In recent weeks, I’ve had conversations with a range of political figures who are increasingly viewing bitcoin as a valuable asset. They also firmly believe in the rights of U.S. citizens to retain their private keys for these digital assets.
It’s honestly uplifting to hear these kinds of supportive sentiments from our elected officials. Some are even pushing forward legislation that would enshrine pro-bitcoin policies into law. This is a welcome change, especially considering the challenges that Bitcoin enthusiasts and the broader industry faced under the Biden administration.
However, there’s more to be done, particularly in terms of defending our rights to conduct bitcoin transactions privately.
A key tool for protecting privacy at the Bitcoin foundational level is the use of bitcoin mixers. These tools are crucial for making transactions anonymous.
One prominent mixing service was the Samourai Wallet, which allowed users to mix their bitcoin without giving control over their keys to someone else. Unfortunately, this initiative was halted last year when the U.S. Department of Justice accused the developers of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and engaging in money laundering. Developers of Tornado Cash, which is a similar open-source tool operating on Ethereum, are also facing similar accusations.
Some senators, like Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming and Ron Wyden from Oregon, have shown support for the Samourai developers. They even wrote to the former U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland, arguing that according to FinCEN’s 2019 guidance, the developers were not running a money transmitting business. Interestingly, though, Senator Lummis has also supported a bill that calls for the Treasury to study ways to tackle anonymous crypto transactions, like those done through mixers.
For human rights activists who need to maintain anonymity when transferring funds, as well as for everyday individuals who care about transactional privacy, mixers are an essential tool.
We must alert more politicians to this issue, as many remain unaware of it. This is vital for garnering further support for the Samourai developers and highlighting the significance of safeguarding the rights of U.S. citizens to use mixers.
That’s why I’m urging you to use the letter template provided by my colleague Shinobi and reach out to your representatives.
Just as we have banded together to support causes like Free Ross and safeguard the right to self-custody, we must also unite in the fight for transactional privacy.
This is not something I can tackle on my own, even as the political correspondent for this outlet. Your involvement is crucial. Join this call to action and educate your representatives, so by the time this topic arises in future discussions, they have a solid grasp of its importance.
