SI 486I Spring 2022 / Notes

This is the archived website of SI 486I from the Spring 2022 semester. Feel free to browse around; you may also find more recent offerings at my teaching page.

Unit 7: Bitcoin in the real world

1 Summary and Goals

We look at some of the ethical, social, and economic problems with Bitcoin. We will specifically examine the technical roots and societal consequences in four areas:

  • Scams and fraud
  • Black market transactions (e.g., Silk Road)
  • Money laundering
  • Environmental externalities and pollution

2 Reading

  1. Chapter 7 of Narayanan et al, which starts on page 194 of this pdf. Particular focus: sections 7.4 through 7.6.
  2. Slate article on recent FBI bust of bitcoin thieves