I think your comment raises a very good conceptual point which is completely missed by those responding.
People should forget for a moment whether they agree with a protest/sanction or not, that's not the point at all. The larger conceptual point that people should think about is the extreme fragility of digital/online money.
I'm old enough to have lived in a largely cash-based society, and I'm still only middle aged. In such a society, it is extremely impractical and difficult for any entity (government or business) to seize or freeze your assets.
Now we have a dramatically different situation where with the push of a button, your fortune is gone. Could be because you joined the wrong protest. Or because you were born a Russian. Or because you live in China and didn't live up to social standards.
The reasons will vary but in any case it's an extreme power grab by authorities. The assumption that you're a great person living in a stable country so it won't happen to you is naive.
I'm under no illusion that it will not continue, but at the very least I think there should be laws protecting individuals against the arbitrary seizure of assets.
People should forget for a moment whether they agree with a protest/sanction or not, that's not the point at all. The larger conceptual point that people should think about is the extreme fragility of digital/online money.
I'm old enough to have lived in a largely cash-based society, and I'm still only middle aged. In such a society, it is extremely impractical and difficult for any entity (government or business) to seize or freeze your assets.
Now we have a dramatically different situation where with the push of a button, your fortune is gone. Could be because you joined the wrong protest. Or because you were born a Russian. Or because you live in China and didn't live up to social standards.
The reasons will vary but in any case it's an extreme power grab by authorities. The assumption that you're a great person living in a stable country so it won't happen to you is naive.
I'm under no illusion that it will not continue, but at the very least I think there should be laws protecting individuals against the arbitrary seizure of assets.