With friends like these...

I have been an EFF supporter for a very long time and am excited about the work that they do. To a lesser degree, I am interested in, and support sister organizations of the EFF, such as Electronic Frontier Finland.

Imagine my surprise then, to find this quote of Vili Lehdonvirta while reading an article on bitcoin in the October 10, 2011 issue of the New Yorker:

Still, Lehdonvirta had researched bitcoin and was worried about it. 'The only people who need cash in large denominations right now are criminals ... only anarchists want absolute, unbreakable financial privacy ... we need to have a back door so that law enforcement can intercede.'"

Vili Lehdonvirta is identified in the article as serving on the advisory board of EFFI, although I cannot confirm that. It is clear from their archives and publications that he is closely related to their organization.

He should not be. The nuance of his comments, and the distinctions he makes, are false, and are indistinguishable from the worst forms of statist, authoritarian presumption. He has no business awarding "Big Brother Awards" nor does he have any foundation on which to judge the cash, or privacy needs of others.

 

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