching other means to keep Bitcoin decentralized.

There is no way one can balance regulation and decentralization, that's not possible. Legal compliance is just a loss of privacy. But I am afraid that the attack on Bitcoin will keep increasing. These forces will not rest until they centralise the coin. I predict that the community will start devising other ways to escape centralisation.

i believe that we can still maintain anonymity without the use of mixers if we want btc to expand and be accepted by most, people needs to trust it


btc is still decentralized no one knows who are behind those addresses

those who were regular users of btc mixers might be against this but i think this is a step forward for the general public to be more accepting and less hesitant about btc itself

Basically, we should still respect the decision of the forum moderators on this issue. But obviously, banning activity on the forum, in my opinion, will not reduce the fact that people will still choose to use mixers for their purposes.

But there is also a real disappointment here, when many service platforms have also contributed a lot to the introduction of bitcoin on the forum. I do not have many prejudices about this issue, but according to my observations, there is also a lot of opposition to banning its use. I also had a private conversation with friends about this issue, and most of them felt that the reason for the ban on the forum could bring better development to the forum.

Why do you think that decentralization and privacy are connected? Bitcoin is decentralized and transparent. Transparency isn't something bad.
If you really want privacy, just use altcoins like Monero. I don't remember anyone saying that it is mandatory for Bitcoin to become 100% private.
BTC mixers will be banned from Bitcointalk, but that doesn't mean that they are banned from the entire crypto community. Theymos just doesn't want problems with the authorities for promoting mixers, that are involved in illegal activities. Even after Jan. 1 2024, you could find BTC mixers on the darkweb(or somewhere else) and use them(at your own risk).
Just like other forum members have mentioned:
1.BTC mixers are centralized, so you are kinda contradicting to yourself, by saying that mixers are crucial for privacy and decentralization.
2.Somebody using a BTC mixer clearly has something to hide, which always has been suspicious.
If you aren't doing something illegal with Bitcoins, then why would you need a BTC mixer in the first place?

The problem I see with this is that it is just one more step in saying goodbye to privacy in Bitcoin. Mixers have been banned here because it won't be long before there will be regulations expressly prohibiting them. I said it some time ago: services that serve to obfuscate the origin of funds cannot have much future.

The casinos that have been so important in the history of Bitcoin and Bitcointalk will have to end up operating like fiat casinos, with everyone perfectly identified from the beginning among other things.

We are on a seemingly unstoppable path of loss of privacy in general, and Bitcoin is not going to be an exception.

thats where things need to be more creative

before bitcoin was a currency. satoshi-dice worked great because it was not gambling currency. and though people used it as a mixer it never advertised itself as such

now that bitcoin is defined as a currency asset, people need to read the regulations and find the exceptions
new methods can be made where it doesnt involve a "service provider" (VASP)
if people cared more about privacy instead of middlemen service provider income, they can find ways.. only problem is the so called privacy guys care more about promoting/offering a service for a fee.. so they end up shooting themselves in the foot by accepting a payment/commission for offering a service

bitcoin isnt the problem. centralised services (vasps and MSB) are
everyone knows governments cant attack the network, they get court orders on service providers

After 14 years, you still talk about the creation of Bitcointalk community?

Welcome to a new Bitcoin forum is a start of Bitcointalk community creation and it was in 2009.

Now if you talk about the community, it is about its current and future, not its creation.

It is not a decentralized forum and not for decentralized ideologies.

What is the Bitcointalk's purpose?

Welcome message