Is it the US government or Bitcoin that created ISIS?

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke both praised and criticized bitcoin in a new interview, saying that government oversight of blockchain transactions could combat perceived risks.

Bernanke told Quartz that Bitcoin is interesting from a technical perspective and that the technology could have broader development in the emerging payments space.

“We live in a world where payment systems are evolving rapidly, new ways of managing payments are proliferating, and some of the ideas around Bitcoin are undoubtedly useful,” he told the journal.

However, Bernanke’s praise for Bitcoin stopped there, as he continued:

“But I think Bitcoin itself has some serious problems. First, it has not demonstrated a stable value. Its price has been very unstable and therefore has not yet become a widely accepted medium of exchange.”

He went on to suggest that government officials might accelerate efforts to regulate digital currency activities, highlighting Bitcoin’s perceived anonymity (pseudo-anonymity) and the role it plays in illegal transactions, drug sales, or terrorist financing.

“You know, the government doesn’t like to see this activity happening, so I doubt that (the government) will monitor the trading of Bitcoin or similar virtual currencies,” he said in an interview.

The comments come nearly two years after Bernanke last wrote to Congress highlighting the possible benefits and risks of digital currencies.

Regarding the relationship between Bitcoin and terrorism, Bitcoin evangelist Andreas M Antonopoulos also expressed his views, saying:

“The United States and its allies, who provided aid, weapons, and training to ISIS in their fight against Assad, are now blaming Bitcoin.”

What do you think?

Original article: http://www.coindesk.com/ben-bernanke-bitcoin-serious-problems/
Compiled by: Satuoxi
Editor: Satuoxi
Source (translation): Babbitt Information