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Comment by serial_dev | Hacker News Reader

If a rando can bring the Feds down on my head without me doing anything, by only using public information about me, then I would be more frustrated by the "regulatory mess", this should not be possible. Basically:

> The gag effectively points out the absurdity of such sanctions for users receiving funds from blacklisted addresses that they have no power to decline.

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It seems to me this highlights a flaw in the payment system - the inability to decline. Am I understanding that right? You really can’t refuse an ETH transfer?

correct

is it a bug or a feature?

You can if you put your money in a smart contract that refuses all transfers that haven't been pre-approved by you, although that's not the standard procedure.

This makes it more difficult but not impossible. The EVM has a SELFDESTRUCT opcode [1] that will send ETH at that address to a receiver and it's impossible for the receiver to refuse. A very determined actor could send Tornado ETH to a contract designed to self destruct upon receipt of the ETH and relay it to the intended receiver.

[1] https://consensys.github.io/smart-contract-best-practices/at...

You can program your smart contract to forever deny the use of such funds by recording its "non-selfdestruct" balance in the state and only allow to withdraw up to that amount.

It is known as swatting.

It's using an open letter you sent to everyone, including sanctioned entities, that you'll always accept their money.

That you've been bamboozled by ETH it's between you and ETH. I can imagine future crypto regulation will include requirements that users can decline receiving transactions

> then I would be more frustrated by the "regulatory mess"

That's not how regulation works. No man made law can make something actually impossible. It's there to define what you're allowed to do or not, and serves as a basis for the legal consequences. Enforcement can make things impossible. Some problems are solved with regulation but this is a technology (enforcement) problem.

Murder is unambiguously illegal and yet regulation can't make it impossible. You have no power to decline being shot.

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