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Ross Is Free. Now Let’s Free the Internet-of-Money

Published

2 месяца ago

22 января, 2025

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The release of Ross Ulbricht and the lifting of sanctions on Tornado Cash mark pivotal moments for the crypto community. It’s more than symbolic. It’s an opportunity to clearly rebrand the U.S. as a safe place to build the internet of money.

Ross’ freedom comes after over a decade of imprisonment — a journey defined by relentless advocacy, legal battles, and unwavering support from the crypto community. His release matters deeply to me because over a decade ago I launched Silk Road 2.0, his site’s successor.

His double life sentence without parole wasn’t just about the Silk Road, though. It symbolized the U.S. government’s resistance to the blockchain industry and to the idea of a financial system controlled by individuals instead of big banks.

The U.S. dollar is the world reserve currency; and, cryptocurrency has given the world democratized access to this reserve via stablecoins. Satoshi Nakamoto announced Bitcoin as a “peer-to-peer electronic cash system,” and the Silk Road was the first to actually execute that vision. Silk Road opened the door to cryptocurrency and introduced Silicon Valley (and many other groups) to bitcoin. It spawned companies like Coinbase, projects like Ethereum, and paved the way for stablecoins, which are not yet private.

Still, there is no legitimate marketplace for buying and selling things with bitcoin. Our industry’s reputation is that we’re highly speculative and scam-filled. We can’t forget that Satoshi created bitcoin for payments, not speculation.The U.S. cannot miss out on the internet-of-money. During previous administrations, global developers have become nervous to even attend conferences hosted here. This has consequences for the U.S. crypto industry. Ross’ release is a clear signal that the U.S. is no longer a scary place to innovate in cryptocurrency. His experience underscores the need for proportionate justice and serves as a reminder of the human cost of overreach in regulating innovation.

His release is an opportunity for reflection — to celebrate his freedom while remaining clear-eyed about the past. Ultimately, his harsh sentence stymied bitcoin innovation for all of us. We must ensure his case becomes a catalyst for constructive change rather than a footnote in a history of missed opportunities, a series of memecoins, or a divisive narrative that further erodes trust.

Similarly, the case of Tornado Cash founder Roman Storm — who is still in legal jeopardy — clearly shows the dangers of criminalizing innovation. Tornado Cash offers a critical function (a “mixer”) in enabling private Ethereum transactions — an essential component of conducting business competitively.

It’s important to create privacy technologies, but we also need to understand the line between legal and illegal use cases. Yes, launch the Silk Road, but don’t allow the sale of drugs on it. Launch Tornado Cash, but don’t encourage money laundering on it. The chilling effect that both cases have had on developers like me cannot be overstated. Privacy innovators in the U.S. and abroad are now second-guessing their work, fearing legal repercussions for creating tools that protect privacy.

And what do you do when you launch something decentralized that takes on a life of its own? The sanctions on Tornado Cash were deemed unlawful by the Fifth Circuit Court, yet the Department of Justice dismissed the ruling as irrelevant. Tornado Cash’s developers were allegedly aware of its misuse for money laundering but did not act decisively to address it. On a decentralized platform, should its initial developers be responsible for users’ activity? There is a clear need for America to define a “Section 230” for developers of decentralized software to not be criminally liable for what their users do on their platforms. (“Section 230” refers to a law freeing social media platforms from responsibility for content published on their networks.)
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As entrepreneur-politician Vivek Ramaswamy said, “You can’t go after the developers of code. What you actually need to do is go after individual bad actors who are breaking the laws that already exist.”

To move forward as an industry, we need to separate the tools from the misuse of those tools. Privacy technologies like Tornado Cash, Monero, and Zcash are unfairly stigmatized due to their potential use for illicit activities. But they hold transformative potential for legitimate use cases, from safeguarding personal financial data to enabling secure business transactions.

Zcash, with its optional shielded transactions, provides individuals and businesses with the ability to conduct secure, private transactions while remaining compliant with anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) regulations. Such innovations bridge the gap between cryptocurrency and traditional industries, empowering businesses to adopt crypto without exposing sensitive financial details.

Privacy tech like Zcash also addresses a fundamental flaw in bitcoin and other public ledger cryptocurrencies: the exposure of transaction data that creates competitive disadvantages and privacy risks. Soon, Zcash will be on Mayachain, allowing a decentralized way to convert between bitcoin and Zcash. It will also soon support ZSAs (shielded assets), which will enable stablecoins to be issued privately for the first time.

The new administration has proposed a national “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” but this raises questions about privacy and decentralization. Unlike other reserves, such as gold, Bitcoin’s blockchain discloses deposits and withdrawals to the public forever. Is the Trump Administration aware of this? This level of transparency is a double-edged sword, making privacy technologies even more essential for maintaining competitive and strategic advantages.

So, where do we go from here? Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency industry are at a crossroads. This is a moment to refocus on the principles that drove early adoption: a perception of privacy, financial freedom and, most importantly, peer-to-peer payments.

The U.S. crypto landscape, currently a mess of regulatory uncertainty, scams, and collapses, needs reevaluation. Rather than demonizing privacy innovations, policymakers must work with developers to create clear, enforceable standards for responsible uses of “electronic cash.” This means proactive education and collaboration with regulators, more investment in privacy technologies, and development of a regulatory framework that encourages U.S. blockchain innovation.

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Kraken Secures Restricted Dealer Status in Canada Amid ‘Turning Point’ for Crypto in the Country

Published

4 часа ago

2 апреля, 2025

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Crypto exchange Kraken has registered as a restricted dealer in Canada, allowing the exchange to continue offering crypto trading services to Canadian users under the country’s evolving regulatory framework.

The registration, announced on Tuesday, comes after a multi-year process that required exchanges to meet higher standards for investor protection and governance. Kraken said it worked closely with Canadian regulators during this pre-registration phase, upgrading its compliance systems and internal controls to meet expectations set by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC).

To lead its Canadian expansion, Kraken named Cynthia Del Pozo as general manager for North America. Del Pozo, a fintech and operations veteran, will oversee strategy, regulatory engagement and business development across the region.

“Canada is at a turning point for crypto adoption,” said Del Pozo in a statement, pointing to growing interest from both retail and institutional investors. A recent survey cited by Kraken found that 30% of Canadian investors currently hold crypto assets.

Kraken also announced it will offer free Interac e-Transfer deposits for Canadian users, a move aimed at reducing friction for newcomers to the platform. The exchange claims it doubled its team and user base in Canada over the last two years and now manages over $2 billion CAD in client assets.

Mayur Gupta, Kraken’s chief marketing officer and general manager of growth, will be speaking at CoinDesk’s Consensus 2025 in Toronto on May 14-15.

Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.

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The Protocol: Vana Introduces Token Standard for Data-Backed Assets

Published

5 часов ago

2 апреля, 2025

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Welcome to The Protocol, CoinDesk’s weekly wrap-up of the most important stories in cryptocurrency tech development. I’m Ben Schiller.

In this issue:

Vana launches token standard

Hashgraph to debut private blockchain

ASICs will look more like servers

An interview with Gensyn’s Ben Fielding

This article is featured in the latest issue of The Protocol, our weekly newsletter exploring the tech behind crypto, one block at a time. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Wednesday.

Network News

VANA’S DATA-BACKED TOKEN STANDARD: Crypto enthusiasts might have heard of the ERC-20 token standard, which provides guidelines to ensure that tokens created on the Ethereum smart contract blockchain are compatible and can interact with other tokens and applications within the network. A similar standard for data-backed tokens, called VRC-20, has now emerged. Vana, an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain that helps users monetize personal data by bundling it into DataDAOs for AI model training, introduced the new standard early this week to boost trust and transparency in the market for data-backed digital assets. The VRC-20 standard design includes specific criteria such as fixed supply, governance, and liquidity rules while ensuring real data access by tying tokens to actual data utility. Additionally, it promotes continuous liquidity through rewards that ensure market stability. «This isn’t speculation. This is real financialization of data,» Vana noted on X. Vana launched its mainnet in December, with VANA as its native cryptocurrency. Since then, the network has onboarded over 12 million data points through multiple DataDAOs, reflecting strong demand for user-owned data. DataDAOs or data liquidity pools are decentralized marketplaces that bring data on-chain as transferable digital tokens. DLPs are where data is contributed, tokenized and made ready for use in applications such as AI model training. — Omkar Godbole Read more.

HASHGRAPH LINES UP Q3 PRIVATE CHAIN: Hashgraph, the blockchain development firm focusing on the Hedera (HBAR) network, is building a private, permissioned blockchain for enterprises in highly regulated industries with plans to debut in the third quarter of 2025. HashSphere, built with Hedera’s technology, aims to bridge private and public distributed ledgers, ensuring compliance with regulations while maintaining interoperability, the company said Monday. Hashgraph is looking to provide services to asset managers, banks and payment providers seeking secure, low-cost cross-border transactions with stablecoins.While public blockchains offer security and transparency, enterprises in industries like finance and payments often face compliance challenges, particularly with know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) requirements. HashSphere addresses this by restricting access to verified participants, enabling firms to develop tokenized assets, AI-powered services and other blockchain-based products while meeting regulatory standards. The network also integrates Hedera’s existing tools, including the Token Service for managing digital assets and the Consensus Service for recording transactions with trusted timestamps. The platform is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), allowing developers to deploy decentralized applications using Solidity and other EVM languages. — Kris Sandor Read more.

ASICS TO BE MORE LIKE SERVERS: In the beginning, there were only CPUs, then GPUs, for bitcoin mining. Then came the mighty ASIC in 2013, and with it, the “shoebox” form factor that has become emblematic of the bitcoin mining industry. What comes next? ASIC manufacturers are increasingly betting on a hydro-cooled server rack design to become a substantial portion of bitcoin mining fleets, leaning into the “direct-to-chip” cooling for further efficiency gains. Last September, Bitmain announced its model U3S21EXPH developed in a partnership with Hut 8. Its U3 design means that one unit takes up three spaces in a traditional server rack. MicroBT soon followed with its M63 Hydro series, as did Bitdeer’s Sealminer A2 Hydro unit. Following suit, Auradine released its server rack model, the AH3880, this March. Its U2 design, which occupies two server slots, is a bit smaller, but it packs more hashrate per unit of space at 600 TH/s (or 300 TH/s per slot) versus Bitmain’s 860 TH/s (286.66 TH/s per slot). The benefit of a server rack ASIC lies in standardization. Bitcoin miners are increasingly marching in step with the traditional datacenter industry, and that industry could see 40% adoption of direct liquid-to-chip cooling by 2026, according to data center developer Cyrus One. If miners adopt this design, then theoretically, they can optimize their supply chains by converging on server designs that are becoming best practice in the big-boy data center sector. — Colin Harper, Blockspace Read more.

GENSYN CEO BEN FIELDING: Ten years ago, when he was still a young AI researcher beginning his PhD track, Ben Fielding explored how “swarms” of AI — clusters of many different models — could talk to each other and learn from each other, which might improve the collective whole. There was just one problem: He was handcuffed by the realities of that noisy machine beneath his desk. And he knew he was outgunned by Google and other Big Tech. Compute constraints would always be an issue, he realized. The solution? Decentralized AI. Fielding co-founded Gensyn (along with Harry Grieve) in 2020, or years before Decentralized AI became fashionable. The project was initially known for building decentralized compute, but the vision is actually something wider: “The network for machine intelligence.” They’re building solutions up and down the tech stack. And now, a decade after Fielding’s noisy desk annoyed his lab-mates, the early tools of Gensyn are out in the wild. Gensyn recently released its “RL Swarms” protocol (a descendant of Fielding’s PhD work) and just launched its Testnet — which brings blockchain into the fold. Fielding talked with Jeff Wilser about AI Swarms, how blockchain snaps into the puzzle, and shares why all innovators — not just tech giants — “should have the right to build machine learning technologies.” — Jeff Wilser Read more.

In Other News

Web3 lacks a dedicated memory layer, making its current architecture inefficient and difficult to scale. Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC) offers a solution by enhancing data propagation and storage efficiency in decentralized systems. Implementing RLNC can address Web3’s scalability challenges by optimizing memory and data access without compromising decentralization, says Muriel Médard, co-founder of Optimum. Read her op-ed here.

Ripple, an enterprise-focused blockchain service closely tied to the XRP Ledger (XRP), said on Wednesday it has integrated its stablecoin to the company’s cross-border payments system to boost adoption for Ripple USD (RLUSD). Select Ripple Payments customers including cross-border payment providers BKK Forex and iSend are already using the stablecoin to improve their treasury operations, the company said. Ripple plans to further expand the token’s availability of its token to payments customers. RLUSD reached a $244 million market capitalization, growing 87% over the past month. — Kris Sandor reports.

Regulatory and Policy

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has dropped or paused over a dozen ongoing cases (and lost one) since U.S. President Donald Trump retook office just over two months ago and appointed Commissioner Mark Uyeda as acting chair. Here is a rundown of what’s left on the SEC’s enforcement docket. — Nik De reports.

Calendar

April 8-10: Paris Blockchain Week

April 30-May 1: Token 2049, Dubai

May 14-16: Consensus, Toronto

May 20-22: Avalanche Summit, London

May 27-29: Bitcoin 2025, Las Vegas

June 30-July 3: EthCC, Cannes

Oct. 1-2: Token2049, Singapore

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President Trump to Order ‘Reciprocal Tariffs’ to Begin at Midnight

Published

6 часов ago

2 апреля, 2025

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In a Rose Garden ceremony on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he intends to immediately sign an order for «reciprocal tariffs» to be levied against U.S. trading partners.

«Our country and its taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years but it’s not going to happen anymore,» said Trump, adding that the tariffs will begin at midnight.

The first specific tariff announced at the ceremony was a 25% levy on all foreign-made autos.

Among country-specific tariffs: China will see a rate of 34%, Vietnam 46%, Taiwan 32% South Korea 25%, Switzerland 31%.

The price of bitcoin (BTC) initially rose in the ceremony’s early stages, but began to give ground as the tariffs were detailed. The price has retreated to $86,000, down about 1% from prior to the announcements.