The Bitcoin Kill Switch: Ports 8333 and 18333

Bitcoin has a kill switch hidden in plain sight. I wasn't aware of it myself before I read Looney's comments on this article. Instead of me paraphrasing him, I'll simply cut and paste his comment here:

“Bitcoin and other Cryptos CAN be easily blocked by the Dot-Gov, BECAUSE it is a distributed network. Here’s why…

All Internet-based applications use specific ports. For example, email (SMTP) requires ports 25, 26, 465, and 587.

All browsers need at least two ports: 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS).

If you want to be able to upload and download files, port 21 (FTP) must be open.

All these “well-known” or “system ports” are usually open on all routers, firewalls, and Telecom switches.

If the Dot-Gov wants to outlaw Bitcoin, they can simply enact a law requiring all Internet Service Providers to block two Bitcoin Ports: 8333 and 18333. That will stop all communications between all Bitcoin Nodes! Heck, I ain’t no constitutional scholar, but they can do it via an Executive Order and the SCOTUS, as always, will play possum…   ;-)

The same goes for all other “coins” – Ethereum, for example, uses port 30303 (and 8545 for JSON-RPC).

Now… When two computers or nodes communicate with each other, they can be set to use different ports.

However, it cannot be done on a “distributed consensus network” such as BitCoin, because port 8333 is a part of that consensus and all nodes must use the same port!

So, guys, be very careful with your Cryptos – one day you may wake up and find that your Cold Wallet ain’t worth shīt.  ;-)”

Looney

Then he adds:

BTW… Cryptos are an existential threat to ALL governments, central banks, and the banking system as a whole. Don’t think for a moment that if it gets blocked here at home, you will take your Cold Wallet to another country.

If/when they outlaw Cryptos, it will happen everywhere, practically overnight. Even our so called “adversaries” will gladly join the Crypto Massacre (CryptoNacht ?).   ;-)

Looney

In short, ports 8333 and 18333 constitute the Bitcoin kill switch. All that's required in order to kill Bitcoin is to make it illegal to use these ports. Government can then have a company like Google sniff out all the computers that violate this and send them the list of violators.

This illustrates once again how important it is to be physically in possession of assets in times of tyranny. If you don't hold it, you don't own it. For most of us, this means that we cannot expect to own more than the house we live in and the gold and silver we've stashed away in some secret location. Only deep state insiders like Bill Gates can own acres of land and huge corporations without any great concern. However, even he may find one day that all is taken away from him, which explains his obsession with control over his fellow men.

 

By Marco Krohn - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link