Blockchain privacy groups urge new US Congress to protect privacy rights

Digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future has posted an open letter on its website encouraging the new members of the U.S. Congress to protect privacy. The letter has attracted dozens of companies and organizations as cosigners.

“Increasingly, the incredible creative power of U.S. software developers is being chilled by clumsy, misguided legislative and regulatory actions,” the authors of the letter wrote. This is in spite of the fact that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects code as speech, the letter added, and that was why many technologies to protect privacy were created in the United States.

As “an illustration of the robust digital future you [new legislators] should foster,” the letter mentioned Filecoin, ZCash, MobileCoin and several communications protocols by name. The letter encouraged the lawmakers to protect privacy rights, champion end-to-end encryption and safeguard personal data.

Related: Filecoin service provider announces move to Singapore in light of tightening restrictions in China

In addition, the letter called for “working to identify and correct power imbalances.” The authors explained:

“We need online spaces that are not owned or controlled by a single person, as they put user privacy at risk. We need tools that give individuals and communities power over their online experience.”

Fight for the Future’s campaigns and communications director, Lia Holland, told Cointelegraph in a statement:

“Our objective with this letter is to sound the alarm that the previous Congress’ neglect of privacy as a human right cannot continue. […] It’s time for our legislators to stop trying to punish the open source and decentralized software developers who are giving everyday users as well as vulnerable communities like journalists, activists, abuse survivors and minorities the tools they need to protect their privacy online.”

At the time of writing, the letter had 36 signatories, including industry players such as the Blockchain Association, DeFi Education Fund, Ledger, Nillion Network, Protocol Labs and Proton. New signers are still being accepted.

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