A major use seems to be to commit fraud or as a risky speculation vehicle. We also know they've replaced cash in a tiny portion of the black-market economy.
Like everyone else, I have almost no data, but my guess is that it's net "bad" right now.
As for the future, anyone who says they know for sure is very naive. We just don't know what could happen. Perhaps crypto will save us all from a corrupt government.
A distributed ledger is hardly anonymous.
What about cash? Is cash good for America?
> and fraud
What kind of fraud?
Firstly, regions/geography with cheap power and/or natural cooling are at a clear advantage with respect to payment for proof of work.
Secondly, regions where black markets thrive are at a clear advantage with respect to use and potential liquidity.
(imho)