Well. “Bitcoin” – as an entity in and of itself – is a bit of a misnomer. “Bitcoin” is actually a shared ledger, with transactions linked to an ECDSA key.
It is possible to give bitcoin a physical instantiation: You can create a key pair, transfer some BC to it, then print out the key (including both the private and public key), usually with something like a QR code. Someone scanning the QR code now has possession of the key and all BC that has been transfered to it. The dogecoin picture above in the comments is an example of this.
There are two reasons you would want to do this. The first is if you’re giving it away, say, as a bar-mitzvahs gift or as some kind of face-to-face purchase. The second is for security of your bitcoin (i.e., a backup of your key that you may have stored somewhere else such as on your hard-drive). In this day and age a small slip of paper, perhaps folded in your wallet, is a lot more secure than a computer when you’re traveling (seeing how they can basically confiscate any electronic device you may be carrying for no good reason other than 'cause terrorists).
Sorry, no, and here we are again with the he’s-a-dick theme. I’m perfectly happy to forgive the author his rhetorical flights of fancy because I’m an American citizen and I would absolutely not respond nicely to any weakly/vaguely identified LEO person who tells me, “I’m asking the questions here”. That sort of heavy-handedness, the expectation of submission just because, is anathema to a functioning democracy. If they’re law enforcement, then let’s see some proof of that instead of presuming guilt–especially once I’ve cleared the TSA checkpoint. And how about a little fucking respect while we’re at it, huh?
the key is physically transporting more than 10k. you can have whatever in the bank and take the bank card internationally, just not in cash form - without declaring it.
Though we only have his side of the story. it is entirely possible that they never uttered those words, and entirely possible that he hadn’t completely cleared the security checks.
Don’t get me wrong, the TSA is, generally speaking, A Bad Thing, but in this one case, I can see how a couple of simple questions and the author’s hostile reactions could end up with slightly more attention than one may expect.
An unnecessary physical manifestation that could easily be converted into text and be just as spendable. Anyone who is laundering money via bitcoin is not that stupid: that’s the point. These guys are fucking stupid and should be laughed at.
Not to mention the fact that whatever bitcoins are on the wallet are stored as data on the blockchain. Carrying a wallet is not much different from carrying a debit card linked to your bank account. It certainly is a legal grey area and until some regulation is put in place it’s the wild west.
Whether the keys are in a computer or printed on a piece of paper, a bitcoin is manifested by a line of code in the distributed blockchain. It’s like having a debit card linked to a bank, except the “bank” is a decentralized network of individuals.
However MHT is a port of entry so there is Customs and Border Patrol presence. TSA is probably briefed on currency restrictions for international travel, as part of standard training I’d expect they’re told to call CBP for such things. Bitcoin is topical right now, there’s enough news coverage of Mt Gox to make even the average TSA agent aware that they can be stolen or embezzled (spare me the outraged evangelism, just tell me where the Mt Gox money went) and also what the Bitcoin logo looks like. So there’s a poorly informed TSA agent tryingo do her job, interacting with an anti-authority anarchist. What could possibly go wrong?
Respect usually begets respect. Start out disrespecting authority and authority figures often respond by disrespecting you. You may not like it but the law is the law.
Had it been me, I would have immediately thought, “Robbers CLAIMING to be TSA!! Take a breath!, Is it better to find a REAL TSA agent and explain that there is an imposter claiming to be the TSA and robbing people, or should I make a scene?”
Well, I suppose authority has had a tough day and is just a bit cranky. We the people just have to forgive and forget, no need to speak of, or keep track of, these isolated incidents. That would be an invasion of their privacy after all.
It’s possible the author wasn’t even there and it’s also possible he’s the reincarnated father of John the Baptist…but we don’t have any other account (save the one from his colleague) with which to discuss the event.
You’re absolutely correct, and it would be wrong to assume all TSA agents are scullions, rampallions, and fustilarians who need their catastrophes tickled (just as you are assuming hostility in the author’s statements to the TSA “managers”). That said, there’s also a respectable way to approach an unknown person, and especially so if that approach is necessary due to law and doubly so if questions about privacy are involved.
I say this having recently traveled and, like the author, I always opt out of the body scanner. This time, just as it has been every time, the TSA agent treated me respectfully and was clear as to the process to be undertaken. I’m glad that’s been my standard and I hope it remains as such.
I’ll contrast those experiences with dealing with local police: Rude, confrontational, and uninterested in my rights as an American citizen.
I move through life with what I feel to be a higher than normal recognition of privacy that is derived from a variety of factors not worth mentioning, but suffice it to say that I’ll reveal information about myself or my plans when and if I want to do so, or if required by law, and even then, the bare minimum. I have that right and I exercise it freely and regularly. That calculus might change if I’m under arrest, but at that point I expect to have advice from a professional on what I should or should not say.
I expect professional and courteous treatment from any law enforcement personnel, and I also expect that professional and courteous treatment prior to any response I might have.
@AcerPlatanoides said it better than I did. Respect is also earned, and as the old saying goes, you’ll get more bees with honey than you will with two pigs in a poke once the early bird jumps over the moon. Or something like that.
Also:
This is the final test of the gentleman: his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him. -William Lyon Phelps
In addition, I would suggest that any time someone begins asking me about my travel plans in an airport and without adequately identifying themselves, then they're getting squat from me. How do I know what agency they're affiliated with or why they might want that data? How do I know they're not [insert criminal organization here] looking to [insert dangerous activity here]? Beyond that, our modern world has monetized information, so why should I give them valuable information about myself?
