Lessons from the Freedom Convoy Crypto Debacle

I just read https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/02/16/canada-sanctions-34-crypto-wallets-tied-to-trucker-freedom-convoy/ , and I just have to say something:

1. The lengths Trudeau and the media are going to in order to avoid addressing a very real concern by a very large number of people says a lot about his (and his government’s) approach to “democracy”.

2. “Freezing” a crypto address is only possible from an exchange point of view. Nobody has control over those addresses except their owners, unless the addresses are being managed by the exchanges that are complying with the government.

So… if you’re holding crypto and are not aligned with your government’s values, it’s probably best to hold it in addresses that aren’t managed by large, regulated companies. Additionally, nobody can interfere with crypto transactions between crypto accounts because the blockchains themselves are unregulated by design. This means that while I may not be able to “withdraw” my crypto because of government sanctions, I can still pay you in crypto and *you* can “withdraw”.

Here’s a nice little story of why we need this, regardless of whether you’re for or against the truckers. These days this is literally our best (and only) defense against a tyrannical (set of) government(s).