This is original content. AI was not used anywhere except for the bottom right image, simply because I could not find one similar enough to what I needed. This took around 6 hours to make.
Transcription (for the visually impaired)
(I tried my best)
The background is an iceberg with 6 levels, denoting 6 different levels of privacy.
The tip of the iceberg is titled “The Brainwashed” with a quote beside it that says “I have nothing to hide”. The logos depicted in this section are:
- Apple
- TikTok
- PayPal
- Google Chrome
- CashApp
- Samsung
- Steam
- Microsoft Windows
- Ring (Security Camera)
- YouTube
- Amazon
- Discord
- Gmail
- ChatGPT
The surface section of the iceberg is titled “As seen on TV” with a quote beside it that says “This video is sponsored by…”. The logos depicted in this section are:
An underwater section of the iceberg is titled “The Beginner” with a quote beside it that says “I don’t like hackers and spying”. The logos depicted in this section are:
- Telegram
- Authy
- Brave Browser
- Privacy.com (Virtual Cards)
- DuckDuckGo
- iMessage
- Proton Mail
- AdBlock (Browser Extension)
A lower section of the iceberg is titled “The Privacy Enthusiast” with a quote beside it that says “I have nothing I want to show”. The logos depicted in this section are:
An even lower section of the iceberg is titled “The Privacy Activist” with a quote beside it that says “Privacy is a human right”. The logos depicted in this section are:
- Monero
- GrapheneOS
- Vanadium (Web Browser)
- KeePassDX
- SimpleX Chat
- Accrescent
- SearXNG
- Aegis Authenticator
- OpenWrt
- Mullvad VPN
- An illustration of physical cash
The lowest portion of the iceberg is titled “The Ghost”. There is a quote beside it that has been intentionally redacted. The images depicted in this section are:
- A cancel sign over a mobile phone, symbolizing “no electronics”
- An illustration of a log cabin, symbolizing “living in a log cabin in the woods”
- A picture of gold bars, symbolizing “paying only in gold”
- A picture of a death certificate, symbolizing “faking your own death”
- An AI generated picture of a person wearing a black hoodie, a baseball cap, a face mask, and reflective sunglasses, symbolizing “hiding ones identity in public”
End of transcription.
How? Can you pay rent? Buy groceries? Pay for a cab? Buy a vehicle? Purchase a game on Steam?
How many of your last 100 purchases do you think you did with Monero without ever converting to fiat?
My friend uses it to anonymously buy servers. Their country has a history of killing political activists so they take their privacy seriously when it comes to that kind of thing.
I would say Monero was useful to them, at that time. It didn’t have to be mainstream to be useful. They weren’t investing in it. It allowed them to make an international transaction which is much harder to track than other accepted payment methods.
You can exchange it to another accepted crypto, or convert to fiat depending on what you’re trying to do. If you differ the exact amounts you buy and use, and delay the timing of your monero purchase and final purchase, it gives you anonymity. Or more like plausible deniability. Nobody said anonymity was convenient. You also don’t need every purchase to be anonymous for it to be useful.
When you do most of those purchases you’re not anonymous to begin. But if you want to buy an embarrassing pornographic game on Steam and don’t want your payment provider to have “FURRYDICKS STUDIO” in your name, you sure can use Monero.
Therefore adding a step for no reason and invalidating the entire reason for using it.
That doesn’t make any sense. The information is at the point of sale, which you just said is often not even done with monero itself, thus invaliding the entire reason for using it.
Then how does monero solve the issue at all? What privacy are you gaining if you’re literally admitting that you can’t get around the PoS issue?
No, you can’t, because you can’t buy it anonymously with Monero.
Again: How many of your last 100 purchases were made directly with monero? Just ballpark, I’m sure you have a sense.
I think this is simply a privacy education issue. Here’s how to anonymously buy a steam game, step by step:
If your secure computer is totally anonymous, so is your purchase.
Of my last 1 million purchases, exactly zero were done this way. The currency is not worth zero so obviously it’s useful to some. “I don’t personally use it” is an unconvincing argument, you simply don’t care about private purchases which is totally ok.
I would like you to point out where I said “I don’t use it so it isn’t useful for anyone else.”
I do care about private purchases. Monero is not a viable option as a daily driver in the slightest. That’s the point, don’t make my argument/position something it is not. Point out where I even hinted I don’t care about that.
I’m pointing out flaws in this “solution.” I am not advocating against privacy. That’s a ridiculous take.
“Again: How many of your last 100 purchases were made directly with monero? Just ballpark, I’m sure you have a sense.”. A reasonable interpretation of this is, “you don’t use it, so no one should”.
Apparently millions of people find it useful. If you don’t that’s totally ok.
That is not a reasonable interpretation at all. I am asking you, somebody who is advocating for Monero, how much you actually use it. To demonstrate its utility. A request that you have repeatedly refused to respond to until now as you attempt to mischaracterize my points.
I get it. You like Monero. But you’ve got blinders on. Just because somebody disagrees with you doesn’t mean they’re a Luddite or don’t care about privacy. I care about privacy deeply, I am a passionate advocate. I’m saying Monero is not what you think it is.
You won’t get a lot of people talking about their usage, lol. Are you in witness protection? I think witness protection is useless too, since I’ve never heard anyone even admit to being in the program. Do you watch porn? Porn is completely useless, no one has ever even admitted watching it to me, even after I badger them about their fetishes.
Monero is exactly what I think it is. Is its value inflated 100x by pump and dump investors? Sure. Is it useful to millions even without the investments? You bet.
I’ve never used a parachute personally. They’re pretty inconvenient, have to be set up exactly right in order to work, and can expose you to pretty serious danger if not. That said, I’m sure they’re extremely useful for those in niche situations in which they may apply.
I’ve got some notes on this comparison but honestly it’s the best argument I’ve heard so far.
Still, I think people are really missing what I’m trying to say. I understand what you’re trying to do with it, I understand not everybody wants to use it/needs it. I am specifically saying that it does not solve what people think it does. So long as you have to regularly convert it to Fiat or otherwise expose yourself at the point of sale, Monero does not offer the privacy evangelists claim it does. You have to be able to use it to pay for the thing directly without conversion and without the use of some identifying account or similar. Otherwise it fails the task.
It doesn’t matter if the crypto itself does what it says on the tin. If you can’t use it the way it’s supposed to be used, it’s not accomplishing the goal. It’s like logging into your Instagram account while using a VPN.