CryptoTruth

Morning Post – February 1, 2026

Is Privacy Illegal?

I was talking with an old friend yesterday about my journey into crypto over the years. He thought I was crazy when we first discussed it. About a year later he decided to prove me wrong, though he couched it in an effort to “understand” what I was doing. And, being a former cop, he took an investigative approach to gather evidence against my case.

About six months later, he handed me a 3-inch binder (with tabs) on cryptocurrency.

It was very clinical. But it was written from the perspective of an outsider looking in. I’d be happy to work up a piece on that binder if there’s any interest.

But for the purpose of today’s post, I’m going to sail right into privacy coins, why they matter, why they’re misunderstood, and why I believe they’ll play a major role in protecting free speech in the years ahead.

Is privacy illegal?

In the paradigm of economics, it’s certainly something governments and regulatory institutions don’t like. They say it’s about “security” and “safety”… but that’s not the full story, is it?

Because privacy isn’t just about hiding wrongdoing. It’s about protecting lawful behavior from unlawful scrutiny, and protecting people who have done nothing wrong from systems that assume they have.

And if we’re going to bring first principles into this subject, here’s what we have to agree on before we go any further:

If privacy is treated as suspicious… then freedom is already conditional. And, if freedom is conditional, it is not a protected right. Because once privacy becomes conditional, free speech becomes a privilege. Privileges can be revoked.

So, if you’re not a criminal, and you simply prefer not to have a third party listening in on your private conversations, how do you protect them when there are well-funded institutions specifically designed to penetrate your privacy?

Let’s say you and another consenting adult decide to create a store of value that you both agree on. It’s a harmless venture. It’s not illegal. It requires code, and code is a language tailored for specific uses and purposes.

If you don’t want your financial life turned into a public document for strangers, institutions, or governments to audit, what then?

This series will be a first-principles journey into privacy coins: what they are, how they work, and why I believe privacy is not a luxury, but a Constitutionally protected right.

Feel free to jump in.

-CryptoTruth-