Yesterday, US Department of Justice charged Keonne Rodrguez and William Lonergan Hill are co-founders at Samourai Wallet. It is a Bitcoin wallet focused on privacy, but it also acts as a money-laundering mixer and operates an illegal money-transfer business.
Activists and Human Rights Defenders spoke about the importance of the legal action shortly after it was announced. news broke.
Privacy on the Internet: A day to remember
It is so serious
The real deal “before and after” Then, you can get started. https://t.co/ou6CgT9E0T
— Alex Gladstein 🌋 âš¡ (@gladstein) April 24, 2024
Lyudmyla Kozolovska is the President of the Open Dialogue FoundationThe’s concern over a wider international attempt to outlaw privacy-preserving Bitcoin-related tools was voiced by.
This event, and language used in G7 countries including Canada, has prompted me to consider the implications of this for the regulatory framework. AMLR passed by the European Parliament todayKozlovska, Bitcoin Magazine.
“Crimes can be committed with any technology, but this is not a reason to criminalize or ban by definition a private payment tool, and especially not its developers,” She added.
“Since law enforcement agencies were able to identify a money laundering offense using this particular wallet, it means that they have all the means to detect such crimes and there is no need to criminalize such technology and its developers.”
Kozlovksa then explained how the majority of major money laundering scams are carried out via traditional methods. financial Rails can be in the form expensive real-estate deals or payment for consulting with former senior government officials.
Anna Chekhovich CFO at the Anti-Corruption Foundation The non-profit Bitcoin Adoption Lead at the Human Rights FoundationHe also uses bitcoin mixers, and is worried about the fact that powers-that-be don’t give human rights activists the consideration they need. own safety.
“As an activist, I don’t like the trend that they’re trying to control tools like mixers that provide us with privacy, because they are crucial for those who fight against dictatorships — activists, human rights defenders, freedom fighters,” Chekhovich tells Bitcoin Magazine.
“At the Anti-Corruption Foundation, we use mixers because we need to protect [the identity of] our donors. We’re responsible for the safety of our donors because we encourage them to support us financially, and for supporting us, they risk being imprisoned up to eight years. We have a huge responsibility to do everything we can not to let that happen,” She added.
“We also need mixers to protect [the identity] of the recipients of our funds.”
Kozlovska ad Chekhovich, who both run bitcoin mixers, implore them to refrain from inviting bad actors to make use of their services in the same manner as the Samourai Wallet’s founders.
Samourai encouraged Russian oligarchs in this tweet that was used as evidence against Rodriguez and Hill to utilize Samourai’s mixing services to circumvent the sanctions.
Samourai wallet users: Welcome to the new Russian oligarchs https://t.co/WBhB6J89SR
— Samourai Wallet (@SamouraiWallet) June 30, 2022
“This is total childishness,” Kozlovska told Bitcoin Magazine. “Such rhetoric certainly gives more reason to attack both developers and private payment tools.”
Chekhovich repeated and expanded on Kozlovska’s points.
“I absolutely do not support and do not tolerate those who encourage Russian oligarchs to use bitcoin or any Bitcoin-related tools like mixers,” Checkhovich spoke to Bitcoin Magazine. “It was wrong to say such things, and not only was it bad for the owners of the platform, but it’s also bad for the bitcoin community in general.”
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Source: bitcoinmagazine.com