Difference between revisions of "Cryptocurrency (Buying things anonymously)"

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==Introduction==
 
==Introduction==
  
A cryptomoney is a type of currency that allows economic exchanges, and which is characterized by being stored electronically and incorporates encryption for security of transactions. Intuitively we can think of cryptomoneys as digital coins, however because of the technology they incorporate and their functioning they are not equivalent. Cryptomoney can serve, like conventional currencies, to buy products or pay for services.
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A cryptocurrency is a type of currency that is stored electronically and incorporates encryption for security of transactions. Cryptocurrency can be used, like conventional currencies, to buy products or pay for services. Intuitively, we can think of cryptocurrencies as digital coins, however, because of the technology they incorporate and the way they work they are not the same.
  
There is no consensual definition, wikipedia tell us the following:
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There is no single universally accepted definition for cryptocurrencies, but Wikipedia states:
  
A cryptocurrency (or crypto currency) is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange using cryptography to secure the transactions and to control the creation of additional units of the currency. Cryptocurrencies are a subset of alternative currencies, or specifically of digital currencies. Bitcoin became the first decentralized cryptocurrency in 2009. Since then, numerous cryptocurrencies have been created. These are frequently called altcoins, as a blend of bitcoin alternative. Bitcoin and its derivatives use decentralized control  as opposed to centralized electronic money/centralized banking systems. The decentralized control is related to the use of bitcoin's blockchain transaction database in the role of a distributed ledger <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptocurrency</ref>
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"A cryptocurrency (or crypto currency) is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange using cryptography to secure the transactions and to control the creation of additional units of the currency. Cryptocurrencies are a subset of alternative currencies, or specifically of digital currencies. Bitcoin became the first decentralized cryptocurrency in 2009. Since then, numerous cryptocurrencies have been created. These are frequently called altcoins, as a blend of bitcoin alternative. Bitcoin and its derivatives use decentralized control  as opposed to centralized electronic money/centralized banking systems. The decentralized control is related to the use of bitcoin's blockchain transaction database in the role of a distributed ledger <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptocurrency</ref>"
  
There are different types of criptomoneys but they have in common that their value is determined by the supply and the demand and that in principle they are not falsifiable (even tough this does not prevent always fraud exists, see for example the case of OneCoin<ref>https://steemit.com/money/@morpheustitania/onecoin-is-a-scam</ref>).
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There are many different types of cryptocurrencies, but all of them have a value determined by supply and demand and are impossible, in principle at least, to falsify (even though this does not prevent all fraud, see for example the case of OneCoin<ref>https://steemit.com/money/@morpheustitania/onecoin-is-a-scam</ref>).
  
Broadly speaking, we can trace the birth of cryptomonedas as part of the criptopunk movement that appealed to the use of cryptography as a tactic for social change. One of the first electronic coins was Digicash launched in 1990 by David Chaum, this centrally-operated currency already incorporated encryption and allowed electronic transactions<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DigiCash</ref>.
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Broadly speaking, we can trace the birth of cryptocurrencies to the criptopunk movement that advocated the use of cryptography as a tactic for social change. One of the first electronic coins was Digicash, launched in 1990 by David Chaum. This centrally-operated currency already incorporated encryption and allowed electronic transactions<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DigiCash</ref>.
  
Seven years later Adam Black proposed Hashcash a mining system that uses a proof-of-work algorithm work (POW <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof-of-work_system</ref>) originally used to limit spam (unwanted mail) and denial of service (DoS) attacks and which would be later incorporated into cryptomoenys. In 2009, an unknown identity under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto published Bitcoin which is one of the most used cryptomoneys and that we will use to develop this ''How to''.  
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Seven years later Adam Black proposed Hashcash, a mining system that used a proof-of-work algorithm (POW <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof-of-work_system</ref>) to limit spam (unwanted mail) and denial of service (DoS) attacks, and would later be incorporated into other cyptocurrencies. In 2009  an unknown individual using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto published Bitcoin, one of the most used cryptocurrencies and the main focus of  this ''How to' guide'.  
  
 
Bitcoin is characterised by <ref>http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1234000001802/ch01.html#_what_is_bitcoin</ref>:
 
Bitcoin is characterised by <ref>http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1234000001802/ch01.html#_what_is_bitcoin</ref>:
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-> A decentralized p2p network (the bitcoin protocol)
 
-> A decentralized p2p network (the bitcoin protocol)
  
-> Transactions are public (the block chain)
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-> Public transactions (the block chain)
  
-> A decentralized deterministic coin and mathematical emission (distributed mining)
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-> A decentralized "deterministic" coin and mathematical production (distributed mining)
  
 
-> A decentralized transaction verification system (transaction script)
 
-> A decentralized transaction verification system (transaction script)
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Currently it has the following fundamental principles <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain_%28database%29</ref>:
 
Currently it has the following fundamental principles <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain_%28database%29</ref>:
  
-> 21 million: the number of units will never exceed 21 million bitcoins.
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-> Absolute limit on currency production: the number of units will never exceed 21 million bitcoins.
  
-> Uncensored: no one can ban or censor valid transactions.
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-> It is uncensored: no one can ban or censor valid transactions.
  
-> Open source: Bitcoin's source code should always be accessible to everyone.
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-> It is open source: Bitcoin's source code should always be accessible to everyone.
  
-> Without permission: nobody can prevent participation in the network.
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-> No permission is required: nobody can prevent participation in the network.
  
-> Pseudonym: no identification is required to participate in the Bitcoin network.
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-> It is anonymous : no identification is required to participate in the Bitcoin network.
  
-> Fungible: each unit is interchangeable.
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->It is fungible: each unit is interchangeable.
  
-> Irreversible payments: Confirmed transactions can not be modified or eliminated. The story is unforgettable.
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-> Payments are irreversible: Confirmed transactions can not be modified or reversed. The story is unforgettable.
  
 
You can watch the following video to see how a mining farm of bitcoins looks like in China
 
You can watch the following video to see how a mining farm of bitcoins looks like in China
 
{{#ev:vimeo|https://vimeo.com/141600878}}
 
{{#ev:vimeo|https://vimeo.com/141600878}}
  
==¿Qué necesitas?==
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== What do you need?==
  
Un USB persistente de Tails
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A TAILS USB with persistence
  
==¿Cómo puedo usar bitcoins para comprar anónimamente?==
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== How can I use bitcoins to buy anonymously?==
  
Para poder hacer transacciones con Bitcoin se necesitas tener una dirección (con la cual podrás recibir o enviar Bitcoins) y llaves, con las cuales tus transacciones serán firmadas, al conjunto de llaves se le conoce como Billetera.
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To be able to make transactions with Bitcoin you need to have an address (with which you can receive or send Bitcoins) and keys, with which your transactions will be signed. This set of keys is known as a Wallet.
[[File:Wallet_bitcoin.png|400px|thumb|left|Billeteras <ref>https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet</ref>]]  
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[[File:Wallet_bitcoin.png|400px|thumb|left|Wallets <ref>https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet</ref>]]  
  
Bitcoin cuenta actualmente con una gran cantidad de billeteras que pueden funcionar como programas, aplicaciones para celular e incluso como dispositivos.  
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Bitcoin currently has a large number of wallets that can work as programs, mobile applications and even as devices.
  
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Although Bitcoin incorporates encryption in order to achieve anonymity in purchases, it requires that transactions can not be associated with your legal identity. This is not so simple, you can see more information at: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Anonymity. For this guide we will use the wallet that comes in TAILS by default: Electrum <ref>https://electrum.org/#home</ref>.
  
Si bien Bitcoin incorpora a su sistema el cifrado para lograr anonimato en las compras requiere que las transacciones no puedan ser asociadas con tu identidad legal. Esto no es tan simple , puedes ver más información en:  https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Anonymity (en inglés). En nuestro caso vamos a usar al billetera que viene en TAILS por defecto: Electrum <ref>https://electrum.org/#home</ref>.
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=== Five steps to create a wallet in TAILS===
  
 
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  1) In Applications go to Internet and open Electrum Wallet Bitcoin
 
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===5 pasos para crear una billetera en TAILS===
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  1) En Aplicaciones vas a Internet y abres Electrum Billetera Bitcoin
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[[File:electrum1.png|400px|thumb|center|Electrum]]  
 
[[File:electrum1.png|400px|thumb|center|Electrum]]  
  
2) Sigues el proceso seleccionando crear una nueva billetera de forma estándar
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2) Follow the process by selecting the option to create a new wallet standard
 
[[File:electrum2.png|400px|thumb|center|Creando tu cuenta.]]
 
[[File:electrum2.png|400px|thumb|center|Creando tu cuenta.]]
  
3) El programa de creación de billetera te genera 13 palabras y te sugiere copiarlas en un papel o usar un código QRT. Puedes elegir el que prefieras pero para el código QRT necesitaras además un programa que lea este tipo de código.
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3) The wallet creation program generates 13 words and suggests you copy them on paper or use a QRT code. You can choose the one you prefer but for the QRT code you will also need a program that reads this type of code.
 
[[File:electrum3.png|400px|thumb|center|]]
 
[[File:electrum3.png|400px|thumb|center|]]
  
4) Te pedirá una contraseña (usa una fuerte)
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4) You will be prompted for a password (use a strong one and do not forget it)
 
[[File:electrum4.png|400px|thumb|center|]]
 
[[File:electrum4.png|400px|thumb|center|]]
  
5) El programa te preguntará si se autoconecta o si prefieres hacerlo de forma manual, puedes seleccionar con el que prefieres.
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5) The program will ask you if it connects itself or if you prefer to do it manually, you can select the option that better suits you.
 
[[File:electrum5.png|400px|thumb|center|]]
 
[[File:electrum5.png|400px|thumb|center|]]
  
6) Tu billetera fue creada. Ahora tienes direcciones -notar que tienes 20-  para '''recibir''' depósitos  y puedes hacer transacciones con otros '''envia'''ndo Bitcoins si conoces las direcciones de envío.
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6) Your wallet has been created. You now have an address to 'receive' deposits and you can make transactions with others by sending them Bitcoins if you know their shipping addresses.
[[File:electrum6.png|400px|thumb|left|Dirección para recibir Bitcoins]]
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[[File:electrum6.png|400px|thumb|left|Adress to receive Bitcoins]]
[[File:electrum7.png|400px|thumb|none|Envío de Bitcoins]]
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[[File:electrum7.png|400px|thumb|none|Sending Bitcoins]]
 
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===Agregando Bitcoins a tu billetera===
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Existen diferentes formas para hacer que tu billetera reciba bitcoins, en nuestro caso para poder hacerlo anónimamente sugerimos buscar alguna organización intermediaria que se dedique a la transferencia de bitcoins  y que te permita hacer un depósito en una banco que cuente con cajeros automáticos que no te obligaran a asociar el depósito a una identidad legal personal (Por ejemplo <ref>https://www.territoriobitcoin.com/como-comprar-bitcoin-en-bitboat-tutorial/</ref> . Este tipo de organizaciones funcionará como un intermediario, te proporcionará una cuenta de depósito y ellos te harán llegar los bitcoins a tu monedero. otra forma es a través de una organización intermediaria hacer uso de  depósito instantáneos como el de  MoneyPolo<ref>https://moneypolo.com</ref> .
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===Hacer tu compra===
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Al igual que en otro tipo de transacciones electrónicas lo que requieres es que te indiquen a dónde se va a enviar los bitcoins (dirección de envío) y lugares en los que te acepten este tipo de moneda, por ejemplo es posible pagar con bitcoins dominios, productos electrónicos, servicios, puedes tener algunas ideas en: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenBazaar (en inglés).
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===Adding Bitcoins to your wallet===
  
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There are different ways to  to receive bitcoins in your wallet. To buy Bitcoins anonymously you need to find an intermediary organization that trades bitcoins and that will accept an anonymous bank ATM deposit (you'll need to find a bank that offers this service -eg <ref> https://www.bitboat.net/en/help</ ref>). Once you have made your deposit the intermediary organization will transfer the bitcoins to your wallet. Another way is through an intermediary organization that offers instant deposits like MoneyPolo<ref>https://moneypolo.com</ref> .
  
===Notas finales===
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===Buying===
Recuerda que todas las transacciones son públicas así que para evitar se relacionen direcciones con compras puedes hacer depósitos de cantidades menores de bitcoins y transferencias igualmente de cantidades menores.
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As in other types of electronic transactions, to buy something, you need to find services that accept bitcoins, for example sellers of  domains, electronic products, services, medicines, and then you need to know where to send the bitcoins, i.e. a shipping address: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenBazaar.
  
También debes recordar que los cajeros tienen cámaras y ahora es cada vez más fácil el reconocimiento facial a través de imágenes.
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===Final notes===
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Remember that all transactions are public so, to avoid addresses being associated with purchases, you can make deposits of small quantities of bitcoins and transfer equally small amounts.
  
Por último infórmate, hay países en los que es ilegal el uso de Bitcoins.
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You should also remember that ATMs have cameras and that effective facial recognition is increasingly widely used.
  
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Finally, there are countries where it is illegal to use Bitcoins <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_bitcoin_by_country</ref> .
  
==Referencias==
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==References==
  
  

Latest revision as of 09:22, 20 March 2017

Introduction

A cryptocurrency is a type of currency that is stored electronically and incorporates encryption for security of transactions. Cryptocurrency can be used, like conventional currencies, to buy products or pay for services. Intuitively, we can think of cryptocurrencies as digital coins, however, because of the technology they incorporate and the way they work they are not the same.

There is no single universally accepted definition for cryptocurrencies, but Wikipedia states:

"A cryptocurrency (or crypto currency) is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange using cryptography to secure the transactions and to control the creation of additional units of the currency. Cryptocurrencies are a subset of alternative currencies, or specifically of digital currencies. Bitcoin became the first decentralized cryptocurrency in 2009. Since then, numerous cryptocurrencies have been created. These are frequently called altcoins, as a blend of bitcoin alternative. Bitcoin and its derivatives use decentralized control as opposed to centralized electronic money/centralized banking systems. The decentralized control is related to the use of bitcoin's blockchain transaction database in the role of a distributed ledger [2]"

There are many different types of cryptocurrencies, but all of them have a value determined by supply and demand and are impossible, in principle at least, to falsify (even though this does not prevent all fraud, see for example the case of OneCoin[3]).

Broadly speaking, we can trace the birth of cryptocurrencies to the criptopunk movement that advocated the use of cryptography as a tactic for social change. One of the first electronic coins was Digicash, launched in 1990 by David Chaum. This centrally-operated currency already incorporated encryption and allowed electronic transactions[4].

Seven years later Adam Black proposed Hashcash, a mining system that used a proof-of-work algorithm (POW [5]) to limit spam (unwanted mail) and denial of service (DoS) attacks, and would later be incorporated into other cyptocurrencies. In 2009 an unknown individual using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto published Bitcoin, one of the most used cryptocurrencies and the main focus of this How to' guide'.

Bitcoin is characterised by [6]:

-> A decentralized p2p network (the bitcoin protocol)

-> Public transactions (the block chain)

-> A decentralized "deterministic" coin and mathematical production (distributed mining)

-> A decentralized transaction verification system (transaction script)

Currently it has the following fundamental principles [7]:

-> Absolute limit on currency production: the number of units will never exceed 21 million bitcoins.

-> It is uncensored: no one can ban or censor valid transactions.

-> It is open source: Bitcoin's source code should always be accessible to everyone.

-> No permission is required: nobody can prevent participation in the network.

-> It is anonymous : no identification is required to participate in the Bitcoin network.

->It is fungible: each unit is interchangeable.

-> Payments are irreversible: Confirmed transactions can not be modified or reversed. The story is unforgettable.

You can watch the following video to see how a mining farm of bitcoins looks like in China

What do you need?

A TAILS USB with persistence

How can I use bitcoins to buy anonymously?

To be able to make transactions with Bitcoin you need to have an address (with which you can receive or send Bitcoins) and keys, with which your transactions will be signed. This set of keys is known as a Wallet.

Wallets [8]

Bitcoin currently has a large number of wallets that can work as programs, mobile applications and even as devices.

Although Bitcoin incorporates encryption in order to achieve anonymity in purchases, it requires that transactions can not be associated with your legal identity. This is not so simple, you can see more information at: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Anonymity. For this guide we will use the wallet that comes in TAILS by default: Electrum [9].

Five steps to create a wallet in TAILS

1) In Applications go to Internet and open Electrum Wallet Bitcoin
Electrum

2) Follow the process by selecting the option to create a new wallet standard

Creando tu cuenta.

3) The wallet creation program generates 13 words and suggests you copy them on paper or use a QRT code. You can choose the one you prefer but for the QRT code you will also need a program that reads this type of code.

Electrum3.png

4) You will be prompted for a password (use a strong one and do not forget it)

Electrum4.png

5) The program will ask you if it connects itself or if you prefer to do it manually, you can select the option that better suits you.

Electrum5.png

6) Your wallet has been created. You now have an address to 'receive' deposits and you can make transactions with others by sending them Bitcoins if you know their shipping addresses.

Adress to receive Bitcoins
Sending Bitcoins
===Adding Bitcoins to your wallet===

There are different ways to to receive bitcoins in your wallet. To buy Bitcoins anonymously you need to find an intermediary organization that trades bitcoins and that will accept an anonymous bank ATM deposit (you'll need to find a bank that offers this service -eg Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag .

Buying

As in other types of electronic transactions, to buy something, you need to find services that accept bitcoins, for example sellers of domains, electronic products, services, medicines, and then you need to know where to send the bitcoins, i.e. a shipping address: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenBazaar.

Final notes

Remember that all transactions are public so, to avoid addresses being associated with purchases, you can make deposits of small quantities of bitcoins and transfer equally small amounts.

You should also remember that ATMs have cameras and that effective facial recognition is increasingly widely used.

Finally, there are countries where it is illegal to use Bitcoins [10] .

References

  1. ASCII de una moneda del siglo VI a. C. 1/3 de Estátera.
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptocurrency
  3. https://steemit.com/money/@morpheustitania/onecoin-is-a-scam
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DigiCash
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof-of-work_system
  6. http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1234000001802/ch01.html#_what_is_bitcoin
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain_%28database%29
  8. https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet
  9. https://electrum.org/#home
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_bitcoin_by_country