edit: I LIKE MONERO . Should I say it again? should I put it in bold? I'm NOT saying not to use monero. I'm NOT saying we should use bitcoin forever. stop putting words in my mouth and being lazy and responding to my thread without reading it. This is primarily a response to threads like this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkNetMarkets/comments/6qjn2a/opsec_dont_use_bitcoin/?st=j5sksmne&sh=425b7987 .
In the last week I have seen too many posts of people fear mongering and talking about how unsafe it is to use bitcoin and how "a certain" market will accept monero. Lots of these posts are made by very new accounts, or by accounts that are a couple years old but have only very few posts. Obvious shills.
I no longer have any doubt that there are paid shills in our subreddit actively trying to discourage the use of bitcoin, while pumping monero and surreptitiously advertising for these certain unnamed markets that accept monero.
For the record, bitcoin is 100% safe to use, as long as you buy it anonymously. For your reading pleasure, a few methods (There are many, MANY other methods as well) that can be used are:
1) Mailing cash anonymously, using the same OPSEC that vendors do to mail drugs.
2) Many bitcoin ATMs don't require ID until you buy a certain amount. And then you can just use a fake ID after that. It's just a machine it can't tell if it's real or not.
3) In-person meetups with someone who you contact with a burner phone. wear a hat and sunglasses. who gives a shit if you look suspicious, they know exactly what's up. their job is selling bitcoin. they don't care what you use them for, just don't tell them that you're buying drugs with it or they will turn you away (if they're smart)
4) Cash deposit into a seller's bank account, at a bank you don't use regularly. Maybe in a different city for good measure. Supply a fake ID if they ask you for one. Wear a baseball cap and keep the brim low.
Monero is great, but Bitcoin is by no means unsafe as long as you buy your coins correctly. And in most cases, you still have to buy bitcoin first in order to get the Monero anyway.
Stay safe out there, and stop the shilling. The fact that the blockchain is public doesn't mean shit as long as the trail stops at the person who sold you the coins.
Edit: Many times people assume that just because you are saying one thing is good, it means you are implying something else is bad. that's not the case. I agree monero is great. (or will be, once there is a GUI that comes standard on TAILS) but using bitcoin is not unsafe like these shills purport.
Ignore OP. Monero is the only way forward and I'm not only saying this because I have thousands invested in it. #tothemoon