Thread

NORWAY IS GOING TO BAN BITCOIN MINING WITHOUT PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS - WE NEED TO ACT NOW Norway's Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Administration responded to @ODFoundation that it "has no plans to conduct a public consultation" on a ban on cryptocurrency mining. There is no doubt that the ban designed to target #Bitcoin mining. Unfortunately, that's a stance of the @Stortinget and the Norwegian government.
Stortinget
Innstilling fra energi- og miljøkomiteen om representantforslag om konsesjon på datasentre
Innst. 383 S (2023–2024)
 🔴 Why we should protect our #freedomtech Bitcoin in #Norway NOW: (1) Norway is fully integrated in the European Single Market throught the European Economic Area (EEA) and Schengen Agreement. It means Norway can provide its legilsative approach as an input for new legislation for the EU/EEA both: - during the preparatory phase, when the @EU_Commission is developing proposals; - during work of expert groups and committees of the European Commission; - submitting proposals and comments to European Free Trade Association on upcoming legislation. (2) As a co-founder of the @OECD , Norway sets an example of regulation worldwide and provides its legislative recommedations for global standards. (3) Norway has historically been a place to meet, share experiences and educate human rights defenders and bitcoiners from around the world. Norwegian goverment will present its investigation a ban on cryptocurrency mining by the end of 2024. 🔴 What we should do together to prevent Bitcoin mining ban: (1) Repost this post and join our #BTC Coalition to educate local communities and media about social benefits of Bitcoin mining in Norway and worldwide; (2) Help us pool resources and best practices to convince Norwegian politicians and media to explore the social benefits of Bitcoin to prevent this repressive regulation; (3) If you are a Norwegian citizen: write a letter to your legislator and government asking for public consultation and providing arguments about the social benefits of Bitcoin mining for Norway. 🧡

Replies (26)

↩ replying to npub1a4m9...xk8l
Agreed. 👍🏻 I will have a sit down with a couple politicians from my hometown and talk them through it. It’s easier to reach the ones at the top if you get some of their own to pitch the idea. My plan is to start with my contacts in Venstre, since they already are against the proposition, and make sure they have the right arguments. Anyway, building knowledge among the common people are even more important IMO. Hodlers are voters too, and our numbers will hopefully grow to make us an important voter group in Norway like we’ve seen in the US.
↩ replying to Ralphie
I don’t think there is a need to predict, just enough to follow public discussion: what media wrote, what politicians said and what communities know about bitcoin mining. I remember times two years ago when attitude to bitcoin mining was neutral or far from negative. But now we need to address the current situation, prevent this dangerous regulatory approach.
↩ replying to TheBitcoinManual
the main question what has been done at all change it? Majority of the comments on my post with conclusions “let them ban it and then we will see”. I truly believe it is a huge mistake and misunderstanding of the consequences. Everyone who said in the past - let’s do not care about human rights, how bad regulations affects human rights and just move to other jurisdictions at the end of their experience understood - regimes able to reach them in the every place in the world. Same here: Norwegian regulatory standards will be used as an example for the EU single market, through OECD globally. To prove it more context - Swedish government implemented what Norway is doing right now. So what is the result? Sweden is pushing restrictive regulations against bitcoin mining at the EU level. #Bitcoin is the same human right as others, it is people behind the technology, its developers, investors, miners and end-users. Bitcoin is not getting funds from the authoritarian world, simply because it is a threat to dictatorship by default. So why you should allow to restrict it while you have all privileges to impact your regulators and change their approach? It is a matter of responsibility, investment of your time and resources, just like US bitcoin community is doing, and achieving significant success. Without just being complaining or being ignorant.
Norway has one of the most progressive views on energy and its commercialization in the world. They actively try to export their socialistic approach to energy commercialization to the rest of the world. It is not surprising that they view bitcoin mining negatively given that bitcoin mining is difficult for any State apparatus to administer and manage. It will be difficult for them to maintain this position over time but I am bearish on Norway being on the leading edge of jurisdictions embracing bitcoin mining.
↩ replying to Brock
We can be bearish, but the main question if we are trying at all change it? Majority of the comments on my post with conclusions “let them ban it and then we will see”. I truly believe it is a huge mistake and misunderstanding of the consequences. Everyone who said in the past - let’s do not care about human rights, how bad regulations affects human rights and just move to other jurisdictions at the end of their experience understood - regimes able to reach them in the every place in the world. Same here: Norwegian regulatory standards will be used as an example for the EU single market, through OECD globally. #Bitcoin is the same human right as others, it is people behind the technology, its developers, investors, miners and end-users. Bitcoin is not getting funds from the authoritarian world, simply because it is a threat to dictatorship by default. So why you should allow to restrict it while you have all privileges to impact your regulators and change their approach? It is a matter of responsibility, investment of your time and resources, just like US bitcoin community is doing, and achieving significant success. Without just being complaining or being ignorant.
↩ replying to Lyudmyla Kozlovska
Not everywhere will be the first. The cost of convincing is real both in actual cost terms as well as opportunity cost terms. Texas is huge for bitcoin … tons of waste, curtailed, and spare energy in a favorable political / regulatory regime. I’d expect that Texas’s success will be more convincing for other regimes missing out than the pleas of a small group of passionate citizens. Regimes will get FOMO…good thing for you is that Norway is sophisticated so they’ll be one of the first regimes to realize what they’re missing.
It's certainly going to be interesting. If #btc takes off in some countries while others ban it, it won't really work as intended. Ironically #bitcoin requires a global approach to really work. I wonder if #Gold would be banned, had it not been used before countries existed? I doubt countries would have allowed something so independent of their control.