Bill Gates says Bitcoin is “better than currency” but shouldn’t be anonymous
Bill Gates Talks Bitcoin At Sibos 2014
Bill Gates of Microsoft Corp. fame has once again expressed his excitement about Bitcoin, saying that it’s “better than currency in that you don’t have to be physically in the same place, and of course for large transactions currency can get pretty inconvenient.”
Gate’s comments came during an appearance at Sibos 2014, an annual financial conference broadcast on Bloomberg TV. But despite his positive outlook, he did raise concerns about Bitcoin’s anonymity, saying this is one of the reasons why it hasn’t yet gained mainstream adoption. Gates said Bitcoin’s anonymity makes it appealing for criminal activities, and suggested that perhaps the cryptocurrency could be modified so those using it cannot hide their identities.
“The customers we’re talking about aren’t trying to be anonymous, they’re willing to be known, so bitcoin technology is key and you can add to it or you could build a similar technology where there’s enough attribution where people feel comfortable that this is nothing to do with terrorism or any type of money laundering,” said Gates.
Although Gates’ comments aren’t 100 percent positive, they can still be perceived as good for Bitcoin. After all, if one of the most influential people in the tech world is talking about it, people are going to take notcie.
As for Bitcoin’s anonymity, Gates does maybe have a point when he suggests that not everyone wants to hide away, but there are plenty of users who’re fans of the concept. As such, his idea of modifying Bitcoin so as not to be anonymous is unlikely to go down well.
photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc
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