If the investigating unit tells you that the Bitcoin you sold worth 10 million RMB, due to your suspected use of a VPN to circumvent restrictions, and that circumventing restrictions is illegal, the RMB you received from selling Bitcoin through this method is considered illegal gains, and they will confiscate your ransom of 10 million, what is your first reaction? And this incident really happened...

Did you use a VPN to log into an overseas exchange, such as registering an account on a certain website to profit from trading Bitcoin, or did you pay margin to become a U trader, acting as a settlement trader to buy and sell U for profit, and did not receive any illicit funds or have your card frozen, while still indulging in the joy of trading and making profits? Little did you know that if your actions were caught, the consequences could be dire.

In August of this year, a public security agency in a certain region of the country determined that trading cryptocurrencies while circumventing restrictions is illegal behavior. The case involved Zhang San using a VPN to buy low and sell high in virtual currencies. Because circumventing restrictions is illegal, the profits made during the trading were confiscated, and he was fined the maximum amount of 15,000 RMB, with mobile phones and computers also deemed illegal tools and confiscated. This case reminds me of last year's report about a programmer who worked while circumventing restrictions, and in the end, his actions were deemed illegal, resulting in the confiscation of over a million in work income.

Some say that the nature of a programmer's work is different from trading cryptocurrencies; one is a work-related action, while your trading activity is illegal or carries risks. However, currently, virtual currency trading is not illegal, so the situation is similar to the background of this case. If circumventing restrictions is illegal, then the profits from trading cryptocurrencies will also be deemed illegal gains, and it would almost just require an official announcement to enforce it. You cannot trade cryptocurrencies while circumventing restrictions; otherwise, the profits from trading cryptocurrencies will be confiscated.

Regarding whether circumventing restrictions is illegal, we will not discuss it here. The key controversy in this case lies in whether, based on Article 14 of the Interim Provisions on the Administration of International Networking of Computer Information Networks, the determination of illegal gains from circumventing restrictions includes the recognition of profits from trading cryptocurrencies as illegal gains.