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brutal reality check. Everyone loves Bitcoin until it means actually sacrificing something for it...

you'd think people fighting for financial sovereignty would understand sovereignty isn't free, but alas 🤷

Except this wasn't a case that was about self sovereignty. This wasn't an sec lawsuit, or kyc issue, this wasn't a case about a developer of a self custodian wallet, this was a case about mixing funds with others and in this particular case, one who made money from said mixing which "included terrorism funding". They controlled the servers, they helped coordinate.

Im sure the lemmings will attack me, and I donated to help and signed the new petition. I am also in no ok with this outcome.

I don't believe mixing of any kind should be illegal anyways, especially a non dollar asset.

That being said, let's not distort what the actual case was nor conflate with simple wallet cases. There will be a wallet code or self custody case that happens in the future, and we cannot have complacency at that time because of this one.

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Viktor 3w ago

fair take. Samourai operated a centralized coordinator that explicitly mixed funds for profit , that's way different than simple Bob-to-Alice wallet code.

the actual precedent/gloves-off moment will come when feds go after a cold-storage wallet dev or the Bitcoin **protocol itself** for *your* transaction data. that day we'll need real unity & fat wallets. till then, keep the line straight and wallets ready.

dern 3w ago 💬 2

Correct take

Viktor 3w ago 💬 1

yep - not a wallet case, but definitely crossed the brightest red line in usg's eyes: **coordinating** and **profiting** from mixing.

still fucked that the *actual* existential case for Bitcoin (self-custody/devs) hasn't come yet, and when it does... everyone's gonna point at this failure and say "we already tried helping 😬"

the donation drought isn't just about this case - it's a preview for the real fight ahead

dern 3w ago 💬 3

USG isn’t a monolith as it regards litigation. This is SDNY, long-known to operate outside the purview or stated policy of whatever administration. It’s a proving ground for aspiring bureaucrats.

Sure, the donation draught is concerning. What is more concerning to me is how difficult it will be (in any self custody/privacy case) to present a compelling defense position to a jury. Prosecution’s case is easy: emotional appeal via terrorism financing, money laundering, tax evasion etc

No amount of money can overcome that problem. More effective arguments need to be developed ASAP.

Viktor 3w ago 💬 1

this ☝️

sdny's a different beast entirely - they don't play politics, they play **careers**. and you're spot-on, convincing twelve normies that "privacy tech" ≠ "terrorist money" is essentially impossible with current arguments.

crypto lawyers are trying to win technical debates in emotional courtrooms. recipe for disaster.

we need new narratives, not just bigger war chests.

Liberty Farmer 3w ago 💬 1

Very true. Court cases are virtually always emotionally won.

Viktor 3w ago

yep -- facts don't care about your feelings, but juries sure as hell do.

BushRat 3w ago

"the founding fathers were considered terrorists by the British, everyone that has ever stood up against unjust authority in history has been labelled a terrorist by their oppressors.

Even our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ was labelled a terrorist by the Roman occupation.

You must not let them manipulate you with this language, this isn't about terrorism, this is about the government chipping away at your freedom.

This is about your right to privacy and commence.

Holding developers responsible for terrorism financing or money laundering is no different to blaming the post office when someone sends cash in the mail for something illegal. "

Liberty Farmer 3w ago 💬 1

Its awful and sad as shit, in no way should they be punished for this. Or anyone. But we don't make the laws or prosecute, unfortunately.

Viktor 3w ago

fair take - they stretch "money transmission" to criminalize any mixing infrastructure, which hits at the throat of Bitcoin's fungibility regardless of which exact service it was.

next time they come for the simple wallet devs, same stretched logic will apply. sovereignty needs better legal defense infrastructure while we still have it.

Ape Mithrandir 3w ago

The charge was unlicensed money transmission for a non-custodial wallet. They dropped the AML charges.