U.S. SEC Commissioner Defends Privacy Tools in Cryptocurrency, Calls Them Legitimate Financial Infrastructure

According to Cointelegraph, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce publicly defends cryptocurrency privacy tools, stating that such technologies are legitimate financial infrastructure and reminding regulators not to view privacy-enhancing crypto tools with suspicion.

This statement follows Peirce’s recent interview with reporters, where she pointed out that crypto privacy tools are not "criminal tools," but a reasonable part of modern financial infrastructure.

She cites projects like Monero and Zcash, which use transaction anonymity technology, to illustrate that these tools can help ordinary users defend against hackers and scammers, as well as enable users to control their financial information and reduce data leakage risks.

She also emphasizes that protecting financial privacy does not conflict with national security objectives. While combating crime is important, the right of the public to protect their personal information should not be overlooked, and privacy technology should not be seen as a pretext for expanding government surveillance.

Peirce further calls on developers of privacy tools to proactively collaborate with the SEC’s crypto task force to explore technical solutions that meet anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) compliance requirements without excessively exposing user data.

This initiative comes amid a renewed regulatory focus on privacy tools in crypto. On one hand, enterprise privacy applications like Aptos’ enterprise privacy coin and Polygon’s institutional stablecoin payments are gradually being implemented.

On the other hand, regions like the European Union are advancing new regulations set to take effect in 2027, aiming to restrict the use of privacy cryptocurrencies; these moves indicate that the regulatory game surrounding crypto and privacy tools is intensifying.

In summary, Peirce’s stance as a core member of the SEC’s crypto task force signals a regulatory approach that favors "innovation over hostility."

However, worldwide, there remains disagreement on how to regulate privacy tools in crypto, and ongoing policy developments will be closely watched by the industry.

#SEC委员 # Privacy tools in cryptocurrency