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>Cryptocurrency software is a large scale enabler for ransom, kidnapping, and money laundering, bribery, etc

All of those were done before cryptocurrency even existed. It's not enabling those things if those things are clearly possible without cryptocurrency.

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The difference is the ease and magnitude.

Where there even cases of demanding payments for ransomware before Bitcoin?

Ransomware and international money laundering are easier with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Monereo.

It's arguably their only real world use case due to the high overhead cost, risk, and instability of transacting though those systems versus "traditional" fiat based transfer systems.

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