CI

Too_raw90

Didn’t touch my preciouses 

lj26ft

Consensys just lost a major ruling in a Swedish court against its own shareholders for illegally transferring Metamask, Infura, and other major IP to JPM. The judge ordered an audit of Consensys CI because Lubin valued Metamask at $5 million and Infura at $15 million at the time of the transfer. It went on to be valued at $7+ Billion. I think it's not insignificant that JPM has control over and access to Infura. Didn't we just have a huge thread about JPM corruption with a huge list of all the shit they've done.

lj26ft

I love how there's news of actual fraud involving Ethereum promoters AGAIN and its crickets in this sub. Lubin gave the Shareholders equity in Consensys AG then illegally transferred all the assets to JPMorgan through a US shell company Consensys CI. At the time of the transfer Lubin valued Metamask at $5 million and Infura at $15 million. The Consensys shareholders got left holding the bag on a company with no assets. Then as soon as he transferred to Consensys CI it was valued at+$7 Billion. The swedish judge in the case ordered an audit of Consensys so we may finally know how much ether they own and how much JPMorgan Chase owns of Ethereum.

lj26ft

Lubin gave the Shareholders equity in Consensys AG then illegally transferred all the assets to JPMorgan. At the time of the transfer Lubin valued Metamask at $5 million and Infura at $15 million. The Consensys shareholders got left holding the bag on a company with no assets. Then as soon as he transferred Consensys CI was valued at+$7 Billion. Lubin is a shady piece of shit and Ethereum is owned lock stock and barrel by JPMorgan.

SeatedDruid

Oh no bro it’s like some really fucked shit, I’m in a consulting company and we’re working with this company oh my lord Jesus bro…. Our company does dev and test env deployments and validates them. Then We create excel sheets with steps for deploying. Each step documented in a little box Then we hand the excel sheets off to a team from the client company. We get in a call and their “engineers” share their screens run the deployments steps This shit is so convoluted and takes forever I actually wanna do violent things to these company head of CI/CD cuz this shit terrrrrible

coinfeeds-bot

tldr; The IRS is looking to hire hundreds of new agents in 2023 to work on digital assets and cybercrime. IRS-CI is the law-enforcement arm of the IRS, often referred to as “accountants with guns” and is in charge of handling cases ranging from money laundering to Russia sanctions. The agency is currently in the midst of a hiring push with a focus on recruiting younger talent with a technical background. *This summary is auto generated by a bot and not meant to replace reading the original article. As always, DYOR.*

deathbyfish13

>The IRS-CI is the law-enforcement arm of the IRS – often referred to as “accountants with guns” Okay now they're taking it seriously, we all gonna end up dead for not reporting our moons in our taxes lol

Downtown_Feedback665

> I couldn’t get any meaningful answers Because there wasn’t very much of a deep dive. - Money now moves on weekends, nights and holidays - which has completely revolutionized payment systems. And the first statement by OP is completely false, there are blockchains that settle more tps than Visa (meaning tx’s would still clear faster than traditional finance if everyone was using the same high tps system), with that said nobody is paying for everything on a single system, nor does any blockchain aim to become the sole arbiter of the exchange of value. - Web 3.0 - I use brave every day, and get paid to use my browser, is completely free to use, is just as fast if not faster than most browser options. Run on web3.0…and Brave is a tiny example not including every blockchain game or NFT project, liquidity pool, dex, etc. plus having things like unstoppable domains. Web3.0 is already here, if you aren’t using it to your benefit that’s on you. - Crypto was never made to replace fiat money. This is a common misconception, but has no grounds in reality, not much of an argument here. - Crypto is like the internet, just like the early days, only a select few that were competent enough could use the systems efficiently and do anything of value with it. I use blockchain systems every day and many applications stand alone just fine to me - they’ve made me extremely wealthy at a young age like nothing else could. Not just from investing, but because of engineering. Started mining in 2016, staking in 2018, and building short after. - I’ve successfully implemented blockchain for CMDB at a large multinational technology company using hyper ledger. A system that self-corrects, never loses CI’s, and never duplicates CI’s. Which makes me think most the claim of OP working with the technology is bullshit. If OP attempted to implement it, and hit a wall quickly, they didn’t have a use case - or a valid one at least. It doesn’t seem like OP has gone all that “deep” on the technology at all. This kind of intellectual dishonesty is gross.

jcpham

TL:DR what's the backstory how has the FTX clusterfuck been clusterfucked more than it already was. Sam says the lawyers are raiding the coffers mwah mwah mwah meanwhile Caroline is most likely a CI

jcpham

Two letters: CI

clean_cut89

Yup signing that CI immunity deal boi

clean_cut89

She definitely a CI at this point and protected. That will be confirmed in the coming weeks if she is not arrested as well and how the media handles the press on her.

Set1Less

Binance just posted a reply to this: https://www.binance.com/en/blog/leadership/inside-binances-fight-against-crypto-crime-5422427314690193337 > Before Binance, I was a Special Agent at the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Cyber Crimes Unit for over a decade. I led successful investigations to help those impacted by Mt Gox and uncover the corrupt DEA agent in the Silk Road case.

Mr_Bob_Ferguson


tylermm03

You’re welcome, though to be fair [Autism Capital](https://twitter.com/autismcapital/status/1599513879754989569?s=46&t=_j4CI8wL4oYjAgQ1Zk1BbA) deserves the credit, I’m just confirming what I’m seeing from their posts and what other people are saying in the thread. If you have Twitter I’d give them a follow they’re actually a pretty good source for crypto news especially what’s been going on with the FTX meltdown.

AutoModerator

Here is a [Nitter link](https://nitter.net/autismcapital/status/1599513879754989569?s=46&t=_j4CI8wL4oYjAgQ1Zk1BbA) for the Twitter thread linked above. Nitter is better for privacy and does not nag you for a login. More information can be found [here](https://nitter.net/about). --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CryptoCurrency) if you have any questions or concerns.*

tylermm03

So I took a look at a [Twitter post by Autism Capital](https://twitter.com/autismcapital/status/1599466158893432832?s=46&t=_j4CI8wL4oYjAgQ1Zk1BbA), and she was at a coffee shop that is a short walk from both FBI and US Attorney Generals Offices. Also an interview of SBF aired on ABC and they stated that they couldn’t get a reply from Caroline, which leads me to believe she isn’t able to talk to the press due to the potential fact that she’s cooperating with US authorities to try and prosecute SBF and others involved. Consider the fact that law enforcement themselves have to aren’t able to disclose certain details during an active investigation, I’d assume this applies to witnesses.

AutoModerator

Here is a [Nitter link](https://nitter.net/autismcapital/status/1599466158893432832?s=46&t=_j4CI8wL4oYjAgQ1Zk1BbA) for the Twitter thread linked above. Nitter is better for privacy and does not nag you for a login. More information can be found [here](https://nitter.net/about). --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CryptoCurrency) if you have any questions or concerns.*

AU-n-Time

It has nothing to do with hope. It has to do with the fact that BTC has become a mainstream asset. We have institutional money invested in the asset BTC, more than ever before. BTC continues to become more and more relevant as a legitimate, mainstream asset, that can be a part of an investment portfolio. Examples of BTC ETF's in other countries are as follows: Canada: 3IQ Coinshares, Purpose Bitcoin and CI Galaxy Bitcoin, Europe: 21Shares Bitcoin ETP, BTCetc - ETC Group Physical Bitcoin, VanEck Bitcoin ETN, Iconic Funds Physical Bitcoin ETP and Bitpanda Bitcoin ETC, Brazil: QR Capital's Bitcoin ETF, Jersey: WisdomTree Bitcoin. It is just a matter of time before the SEC will be under enough pressure from commercial and high net worth investors to establish a BTC ETF. GBTC just happens to be very well positioned for that first spot. Once a BTC ETF gets approved in the US, other legitimate companies seeking a BTC ETF will also get approved. It is not a matter of if, it's is simply when.

CointestMod

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

FedoMullin9117

I don't think they qualify as a movie, but my rigorous scientific analysis of the cinematic expressions of sexual intercourse regarding the foresaid cross-referencing of 'nerds + wild' yielded these results to a 95% CI: https://pornzog.com/video/2014238/nerd-gone-wild/ https://www.iafd.com/title.rme/title=nerd+gone+wild/year=2009/nerd-gone-wild.htm Beep boop.

CointestMod

#Privacy Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Privacy Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Privacy) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestMod

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestMod

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestMod

#Privacy Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Privacy Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Privacy) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

iMHackeRPiratE

was looking at YouTube results for "twitch gambling ban" found funny thing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cwv1gyr2CI timestamp 1:27. they've time to ban gamers but nothing on gamblers.

CointestMod

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

slutfarming

He publicly announced that he owns over 40k BTC several times. He signed messages proving that he owns 40k BTC. This is his bitcointalk profile - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=73652 He signed a message here - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=15911.msg1362503#msg1362503 He signed a message here - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=85687.msg1362598#msg1362598 He signed a message here - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=178336.msg10728426#msg10728426 He signed a message here - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=178336.msg18280485#msg18280485 He signed a message here - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1836672.msg18280840#msg18280840 [He even signed a message here on this subreddit when he was attempting to perform a trade with Roger Ver.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/60ozkh/rogerver_lets_make_a_deal_1_for_1_trade_at_least/) Roger Ver might even be the "overseas cryptocurrency exchange" that he used to trade his BCH for BTC. He wanted to trade all of his stolen BCH with Roger Ver in exchange for BTC. But I don't know if that trade with Roger was ever completed. He was caught because he called the police and reported a burglary in 2019 and he mentioned that numerous assets had been stolen, including “a lot of bitcoin.” This was enough to get the attention of the IRS Criminal Investigation unit. After investigating and following specific wallet addresses, the IRS-CI and Athens police department made an arrest in November of 2021. He plead guilty and fully cooperated with authorities.

baddabaddabing

>On November 9, 2021, pursuant to a judicially authorized premises search warrant (the “Search”), IRS-CI agents recovered approximately 50,491.06251844 Bitcoin of the Crime Proceeds from ZHONG’s Gainesville, Georgia, house. Specifically, law enforcement located 50,491.06251844 Bitcoin of the approximately 53,500 Bitcoin Crime Proceeds (a) in an underground floor safe; and (b) on a single-board computer that was submerged under blankets in a popcorn tin stored in a bathroom closet. In addition, law enforcement recovered $661,900 in cash, 25 Casascius coins (physical bitcoin) with an approximate value of 174 Bitcoin, 11.1160005300044 additional Bitcoin, and four one-ounce silver-colored bars, three one-ounce gold-colored bars, four 10-ounce silver-colored bars, and one gold-colored coin. Source: [https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-announces-historic-336-billion-cryptocurrency-seizure-and-conviction](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-announces-historic-336-billion-cryptocurrency-seizure-and-conviction) ​ Reads like seed phrase and/or access to wallet.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

surrender_the_juice


BrowsingCoins

Actually - there are 4! I know at least ETHR is spot, but I think they may all be? CI Galaxy Ethereum ETF (ETHX) Purpose Ether ETF (ETHH) Evolve Ether ETF (ETHR) 3iQ CoinShares Ether ETF (ETHQ)

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

coinfeeds-bot

tldr; A crypto mutual fund is a financial product that provides investors with exposure to crypto-assets such as Bitcoin or Ether through a standard brokerage account. Cryptocurrency prices have gone up significantly, making cryptocurrency one of the best-performing asset classes of the last decade. The Vanguard Group, Inc., JP Morgan, BarclayHedge, Fidelity Investments, State Street Corporation, Mudrex, TD Ameritrade, and CI Global Asset Management are some of the key players in this report. *This summary is auto generated by a bot and not meant to replace reading the original article. As always, DYOR.*

Carnae_Assada

Anthony Dominicis, who confirmed that the IRS devotes 71% of the CI to tax evasion alone. Do you usually just accept that a fully armed group of tax collectors exists when we have tens of armed agencies that already could be used? Does it not strike you that ALL government agencies seem to need to be armed against the public? The same government actively disarming people and trying to convert their currency to digital to further strangle them? My stomach would be sick with a diet of that much shit but some people must have stronger fortitude when it comes to eating what's fed to them by literal asses.

Justreadingcomment


cbelaski

CI/CD should look like a circle or infinity sign, not a centipede.

sargonas

Sorry your merge didn’t go through, the CI is red, but won’t clearly explain why. Best of luck to you

leashninja

I actually know what some of this means haha, didn’t think I’ll see see AWS related content on this sub. Yeah they fucked up. Be interested to see how much damage was actually down in that period before they ran a commit to change it. I don’t envy them rn. Running a CI/CD script for AWS is a nightmare.

ViewFromHalfwayDown6

Yes! I have CI Galaxy BTC and ETH ETFs (BTCX.B and ETHX.B) in my RRSP and TFSA accounts with Wealthsimple.

pizza-chit


agsuy

Yw. It is Cosmos based but stores stuff into Arweave for redundancy. You can actually setup a cheap CI/CD to backup stuff but used to be a bit unreliable in my exp. FWIW you could check Cyclone protocol for a Tornado Cash fork.

mikebailey

Internal to Block? Ideally key signing attached to their CI/CD systems. No one person having admin access to all of that at once, triggering audit events, etc. Externally? Impossible to say. Usually people open source for that but as a lot of folks know here even that doesn’t prove it.

kuzkokronk

"The order was for the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) division, which is a federal law enforcement agency that conducts criminal investigations including tax violations, money laundering, cyber crimes, and organized crime involving drugs and gangs. There are more than 2,000 sworn special agents in the division." It's not IRS accountants. It's the IRS-CI division. They investigate mobsters and drug dealers. Nobody who audits you is going to show up in your home with an AR-15 unless they truly believe you're Heisenberg.

RowdyFellaas

Sex and gender are different. Always have been, always will be. Sex is biological. Gender is societal. Nobody is disputing that a trans man was biologically female. They are saying that they are a man outwardly. When a woman gets married and changes her last name do you still call her by her maiden name? What stats do you have to back up the regret? Because peer reviewed studies say differently > . The prevalence of regret among patients undergoing transmasculine and transfemenine surgeries was <1% (IC <1%–<1%) and 1% (CI <1%–2%), respectively https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8099405/ The trans youth suicide attempt rate is 40%. Further denying that they are a different gender than their sex leads them to further marginalization and self hatred. You are not a victim because you have to reconsider how you view the world when presented with new evidence. The people you are denying the societal identity of out of ignorance are. Please take this into consideration and re-examine your perspective. Because it is both harmful and factually incorrect

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CMDR_BitMedler

No no ... It exists now and has for some time. Aside from the obvious, Second Life, there is the other hater favorite Decentraland. Those two have been around forever - but it's an older tech stack. [Spatial.io](https://Spatial.io) and [Mona.gallery](https://Mona.gallery) are great examples of better graphics and experience overall, without requiring any ownership. And you can build your own spaces, hold events, etc... for free. Hate "floating bodies"? Plug your [ReadyPlayer.me](https://ReadyPlayer.me) avatar into them and be you. These are a great example of the more social metaverse. You like voxel games, money and Snoop? Head over to [The Sandbox](https://www.sandbox.game/en/) (if you can afford it). Expected Q4 22/Q1 23 will be [New Ganymede x Meta Key](https://youtu.be/KYihbyARx6A). Open metaverse that will serve as both a hub and it's own space. Free to all with perks for holders. And finally, AAA level experience? [Wilder World](https://youtu.be/yPBraI1W4CI) is one to watch if you're into the big money, flashy, pangalactic gargleblaster level MV (trailer is not a cinematic). There are a ton more projects that are both real and have banking from money outside of the traditional paths. Remember, there are a ton of "epic kids" that have been burned that got tech jobs, did ok, actually did so well in crypto and are funding the "fuck those guys" movement back to where things should be... Power to the Players. Trust me... Facebook rebranded to Meta because Roblox has more daily users than FB. #Facts. They don't have any play beyond protection so don't let that fuck take down another generation because the stink he put on the internet. This is bigger than him - or any individual.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CMDR_BitMedler

Que? No one is there yet exactly. MH is a great tool for cinematics, but no in-game assets anywhere - console, PC or otherwise. More core engine. And more like this... [Wilder World](https://youtu.be/yPBraI1W4CI) [MetaKey's New Ganymede](https://youtu.be/KYihbyARx6A) ... to name a few.

SigSalvadore

I loved [Community](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI4kiPaKfAE)

whosdamike

I give this comment [3 Meow Meow Beenz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI4kiPaKfAE).

whosdamike

Also an episode of [Community](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI4kiPaKfAE).

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

R4ID

bearableguy has their own sub /r/Rippled/ (which was used for longer "messages" / puzzles. it is very inactive now.) To give you an ultra condensed lesson. They made some cryptic predictions 4-5 years ago which IIRC they got mostly correct. This gave him some "credibility" as some sort of insider. more predictions /puzzles were released and some had elements of being correct but again I really stopped paying attention to it. You are correct to compare it with the Q group as it has very similar vibe/feel to it. To me I see them more as an un-official mascot, to others they see him as some sort of like.. messiah and its sad. There are NFTs of him on the XRPL https://twitter.com/BearableguyClub. There were plushie dolls made at one point https://i.imgur.com/anbz8CI.jpg There is still a surprising large subset of the XRP community involved with him and other riddlers IE wonka, or Mr pool, or baba. (all on twitter) I dont have the time nor care to keep up with their current "predictions/puzzles" All I can say is that If you're basing your investments on advice from a cartoon bear on the internet, you are not a smart or informed investor. now that doesnt mean you cant make money if XRP "moons" but I just wish people would focus more on fundamentals, than trying to figure out who the man in the castle looking east is, if you catch my drift. as far as being taken advantage of goes, They cant rugpull him (unless he invests money in some project they themselves launch which I havnt really seen) They cant really "scam" him per say. My thoughts are the only thing hes losing is his own time (which could be arguably more valuable)

BigBlue541

Not debating why Tether would be registered in CI. Them refusing a legit audit while this “independent firm” from CI tells us everything is fine on the other hand? It’s a whole lot of money they’re supposed to have. I think they let it get too big. You don’t see red flags here?

WorriedDifficulty772

If you don’t understand why they’re registered in CI then you shouldn’t be in the investment scene pal

incandescent-leaf

Terraform CI: <starts sweating> it's not me guys, it's a different guy

NinjaGanjitsu

Begginer question here, so when I lets say create a custom token with 1 mil total supply, and I put half a mil available supply. I add a pair and a liquidity, etc. that half a mil of available supply goes to me, other half is available for minting using the CI tool on jenny token, otherwise its "locked" in a way. Now lets say pair is 1 ONE 1 Custom token. and my liquidity is 10 of each. if 100 people buy 10 custom token each, where will they get it from? Since 499 990 is in my wallet, 10 is pooled and other half a mil is still locked unminted. Where will that 1000 taht is requested for buying come from, or will it just be insufficient liquidity?

01technowichi

> The LUNA crash was def pretty fucking hardcore. Another epoch in the CC timeline Honestly, was it? I dunno, I started ETH mining in 2017 (though my dumbass sold early and day traded most of it into oblivion). This doesn't feel like some "epoch" or epic level event. This feels like [tuesday](https://youtu.be/sjZ5I8l32CI?t=80).

002timmy

&#x200B; 

keybrah

it's Dawn of the Third Day 

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

slasula


NTSLordofSquee

Seriously doubt they’ll refer you to to their “legal department”. Criminal Investigations doesn’t get involved unless you’ve been audited and there’s clear signs of fraud or you owe a stupidly high amount. Even then, the standard of proof for tax fraud and evasion is quite high. They have to prove that you willfully and knowingly falsified your return, and that’s not always so cut and dry. If everyone who ever made a mistake or claimed a deduction they couldn’t back up (legit or not) on their tax return was referred to CI, they’d be wasting a monumental amount of their already scarce resources. Either you’re lying or that was just a scare tactic on their end, or not allowing the deduction would’ve caused you to owe mad money. Like 50k+.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

Lucky-Fee2388

Some CI (aka Snitch) will testify in court that you confessed to him that you earned that money dealing drugs....even if you are a lawyer and could defend yourself successfully, your money would be subject to Civil Asset Forfeiture: [https://civilrights.org/resource/why-civil-asset-forfeiture-is-legalized-theft/](https://civilrights.org/resource/why-civil-asset-forfeiture-is-legalized-theft/)

Jxntb733

Kinda like cash, [serial numbers can be read.pdf](https://www.citech.com/fileadmin/documents/PDF/Products_ENG/CI_Scan_Serial_Number_eng.pdf)

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

slasula


CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to learn more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds.

noipv4

Some hilarious comments * This is a good start, but storage uses energy too. Recommend piping block data to /dev/null. It’s fast as hell and supports sharding. * Signatures are very computationally expensive to produce and validate. We can save a further 99.5% of energy by replacing signatures with the string "I want to send this transaction", which is also less than half the size of a Schnorr signature. *Strong concept ACK. CI failed but we could ignore and disable it to save energy.

gustavossj

They were about to get away with it if it wasn't for the IRS-CI Special Agent.

CrowdGoesWildWoooo

Well without evil intentions aside, Testing every single scenario is near impossible and then there are “bugs” that insider knows but deep down they just hope it never gets discovered because it is a very niche edge case and hope people don’t bother to find and exploit anyway or at least shrug it off. Making the perfect program is just impossible especially in one go, which is why CI/CD is a thing.

AutoModerator

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Dreampopgazer

Historically there have been monthly trends yeah, but I'd imagine these get less and less important over time. https://twitter.com/decodejar/status/1505421064259928064?t=CI8gNUALhAnLoSGVbyGPYQ&s=19 There have often been Sunday dips in more recent times, often in relation to stock futures opening. Generally I should pay too much heed to these trends and just trade the charts. Especially with altcoins on weekends the volume is pretty low.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won an award in the Monero Pro-Arguments topic for a prior [Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > - Copying from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/h7d1e6i/). > > - *Disclosure: I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > - **TLDR**: Privacy is a human right and Monero is the leading project aimed at protecting that right. Optional privacy is not sufficient for anonymity. If exchanges delist privacy coins, Monero will still be able to meet market demand through p2p channels and atomic swaps. > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with [the original vision of Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/morrpp/satoshi_talking_about_privacy_features_that_got/) and the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency in general: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf) which argued that "Privacy and anonymity are the most important aspects of electronic cash" and proposed areas to improve upon Bitcoin's design. > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses zk-SNARK proofs, which are not fully trustless: "[zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions.](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained)" > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [Monero's month-over-month increase in transactions surpassed all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to know more? [Click here](/r/CointestOfficial/comments/qk4ybr/coin_inquiries_round_monero_proarguments_november/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds. You're invited to participate in this contest. Winners are awarded moon prizes if they win. The moon prize allocations are 300 moons for 1st place, 150 moons for 2nd place, and 75 moons for 3rd place. Winners are also assigned special trophy flair which will be visible in r/CryptoCurrency and r/CointestOfficial.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place for Monero Pro-Arguments in a prior [r/CC Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > Tweaking from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/og15vb/rcryptocurrency_cointest_rcc_top_favorites/h4pk7q4/). > > *Disclosure - I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf)which described privacy and anonymity as "the most important aspects of electronic cash" and called bitcoin's traceability a "critical flaw" > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses [zk-SNARK proofs](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained), which are not fully trustless. zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [the increase in Monero transactions in one month was greater than all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to know more? [Click here](/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds. You're invited to participate in this contest. Winners are awarded moon prizes if they win. The moon prize allocations are 300 moons for 1st place, 150 moons for 2nd place, and 75 moons for 3rd place. Winners are also assigned special trophy flair which will be visible in r/CryptoCurrency and r/CointestOfficial.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place for Monero Pro-Arguments in a prior [r/CC Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > Tweaking from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/og15vb/rcryptocurrency_cointest_rcc_top_favorites/h4pk7q4/). > > *Disclosure - I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf)which described privacy and anonymity as "the most important aspects of electronic cash" and called bitcoin's traceability a "critical flaw" > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses [zk-SNARK proofs](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained), which are not fully trustless. zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [the increase in Monero transactions in one month was greater than all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to know more? [Click here](/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds. You're invited to participate in this contest. Winners are awarded moon prizes if they win. The moon prize allocations are 300 moons for 1st place, 150 moons for 2nd place, and 75 moons for 3rd place. Winners are also assigned special trophy flair which will be visible in r/CryptoCurrency and r/CointestOfficial.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place for Monero Pro-Arguments in a prior [r/CC Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > Tweaking from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/og15vb/rcryptocurrency_cointest_rcc_top_favorites/h4pk7q4/). > > *Disclosure - I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf)which described privacy and anonymity as "the most important aspects of electronic cash" and called bitcoin's traceability a "critical flaw" > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses [zk-SNARK proofs](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained), which are not fully trustless. zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [the increase in Monero transactions in one month was greater than all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to know more? [Click here](/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds. You're invited to participate in this contest. Winners are awarded moon prizes if they win. The moon prize allocations are 300 moons for 1st place, 150 moons for 2nd place, and 75 moons for 3rd place. Winners are also assigned special trophy flair which will be visible in r/CryptoCurrency and r/CointestOfficial.

Too_raw90

 Coinbase learn and earn with $4 of Ethereum

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place for Monero Pro-Arguments in a prior [r/CC Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > Tweaking from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/og15vb/rcryptocurrency_cointest_rcc_top_favorites/h4pk7q4/). > > *Disclosure - I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf)which described privacy and anonymity as "the most important aspects of electronic cash" and called bitcoin's traceability a "critical flaw" > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses [zk-SNARK proofs](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained), which are not fully trustless. zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [the increase in Monero transactions in one month was greater than all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to know more? [Click here](/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds. You're invited to participate in this contest. Winners are awarded moon prizes if they win. The moon prize allocations are 300 moons for 1st place, 150 moons for 2nd place, and 75 moons for 3rd place. Winners are also assigned special trophy flair which will be visible in r/CryptoCurrency and r/CointestOfficial.

CointestAdmin

#Monero Pro-Arguments Below is an argument written by MrMoustacheMan which won 1st place for Monero Pro-Arguments in a prior [r/CC Cointest](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_policy) round. > #Monero Pro Argument (Part 1/2) > > Tweaking from my [previous entry](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/og15vb/rcryptocurrency_cointest_rcc_top_favorites/h4pk7q4/). > > *Disclosure - I currently hold a position in XMR, ~2% of my current portfolio value* > > ##Monero: Built different > > **Monero (XMR) is a cryptocurrency focused on private and censorship-resistant transactions** > > - Privacy is a [human right](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_privacy), recognized by the [UN Declaration of Human Rights](https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights). Even if you have '[nothing to hide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument)' you should still care about privacy, as [I argued for the Cointest Privacy - Pro argument](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/pfopc9/rcc_cointest_general_concepts_privacy/hf5o1sv/). > > - Monero has many of the attributes that people find valuable about Bitcoin. However, it also improves on some key aspects to align more with the original [cypherpunk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypherpunk) vision of cryptocurrency: > > - Monero was created by an anonymous dev: like Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Monero was created by an unknown entity, [Bitcointalk user thankful_for_today](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561;sa=showPosts). > > - Monero is a fork of Bytecoin, outlined in [Nicolas van Saberhagen's 2013 white paper ](https://bytecoin.org/old/whitepaper.pdf)which described privacy and anonymity as "the most important aspects of electronic cash" and called bitcoin's traceability a "critical flaw" > > - Like Bitcoin, Monero is an 'OG' PoW coin (2014 mainnet) with no premine or ICO > > - Monero does not have a hard capped supply like Bitcoin. > > - Monero *does* have a decreasing block reward schedule like BTC - but it doesn't trend towards zero over time. Instead, [the block subsidy will trend toward a fixed amount to incentivize participants to keep mining blocks](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). The current [annual inflation is 1.45% and decreasing until "tail" emission kicks in around 2022](https://moneroj.net/inflation/). > > - [Proponents regard this as an improvement over Bitcoin](https://np.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/3z527f/does_monero_have_a_maximum_cap_like_bitcoin_21/). It's unknown if, in the future, transaction fees will supplant the mining incentive that secures BTC's blockchain once the block reward becomes extremely small > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero [does not have a fixed cap for block size](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-beginners-guide-to-monero). Instead, it has a dynamic block size, meaning that blocks can expand or shrink to accommodate demand. > > - *[Mining](https://moneroj.net/hashrate/)* > > - Unlike Bitcoin, Monero is designed to be ASIC-resistant with an intent to reduce the dominance of mining pools running specialized, high-performance mining hardware > > - Monero can be mined somewhat efficiently on consumer grade hardware such as x86, x86-64, ARM and GPUs > > - Moreover, Monero's updated PoW algorithm (from CryptoNight to RandomX) favors CPU mining and weakens GPU effectiveness > > - *[Fungibility](https://academy.binance.com/en/glossary/fungibility)* > > - Fungibility is a key property of currencies - at a high level it means that one dollar bill is equivalent to and interchangeable with another dollar bill. > > - Well 1 BTC = 1 BTC right? Yes, at the protocol level there isn't any distinction made between each BTC unit. > > - Fungibility is more ambiguous at the social and political levels. [Some bitcoins have a 'tainted' history due to being used for illegal purposes, confiscated, etc.](https://sethsimmons.me/posts/fungibility-graveyard/) Exchanges and other institutions can then blacklist coins using chain analysis. > > - If 'clean', freshly mined coins are seen as more valuable than older 'dirty' ones, then that undermines Bitcoin's fungibility. > > - Privacy > > - Monero's **private by default** protocol preserves the fungibility of the asset by obscuring transaction sources, amounts, and destinations. > > - Most blockchain networks today reveal information about your holdings and transactions: > > - "[Bitcoin is only semi-private; the protocol doesn’t know your real name but transactions can still be linked to you in a myriad of ways.](https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff)" > > - Blockchain analytics firms ([like Chainanalysis](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/chainalysis-doubles-valuation-to-2-billion-with-benioff-backing.html)) specialize in deanonymizing crypto activity and sell this data to corporations and law enforcement agencies. > > - In contrast, Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (Ring Confidential Transactions) make Monero unlinkable and untraceable. > > - If you [search for an address in the Monero block explorer](https://localmonero.co/blocks/search/41mT1gUnYHK6mDAxVsKeB7SP9hVesbESbWcupd7mMYC73GL4nSgsEwTGKHGT7GKoSEdMKvs8Fdu1ufPJbo5BV4d1PfYiEew), you'll see that you can't tie any holdings or transactions to it. > > - I would argue that privacy by default makes Monero more valuable vs. [optional privacy implementations](https://www.wired.com/story/harry-pottery-cryptocurrency-privacy-zcash-monero/) like [Litecoin's MimbleWimble upgrade](https://twitter.com/DavidBurkett38/status/1356469626511712258), Dash's PrivateSend or more direct competitors like Zcash (ZEC) > > - ZEC uses [zk-SNARK proofs](https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/zk-snarks-and-zk-starks-explained), which are not fully trustless. zk-SNARK proofs are dependent on an initial trusted setup between a prover and verifier, meaning that a set of public parameters is required to construct zero-knowledge proofs and, thus, private transactions > > - If users do not shield their ZEC transactions - and most do not - a third-party can uncover shielded transactions through process of elimination. > > - If you give people optional privacy they don't really use it - thus [the increase in Monero transactions in one month was greater than all shielded Zcash transactions *ever*](https://twitter.com/JEhrenhofer/status/1380566462344101899). > > - In September 2020, the US IRS criminal investigation division (IRS-CI), posted a [$625,000 bounty for contractors who could develop tools to help trace Monero](https://decrypt.co/41411/the-irs-is-offering-you-625000-to-crack-monero). However no team has provided convincing evidence of their success. ***** Would you like to know more? [Click here](/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ovmttk/rcc_cointest_coin_inquiries_monero_proarguments/) to be taken to the original topic-thread or you can scan through the [Cointest archive](/r/CointestOfficial/wiki/cointest_archive#wiki_Monero) to find arguments on this topic in other rounds. You're invited to participate in this contest. Winners are awarded moon prizes if they win. The moon prize allocations are 300 moons for 1st place, 150 moons for 2nd place, and 75 moons for 3rd place. Winners are also assigned special trophy flair which will be visible in r/CryptoCurrency and r/CointestOfficial.

magus-21

Yes, that's the "proposal" phase I described. Conceptually it's the equivalent of creating a Github pull request, asking it to be reviewed, and then hooking a CI/CD pipeline into it to pull it for immediate implementation upon acceptance.

TheTrueBlueTJ


AutoModerator

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paskal007r

then have a look here https://i.ytimg.com/an\_webp/yLi3C1ZYxuU/mqdefault\_6s.webp?du=3000&sqp=CI3RuJAG&rs=AOn4CLA6kFOlX-g4FbZNqDsHeQ\_B3Y30sQ

Set1Less

This is from the FBI complaint >RS-CI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have been investigating the theft of funds from a well-known virtual currency exchange3 (“Victim VCE”) that was hacked in 2016. Victim VCE is one of the world’s largest virtual currency exchanges and allows customers to buy, sell, and store various types of virtual currency They themselves call Bitfinex as the victim here. There is a good chance of the funds being returned to the "victim", just like all other theft or robberies. If the government solves a robbery does it keep the stolen items? Tether shortfall arose due to this hack, now the funds have been recovered. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

trashaccount1161

My mistake XD its the IRS-CI

amanouk

Ah shit sorry my bad, we’re not talking about the same thing. I’m talking about CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF (BTCX.U). It’s traded on the TSX. They hold actual BTC in cold wallets. https://www.firstasset.com/solutions/overview/?fund=CI+Galaxy+Bitcoin+ETF+%28US%24+Series%29 Sorry for the confusion! I see what you’re saying about gbtc. Did some digging and I agree it’s a shit show.