How much are you earning per week now? I doubt it's still f 0.045 btc as the price has taken a hike recently

I'm not really taking about the code which is being used. Although, the code is open source and I do support open source software I'm more concerned about the hardware which is almost undetectable by the average user of Bitcoin.

Code can be checked because it's extracting information which uses CPU and you can monitor via your computer. But hardware isn't that straight forward.

We all know the securityissues with Microsoft and specifically it's privacy concerns. But, I never seen anyone talking about the actual hardware you are using and trusting with your private keys. There's been evidence that previously reputable companies have been spying on it's customers via keyloggers. Just take dell for instance: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-12/hp-laptops-discovered-be-spying-users-keylogger

Every time you are importing your private keys, or signing an address you are ultimately trusting the hardware which you are using. Even if you sign/import on a offline computer. You are still trusting the developers of the hardware which you are using. I don't think I'm completely crazy in thinking this is a genuine issue and should at least be discussed. There's been several companies which have spied on it's users through different means; Apple, dell and Microsoft are some of the biggest developers/manufacturers in the world and arguably the most 'trusted' in their field.

These hardware wallets which are very popular among the community today; Trezor and Ledger more specifically are seen as gods gift among the community and everyone believes they are 100% safe. But, can we really trust those behind the development? Can we trust that the government haven't got their hands in things? Please understand I'm not calling out the hardware wallets as scams or anything like that. I actually believe they are very user friendly and are a great storage option for a hot wallet which you need to access somewhat securely regularly.

But, these hardware wallets have been developed and manufactured by less renowned people than the companies mentioned above. Yet they were simply embraced by the community without any questions.

I'm just gong to quote some websites which I believe have concerns about this and hardware wallets too.
Read more here: https://bitslog.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/deterministic-signatures-subliminal-channels-and-hardware-wallets/

Ultimately, I would like some discussion on the safety of using hardware wallets specifically or generating/importing/exporting private keys on them.

Certainly. Of course they are using Bitcoin, Bitcoin is an anonymous currency which can't be traced if your identity isn't linked with any of the addresses. Unfortunately, this is one of the down sides of Bitcoin is that it encourages shady businesses to operate using Bitcoin.

Bitcoin is the currency that anyone dealing in drugs, weapon and human trafficking would use due to the anonymity of it. I must add that cash is also a widely used solution but I believe with the price of Bitcoin increasing and the popularity we'll be hearing more and more about shady operations using Bitcoin.

The only reason I can't see them trading in Bitcoin, is because of the transactions on the blockchain and being publicly available to everyone. I don't believe ISIS is a group as we seem to label them as but individuals who perform acts of terrorism individually as anyone who performs an act of terrorism is almost always linked with ISIS and "ISIS" always claim the act.

Are you implying that the USA and it's allies fabricated ISIS? What a unique point of view you have there...


I generally agree. There's only a slight issue with them using Bitcoin and that is; It has a public trail via the blockchain. If they ever slip up and expose their address then it will be publicly known throughout the world and openly out there for everyone to verify and see. Whether or not they care about being exposed is another thing. As a group they probably don't care, but individually they probably do.


Why does it have to be insignificant? How often are ISIS and related groups found to be trading in weapons? Smugglers would easily be able to dispose of Bitcoin if they wanted to use a more traditional route. Bitcoin could be held by them to fund future expeditions if they believe that Bitcoin can keep on rising.  

It's likely that it's already happening right now. To be fair though, cash is probably a better choice for them than Bitcoin. It's likely that their cash they have earned is through plundering and they'll want to send that money tax/fee free. That just isn't possible with Bitcoin if you want a decent confirmation time. Each time you send Bitcoin you are going to need to send the equivalent of a few USD at current rates today to get it to confirm within an hour.

Now I don't think these are the times of people who are willing to pay any fees. Just a hinge though.