If you ask most Americans when it’s time to call a lawyer, the answer is no mystery: after a law has been broken, you’re forced to do so. Just as we don’t ask doctors to prescribe medicine before we’re sick, most people don’t pay for lawyers and then go commit crimes. Trial lawyers, however, might be the exception. Where there is no injury, one must…
Our excellent panel from BTC Prague 2024 is now live on Youtube. Investment in Over Regulated Environment — lessons for bitcoiners from the EU, the US, and highly regulated industries that have persevered. Featuring Leon Wankum, James Putra & Yves Choueifaty. Enjoy!
Last week, American tech company Meta announced in a blog post it will postpone the launch of its Meta AI product to European users. The company had hoped to offer the same product now available in other countries, integrating a personal assistant into the various suite of Meta apps, but that plan will be on hold until legal matters are settled. The pause came at the request of the Irish Data…
On 360 Round with anchor Nicole Petallides on Schwab Network, I discussed recent antitrust actions by the FTC and the DOJ, and how this is harmful not only to American innovation, but also to the choices and well-being of consumers.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) loves to cast herself as the ultimate public defender of consumers and the arch-nemesis of bankers on Wall Street. However, with her recent record opposing popular mergers and shutting down regulatory reform for Bitcoin and its crypto-offspring, Warren has sided more with the major banks rather than new players that stand to empower consumers. In the last month, Warren has used…
Beginning this year, any individual with shares in an American domiciled company will be required to submit identifying information to FinCEN. This record collection from the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is intended to “curb illicit finance” by requiring a national database of every “beneficial owner” of an LLC. As stipulated by the Corporate Transparency Act, passed by Congress in 2019 and later snuck into the National Defense Authorization Act in 2020,…
The Supreme Court recently delivered a decision on the constitutionality of one of the federal government’s most peculiar and least understood agencies, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Unlike the Fifth Circuit Court, which earlier ruled that the agency’s unique funding model violates the Constitution, Justice Clarence Thomas argued in the majority opinion the government’s funding of the CFPB “satisfies the Appropriations Clause”. The CFPB is a federal agency unlike…
Biden is waging war on financial privacy, and not everyone is happy. The last several weeks have weighed heavily on those in Bitcoin who use privacy tools and software. Between the ceremonious arrests across two continents, Justice Department press releases, FBI warnings, and souring mood in Washington, many popular services for both sovereign and private Bitcoin use have wound down their operations in the US,…
Is vaping safer than smoking? Obviously YES. Nicotine is not your enemy. But watch me debate those who think differently: Prof. Stanton Glantz, Stanford and Sheila Duffy of Action on Smoking and Health, Scotland. It’s Consumer Choice vs. neoprohibitionism. Who wins? YouTube: X:
Should regulations aimed at halting the financial activity of alleged criminals and terrorists be vastly expanded to include cryptocurrencies and firms that use them? Could this potentially harm entrepreneurial spirit and consumer freedom to deal in digital assets? Those were the questions asked this week in Washington as officials from the Treasury Department seek new tools to regulate and track Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies that would…