Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, published a long article yesterday entitled "Against choosing your political stance based on whether you "support cryptocurrency"", calling on the public not to blindly choose those who claim to support cryptocurrency but do not understand what is behind it. Technical targets for political candidates.
Vitalik Buterin noted in the article that cryptocurrency users should look at candidates’ previous views on digital assets as an indicator that they may change their stance in the future. He pointed out that some people running for office will be labeled as "pro-cryptocurrency", but they have not clearly stated their positions on issues such as communications privacy, digital identity and access to information. Vitalik Buterin said:
“If you see a ‘pro-crypto’ politician today, it’s worth digging into their fundamental values and seeing which side they would prioritize if a conflict arises.”
Vitalik Buterin cited Coinbase’s “Stand with Crypto” political initiative as an example. He believes that the initiative uses some "key bills" when assessing whether candidates support or oppose cryptocurrencies, but he believes that these bills do not truly assess politicians' positions on cryptography and technological freedom. Supporting cryptocurrencies without understanding or supporting these deeper freedoms and principles may not make the decisions that the crypto community expects in the face of related conflicts or challenges.
Vitalik Buterin said:
“If a politician supports your freedom to trade coins, but they don’t have an opinion on the above topic, then their thought process in supporting your freedom to trade coins is very different from mine (and probably yours). This in turn means that in your case They may come to different conclusions than you do about issues of concern in the future.”
Vitalik Buterin warned that some authoritarian-leaning governments have adopted a “rules apply to you but not me” approach to cryptocurrencies. For example: Russia supports the technology to avoid economic sanctions, but opposes it when cryptocurrencies make it more difficult for governments to spy on their citizens and enemies.
While the Ethereum co-founder didn’t explicitly mention the 2024 U.S. elections, he published the post just as the Republican National Convention officially nominated Donald Trump for president. Trump reversed his previous attitude of calling Bitcoin a "fraud" in 2021, instead supporting Bitcoin miners and accepting cryptocurrency donations. Many political experts speculate that he is using the technology to appeal to pro-crypto voters.
Vitalik Buterin appeals:
“If a politician is pro-cryptocurrency today, but they are the kind of person who is very power-seeking, or willing to curry favor with those who are power-seeking, then that’s where their cryptocurrency advocacy is likely to go in ten years.”
Source
