pre-PreProposal: Dash membership in Electronic Freedom Foundation

jimbursch

jimbursch

Well-known member
This is an early thread to get the discussion started. A detailed proposal will be forthcoming based on this discussion.
  • Dash can and should be a substantial contributor to the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF).
  • Dash has a strong privacy feature (PrivateSend) that can be subjected to criticism and bad PR.
  • As a community we need to demonstrate our commitment to PrivateSend as a tool of freedom and privacy.
  • EFF is the leading nonprofit defending digital privacy, free speech, and innovation.
I suggest creating a 12-month proposal of 300 Dash/month that will go into a wallet controlled by EFF. I would be happy to contact EFF and coordinate everything with them. I will be donating my time and will not receive any portion of the funding.

The advantage of a 12-month proposal is that at any time the MNO's can vote down the proposal if there are better uses for the budget funds.

We will need contributions to cover the 5 Dash proposal fee. Please let us know if you are willing to contribute to the proposal fee and we will contact you with an address after EFF is set up with a wallet.
 
jimbursch said:
Dash can and should be a substantial contributor to the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF).
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Why? How would this foundation benefit Dash? The privacy that Dash offers doesn't need defending, it can't be taken away. Imagine Monero needing the help of a foundation to sort out problems with privacy. You either have privacy or you don't.
 
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Hi Jim,

Thank you for bringing EFF up as a possible non-profit we could sponsor. I personally support the mission of the EFF and see the alignment with Dash's mission.

However, this donation amount is a substantial commitment, representing nearly 5% of Dash's monthly budget, and I am not sure this is the best use of funds right now. I would be more comfortable at a 1% level, especially for a recurring donation.

Furthermore, I would like to see EFF integrate Dash as a payment option on their website (they already accept Bitcoin), along with a press release, just like they did for Bitcoin. This is the least we could ask of EFF to further promote Dash and use our currency as it is intended, especially with our substantial commitment.
upload_2017-10-18_12-45-26.png
 
RGXDK said:
Why? How would this foundation benefit Dash? The privacy that Dash offers doesn't need defending, it can't be taken away.
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If you take a look at this article by @thedesertlynx :
https://www.dashforcenews.com/cryptocurrency-developer-lands-in-hot-water-over-darknet-accusations/

you see Joel going to great lengths trying to differentiate Dash from Monero and in the process I think PrivateSend kinda gets thrown under the bus by stressing the optional nature of it. Because PrivateSend is optional, I think it will bring more suspicion to those who use it, which weakens the good legitimate uses of PrivateSend.

It is just a matter of time until someone uses Dash PrivateSend in a nefarious manner (e.g. funds a terrorist attack, buys drugs/kiddie porn, etc.) and Dash gets painted with the same brush as Monero.

I think we need to get out in front of this issue in a powerful way and send a big message that PrivateSend is about privacy and freedom, not darknet finance and making a big contribution to EFF helps send that message.

Try this message, "Dash makes a greater contribution to the EFF and freedom and privacy than darknet finance" and challenge anyone to prove that statement wrong.
 
jimbursch said:
It is just a matter of time until someone uses Dash PrivateSend in a nefarious manner (e.g. funds a terrorist attack, buys drugs/kiddie porn, etc.) and Dash gets painted with the same brush as Monero.
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I hope they use Dash instead of Monero because it's a sign it's useful and better. If they do, and people find out they did, then it kinda defeats the purpose.

jimbursch said:
I think we need to get out in front of this issue in a powerful way and send a big message that PrivateSend is about privacy and freedom, not darknet finance
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PrivateSend is about privacy. I don't see why you need to put an * and say *except darknet markets. I would love to see Dash used in darknet markets, just I would love to see Dash used in Venezuela and for Wikileaks donations. Privacy is privacy. I also don't see how contributing to a foundation will help.
 
RGXDK said:
I would love to see Dash used in darknet markets, just I would love to see Dash used in Venezuela and for Wikileaks donations. Privacy is privacy.
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You and I agree, but we are talking about messaging to a mass audience that doesn't understand or appreciate the value of privacy, and is easily swayed by politicians who waive the red flag of terrorism/drugs/porn. This is more like a propaganda war and we need to arm our troops with persuasive weapons. EFF is on the front line making the case for privacy and we can help them.
 
jimbursch said:
You and I agree, but we are talking about messaging to a mass audience that doesn't understand or appreciate the value of privacy, and is easily swayed by politicians who waive the red flag of terrorism/drugs/porn. This is more like a propaganda war and we need to arm our troops with persuasive weapons. EFF is on the front line making the case for privacy and we can help them.
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you're right, but I don't see how making donations to foundations will help. It might also send the wrong message.
 
Do you have any information on who their largest contributors are now? This amount seems like way more than any other funding they get from a single source. What would they do with such a large increase in funding?
 
joemoraca said:
Do you have any information on who their largest contributors are now? ... What would they do with such a large increase in funding?
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Here's a list of their organizational members:
https://www.eff.org/thanks#organizational_members

The only crypto-related member that I recognize is Blockstream.

I have reached out to the EFF rep but haven't heard back yet. It looks to me like I'm proposing Dash to be their largest contributor by a long shot.

I'll get back with more info when I hear back from their rep.
 
RGXDK said:
I don't see how making donations to foundations will help.
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Making this donation will help EFF accomplish its mission to "champion user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development."

Dash will benefit from this high level association with an organization that is widely respected in the tech world.
 
$90k per month for 12 months to "demonstrate our commitment to PrivateSend as a tool of freedom and privacy" is $1M+ per year and imo it's a bit too much to pay for "demonstration". To put it into perspective, it's 2x of what GnuPG raised in donations in 2017 total - "Donations received in 2017 : 44927 €" https://www.gnupg.org/donate/index.html . If I'd be looking for a way to support some well-known privacy-focused organization (and try to make them interested in using/accepting and/or contributing to Dash), I'd rather double every donation made to GnuPG to support their product and that would be 150-200 Dash for 1 year in current prices.
 
The EFF is a very politically slanted organization. As if DASH weren't already polarized to the neo-Bolsheviks...

I'm a major fan of their mission statement, and the tor project, but the organization itself stinks of "freedom for me, but not for anyone that dares disagree with my ignorant politics."

Their mission statement, and their actual practice, are about as far from each other as East is from West. They have very much lost their way.

I'd also like to point out the synergy of functionally incentivizing tor... Another good idea that might come from it...

But, due to their political alignment being very much the opposite of their mission statement, I wouldn't give them a single red cent. Or duff. They're very confused, or not actually interested in their missions statement at all... The EFF has morphed into a Trojan Horse, and I don't trust them for shit.

I'm very much an advocate of what the EFF used to be and used to stand for, but not what it has recently become.

As much as I'd love to support something like this, the EFF ain't what they used to be. They're a bunch of dirty AntiFa types now. They've betrayed everything they stood for.
 
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jimbursch said:
someone uses Dash PrivateSend in a nefarious manner
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But, I already buy and sell GUNS with it, man! GUNS! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!!!!!1111!!!!11!!111!!eleventyone!!!!!!!!1111!!!!!!

Much nefarious! Such spooky!

[rolls eyes]

Am I not already holding the world hostage with my evil, ammosexual, baby killer, murdertools?

Speech is violence!

Black Lies Matter!

Patriarchy!!!

Toxic Masculinity!!!!!!

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Fuck, this thread is dumb.
 
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