Protecting Personal Information is a book I co-authored with Prof. Raymond Wacks. As the sub-title says, this is an attempt to reconsider the right to privacy from a different perspective. Continue reading “Protecting Personal Information”
A contribution to the analysis of the legal status of cryptocurrencies
Andrea Monti, A contribution to the analysis of the legal status of cryptocurrencies, in “Ragion pratica, Rivista semestrale” 2/2018, pp. 361-378, doi: 10.1415/91544
This paper advocates that cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum don’t challenge the current legal system, since they fit comfortably enough into the immaterial asset legal definition. As such, while a blockchain-based cryptocurrency can’t be considered as legal tender or electronic money, it can be exchanged on a contractual basis as it happens with every other kind of good. As per the alleged crime-supporting role of cryptocurrencies by way of the anonymity of the blockchain transactions, this article demonstrates that the anonymity granted herein is not absolute. Therefore it is not correct to claim that this technology has been built, by design, to foster illegal behaviour. This is an important finding because, in the opposite case, there would have been room to affirm the impossibility to use a cryptocurrency as part of an agreement because of its intrinsic illegal nature.
Keywords: Legal Tender; Private Money; Electronic Money; Asymmetric Encryption; Blockchain Forensic; Cryptocurrencies.
An Australian Bill makes mandatory for IT companies to crack users’ encrypted messages
The Australian Parliament recently passed the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018 that might have a disruptive effect on the whole IT business, by forcing companies into designing unsecure hardware and software and weakening users’ confidence. Continue reading “An Australian Bill makes mandatory for IT companies to crack users’ encrypted messages”
A contribution to the analysis of the legal status of cryptocurrencies
Summary
This paper advocates that cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum don’t challenge the current legal system, since they fit comfortably enough into the immaterial asset legal definition. As such, while a blockchain-based cryptocurrency can’t be considered as legal tender or electronic money, it can be exchanged on a contractual basis as it happens with every other kind of good. Continue reading “A contribution to the analysis of the legal status of cryptocurrencies”
The Italian Supreme Court to Outlaw Whatsapp and PGP?
On August, 30 2018 the Italian Supreme Court issued a decision affirming that the use of Whatsapp and PGP – together with Blackberry and “dedicated” mobile phones – was a way, for the defendants, to jeopardize the investigations. Continue reading “The Italian Supreme Court to Outlaw Whatsapp and PGP?”