Edward Snowden recently took to social media to express his disapproval of the U.S. Department of Justice's actions against app developers, specifically those related to financial privacy. Snowden's tweet emphasized the importance of making money private by default, arguing against the criminalization of developers working on apps that enhance financial privacy.
The founders and CEO of Samourai Wallet, a cryptocurrency mixing service, were recently arrested and charged with money laundering and unlicensed money transmitting offenses. This move by the Department of Justice was in response to the alleged involvement of Samourai Wallet in illegal transactions totaling over $2 billion, including money laundering transactions exceeding $100 million. The arrests of the CEO, Keonne Rodriguez, and the CTO, William Lonergan Hill, were part of the crackdown on their cryptocurrency mixer that facilitated unlawful transactions from dark web markets like Silk Road and Hydra Market.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams highlighted that Rodriguez and Hill were accused of knowingly aiding in the laundering of criminal proceeds amounting to over $100 million from various illicit activities. Hill's arrest in Portugal marked the U.S. government's intention to seek his extradition for trial in the United States, as part of the legal repercussions faced by individuals involved in providing financial privacy services. Snowden's support for financial privacy, evident through his social media posts advocating against exceptionalization of privacy, aligns with the challenges faced by companies operating in the cryptocurrency space, as evidenced by the sanctions and legal actions against developers and service providers in this field.