[ad_1]
A cryptocurrency project is using Monero (XMR) to give undocumented immigrants a better chance for fair treatment in the US justice system.
The Bail Bloc project collects cryptocurrency to help people get out of pretrial incarceration for cases with Immigration and US Customs Enforcement (ICE). Unlike conventional charities, Bail Bloc doesn’t want your money – it wants your computer’s processing power.
Cointelegraph reached out to Bail Bloc co-creator Grayson Earle for a deeper insight into the initiative.
The inmates bail with Monero
Users download a special app that uses between 10% and 50% of their overall processor capacity (user can set rate) to mine privacy-oriented Monero cryptocurrency.
Bail Bloc trades its XMR into US dollars each month and then donates the sum in rotation to the bail funds in the National Bail Fund Network.
“The idea is to get people to voluntarily provide their extra computing power, so they don’t need to donate money. It’s like creating a supercomputer for the purpose of mining cryptocurrency, “Earle said.
ICE detention and who ends up there
ICE’s operations target individuals “who pose a threat to national security” and “undermine the integrity of the immigration system.” However, most detainees are undocumented immigrants who otherwise have no criminal record and are detained simply for illegal entry into the United States.
In ICE detention, people can pay immigration bail in exchange for their immediate release, but less than half of those in detention are given a hearing. Those who cannot afford to pay bail, or to whom it is not granted at all, must wait for the court hearing during detention, which could last from months to years.
Additionally, ICE’s treatment of detainees has repeatedly raised concerns of violence, inappropriate segregation practices, restaurant problems, lack of recreational activities and even violations of medical ethics.
While Bail Bloc was initially created for people in the American prison system, Earle said, “We have since reoriented the project to pay immigration vouchers for people affected by Trump’s policies. This includes people who are not citizens of the states. United that could live here. “
Bail Bloc intervenes
Bail Bloc has mined cryptocurrency for the Immigrant Bail Fund since November 2018. The fund pays bonds for ICE detainees across Connecticut, where the $ 15,000 immigration rate is nearly double the national average.
There are currently around 300 users running Bail Bloc on their computers, but the number is subject to fluctuations. “At its peak, we had 2,500 peak hour users, including Grimes actively using it while recording his new album,” Earle revealed.
True – the famous musician Grimes, (who was romantically linked to tech billionaire Elon Musk) tweeted on the project in 2017, encouraging his fans to participate:
“I downloaded the bail pad to my comp. mines cryptocurrency 2 pay bail; So beautiful! & so easy…”
Why Monero?
Unsurprisingly, Bail Bloc chose Monero as their preferred digital currency. “The anonymity of everyone we have helped free from custody is critical,” Earle said, adding:
“I chose Monero because it was a fairly stable currency and it is resistant to ASIC. I knew our target participant had a laptop, so we needed CPU mining to be feasible. More recently, Monero has made GPU mining less viable, which also improves the feasibility of our project. “
[ad_2]Source link
