Slashdot just ran a story about the European Central Bank (ECB) +releasing +a report (PDF) about virtual currencies and +bitcoin. It is interesting to +see how a member of the bitcoin community +receive +the report. As for the future, I suspect the central banks and +the governments will outlaw bitcoin if it gain any popularity, to avoid +competition. My thoughts go to the +Wörgl experiment with +negative inflation on cash which was such a success that it was +terminated by the Austrian National Bank in 1933. A successful +alternative would be a threat to the current money system and gain +powerful forces to work against it.
+ +While checking out the current status of bitcoin, I also discovered +that the community already seem to have +experienced +its first pyramid game / Ponzi scheme. Not very surprising, given +how members of "small" communities tend to trust each other. I guess +enterprising crocks will try again and again, as they do anywhere +wealth is available.
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