I cannot post outside this area, but perhaps some of you might benefit from what I have to say.

I work in finance for an international NGO and have been watching this bitcoin saga unfold with some academic curiosity and no small level of entertainment. I have no problems with bitcoin as a concept, and the agencies and governments I work with have little concern aside from its potential use as a medium for money laundering, though even in this respect it is still a very minor one given the tiny size of the bitcoin economy relative to that of other illicit financial activities. On the list of priorities, it isn't. So you all have no need for worry there from what I have heard.

However.

This is a world with laws. The frankly hilarious incompetence with which MtGox has been operating cannot be allowed to continue. Regulation, no matter what some of you seem to think of it, exists for a reason, and it is to prevent things such as this. Had there been accurate reporting, disclosure, meeting of capital requirements, self-regulatory structure and organization, safeguards against market manipulation, and so on, perhaps this all could have been avoided. It is for this reason that I contacted a colleague with the Japanese Financial Services Agency, who will be investigating MtGox for operating in violation of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law. Their criminal negligence will end up costing many of you money; hopefully my warning here and swift action by the Japanese authorities will minimize that.

Enjoy.