Edward Snowden Slams Justice Department For Action Against Samourai Wallet Co-Founders: 'The Way To Fix This Is To Make Money Private By Default'

Edward Snowden has slammed the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent actions against app developers, advocating for financial privacy in a recent social media post.

What Happened: On Tuesday, Snowden took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his disapproval of the Department of Justice’s recent actions. He tweeted, “The Department of ‘Justice’ has once again criminalized the developers of an app that restores financial privacy. The way to fix this it to make money private by default. Privacy must never be ‘exceptional,’ or they will make it criminal.”

The Department of "Justice" has once again criminalized the developers of an app that restores financial privacy. The way to fix this it to make money private by default. Privacy must never be "exceptional," or they will make it criminal.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 24, 2024

This post came in response to the recent arrest and charges against the founders and CEO of a cryptocurrency mixing service.

The founders and CEO of cryptocurrency mixing service, Samourai Wallet, have been arrested and charged with money laundering and unlicensed money transmitting offenses. The charges stem from the company’s alleged involvement in over $2 billion in unlawful transactions and more than $100 million in money laundering transactions.

According to the United States Department of Justice, Keonne Rodriguez, CEO and co-founder of Samourai Wallet, and William Lonergan Hill, CTO and co-founder, were arrested on Wednesday. The charges arise from the defendants’ development, marketing, and operation of a cryptocurrency mixer that facilitated illegal transactions from dark web markets, such as Silk Road and Hydra Market.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated that Rodriguez and Hill knowingly facilitated the laundering of over $100 million of criminal proceeds from various illegal activities. The U.S. will seek Hill’s extradition from Portugal to stand trial in the United States, he was arrested in the European Union country on Wednesday morning.

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Why It Matters: Snowden’s tweet reflects his ongoing support for financial privacy, particularly in the context of cryptocurrency. He has previously endorsed a legal defense fund for Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixing service embroiled in legal issues. Snowden has been vocal in his belief that “Privacy is not a crime.”

This recent post from Snowden also aligns with the views of former U.S. Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has argued that penalizing an entire protocol or way of doing business is illegal and unconstitutional. Ramaswamy has specifically criticized the Treasury Department’s decision to sanction Tornado Cash.

These events highlight the ongoing debate around financial privacy, particularly in the realm of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin BTC/USD and Ethereum ETH/USD, and the legal challenges faced by companies operating in this space.

Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

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