One of the Senate’s most influential Democrats has advised his colleagues not to overregulate the expanding cryptocurrency business. He compares it to the early days of the internet. Ron Wyden is the leader of the Senate finance committee and one of the architects of US internet regulation. He encouraged members of his party to defend crypto inventors. However, he did this despite worries about fraud and money laundering.
Senior officials in Joe Biden’s administration are looking to crack down on unregulated crypto activity. They are particularly focused on prominent trading platforms like Coinbase, according to Wyden’s warning.
“There is a discussion about greater regulation, but I want to be on the side of the inventor,” Wyden stated. “When I think about crypto, I think of remittances or someone who has a 1,000-mile-away child and wants to get the aid in an emergency without having to go through a slew of banks and credit card firms.”
Gary Gensler: Cryptocurrency marketplace plagued with scam
In recent years, the demand for cryptocurrencies has skyrocketed, pushing the total value of such coins to about $2 trillion. Politicians and authorities have expressed concern about their popularity. They warned that they might be used for fraud and money laundering.
Gary Gensler is the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He warned last year that the cryptocurrency marketplace was plagued with fraud, scams, and abuse.
Last week, four senior members of Congress addressed Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. They expressed concern that bitcoin was being used to dodge international sanctions.
Wyden’s statements are opposed to those of his Democratic colleagues. However, they reflect similar statements made by a small but growing number of members of Congress. They are ranging from Republican Tom Emmer to Democrat Ro Khanna, who has championed the crypto business.
Wyden compared the sector to the early days of the internet when he and his colleagues in Congress drafted legal safeguards for Internet platforms to prevent them from being sued for anything posted by users.
26 words that created the internet
The Communications Decency Act’s Section 230 has been termed “the 26 words that created the internet.” In recent months, it has come under assault from both Republicans and Democrats. Numerous members of Congress suggest that it should only be applied to corporations that follow specific guidelines.
Attempts to modify Section 230 were met with opposition from Wyden. He said that holding corporations accountable for user material would only drive people who post harmful content to more hidden sections of the internet. “You may go along with this legislation that seems wonderful,” he continued, “but you’ll push the bad folks to the dark web.”
“I don’t think anyone would ever invest in a tiny business if you hold someone accountable for anything that is written on the web.”
“How about we just state the person who creates the contents is the one we’ll hold accountable?” I believed that was the best course of action at the time, and I still believe it is.”
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