Analysis: The US SEC plans to assess the regulatory weighting of crypto privacy, which may lead to polarized disagreements.
TL;DR
The US SEC will hold a roundtable on crypto privacy and surveillance on December 15th, potentially assessing regulatory weight for privacy projects. Consensus on zero-knowledge proofs could lead to flexible rules, but polarized views may retain surveillance frameworks and spur legal challenges.
PANews reported on December 7th that, according to Cryptoslate, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will hold a roundtable discussion on cryptocurrencies, financial surveillance, and privacy on December 15th. Zooko Wilcox, founder of the crypto privacy project Zcash, and others will participate. Analysts believe that the SEC may use this meeting to assess the level of regulatory weight it can give to crypto privacy projects during its rule-making process. If a consensus is reached that zero-knowledge proofs can meet compliance obligations, this flexibility can be incorporated into rules governing digital asset brokerages, alternative trading systems, and custody. However, if the meeting splits into two camps—"privacy is a right" and "privacy fuels crime"—the existing surveillance-centric framework may be retained, pushing privacy advocates to court.