The Unconstitutional Attack on Privacy with Peter Van Valkenburgh

“The problem is it’s this naked delegation of lawmaking authority to the unelected people within Treasury…you want them to have unconstrained power? Shouldn’t we just go back to a world where bipartisan legislation in Congress is what is consequential and not just the whims of every next administration?”— Peter Van ValkenburghPeter Van Valkenburgh is director of research at Coin Center. In this interview, we discuss Coin Center's role in educating lawmakers, analysing policy proposals, and advocating for reasonable regulations. Peter talks about their current lawsuits against the US Treasury and IRS, challenging the misapplication of tax and sanctions regulations. We also cover the changing dynamics of political support for Bitcoin and the challenges posed by figures like Senator Elizabeth Warren. - - - - Coin Center has been at the forefront of cryptocurrency policy issues since it launched in 2014. Initially, their work was focused on educating lawmakers about Bitcoin and blockchain technology. They addressed concerns about money laundering, emphasised the importance of privacy and speech rights, and explained the technology's potential. However, over time, Coin Center's work has expanded to include policy research and analysis. The non-profit group now examines how existing laws apply to crypto, and they promote reasonable regulations that protect innovation and constitutional rights. They also engage in lobbying efforts, presenting Congress with preferred solutions to policy problems. When these efforts are unsuccessful, they resort to lawsuits. Currently, they have two lawsuits against the US Treasury and IRS, challenging tax regulations and sanctions that harm privacy rights.In this podcast, we discussed the split opinions regarding crypto in US politics. Peter explained that the narrative around digital assets has shifted, partly due to influential figures like Senator Elizabeth Warren taking an anti-crypto stance, and partly due to the reputation damage caused by various actors in the space. We also discussed the emerging regulatory threats such as the use of the Bank Secrecy Act to impose strict regulations on core infrastructure providers. All of this work obviously has to be paid for. While Coin Center is financially stable, donations are still crucial as there will be more lawsuits and lobbying efforts in the future: for example, Coin Center may raise a future lawsuit challenging legislation that classifies Bitcoin miners as regulated entities. And, you can sign up for Coin Center’s newsletter to find out the other ways you can help them play a crucial role in shaping a robust future for digital assets.- - - - This episode’s sponsors:Iris Energy - Bitcoin Mining. Done Sustainably Bitcasino - The Future of Gaming is hereLedger - State of the art Bitcoin hardware walletWasabi Wallet - Privacy by defaultUnchained - Secure your bitcoin with confidenceOrange Pill App - Stack friends who stack satsSwan Bitcoin - Invest in Bitcoin with Swan-----WBD753 - Show Notes-----If you enjoy The What Bitcoin Did Podcast you can help support the show by doing the following:Become a Patron and get access to shows early or help contributeMake a tip:Bitcoin: 3FiC6w7eb3dkcaNHMAnj39ANTAkv8Ufi2SQR Codes: BitcoinIf you do send a tip then please email me so that I can say thank youSubscribe on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | YouTube | Deezer | TuneIn | RSS FeedLeave a review on iTunesShare the show and episodes with your friends and familySubscribe to the newsletter on my websiteFollow me on Twitter Personal | Twitter Podcast | Instagram | Medium | YouTubeIf you are interested in sponsoring the show, you can read more about that here or please feel free to drop me an email to discuss options.