Why the SEC's Proposed Rules Affecting DeFi Could Violate the First Amendment

Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Coin Center, discusses a proposed rule by the US Securities and Exchange Commission that has massive implications for the free-speech rights of crypto software developers in the US. Show highlights:

why an SEC proposal changing the definition of “exchange” could violate the right to free speech of US crypto developers
whether the SEC is going after DeFi on purpose – as its 200+ page proposal never mentions crypto or DeFi
what precedent Peter has found that should prohibit the SEC from taking away software developers’ right to free speech
how Peter and Coin Center structured their recent letter of comment to the SEC
what the next steps (such as a lawsuit?) should be for the crypto community if the rule goes into effect
why writing software is part of someone’s right to free speech
what implications the proposed rule could have on AMMs
what happens next: when could the rule be put into place?

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Announcing The Cryptopians Book Clubs!

On April 26th, I will be selling NFT tickets to five 90-minute virtual book clubs in which 22 people can discuss “The Cryptopians” with me and with each other — without worrying about spoilers! Two of the book clubs will also feature special guests.

The sale will go live on Tuesday, April 26, at 1pm ET/10am PT, and tickets will be $100 each. (The sale will be on Bitski, but the NFTs will not be visible until the sale goes live on the 26th): https://www.bitski.com/@laurashin/created