Bitcoin is not the only blockchain and certainly not the most notorious. It is, however, the most popular and so it must bear the brunt of negative popular opinion. Rémi Quirion, the Chief Scientist of Quebec, discussed how misguided popular opinion is about Bitcoin. He brings attention to the way the blockchain is designed. It is simply far from any method that organized crime would choose to operate.

There are a few illegal activities popularly associated with Bitcoin. Taxes have been the subject of cryptocurrencies in recent months. Putting aside jurisdiction issues of the borderless platforms on which crypto markets operate, tax evasion is drawing comparisons to darkweb and underworld activities. This is irresponsible media reporting that neglects how easy it is to track bitcoins. The other issue, money laundering, is based on the premise of disrupting the flow of money and inventing an alternative (“fake”) source. Criminals take extreme measures to not be followed. Decentralized blockchains, like Bitcoin, were designed for exactly the opposite reason.

There are several clear reasons why Bitcoin is not a breeding ground for illegal activity. First of all, the blockchain is transparent. Its transactions are verified by a global community that anyone can view. Secondly, one of its main technologies is the distributed database. Again, anyone with reasonable computing memory can store every transaction ever made over the blockchain. Both of these aspects make Bitcoin transactions much more tractable than any pre-blockchain technology.

Bitcoin has only ever been a small part of the underworld. In fact, Monero is much more infamous for illegal activity. The main reason is that Monero is a private blockchain specializing in anonymity. There are several private and anonymous blockchains. Some try to outdo the other while some specialize in specific transactions. However, none of these come close to grabbing the media spotlight the way Bitcoin does.

As Rémi Quirion discussed, Bitcoin is certainly not a tool for illegitimate transactions. Other cryptocurrencies are better suited for illegal operations. Bitcoin has inherent features that secure the legitimacy of its blockchain. In the end, traders are responsible for the trades they make.