1/ His name is Virgil Griffith
It was great fun to see everyone this week in NYC, but I’ll admit, I was walking around with a hole in my heart and a looming sense of dread.
Virgil’s trial starts this Monday.
#FreeVirgil
It was great fun to see everyone this week in NYC, but I’ll admit, I was walking around with a hole in my heart and a looming sense of dread.
Virgil’s trial starts this Monday.
#FreeVirgil
2/ As many of you know, Virgil is facing up to 20 years in prison for attending and presenting at the Pyongyang Blockchain Conference in North Korea.
The US Government wants to make an example out of him for (allegedly) violating international sanctions.
financialpost.com/fp-finance/cry…
The US Government wants to make an example out of him for (allegedly) violating international sanctions.
financialpost.com/fp-finance/cry…
3/ Virgil is the next unfortunate anti-hero on the cypherpunk chopping block.
Before him came Aaron Swartz, who Virgil worked with to develop tor2web, a proxy for allowing anonymous publishing on the internet.
Aaron took his own life in 2013.
aaronsw.com/weblog/tor2web
Before him came Aaron Swartz, who Virgil worked with to develop tor2web, a proxy for allowing anonymous publishing on the internet.
Aaron took his own life in 2013.
aaronsw.com/weblog/tor2web
4/ Aaron famously hacked MIT's academic journals, downloading them with the intention to publish.
Despite JSTOR declining to press charges against Swartz after he returned the documents, MIT decided not to let up on the charges, which had a maximum penalty of 35 years.
Despite JSTOR declining to press charges against Swartz after he returned the documents, MIT decided not to let up on the charges, which had a maximum penalty of 35 years.
6/ In Virgil’s case, he is on trial for providing “highly technical knowledge” to North Korea which could in theory help them evade sanctions.
This is ridiculous, because it’s overwhelmingly likely that Virgil didn’t teach them anything they couldn’t have learned on YouTube.
This is ridiculous, because it’s overwhelmingly likely that Virgil didn’t teach them anything they couldn’t have learned on YouTube.
7/ It’s even more ridiculous when you consider that the North Korean hacker group, Lazarus, was hacking people’s cryptos as early as 2017, two years before Virgil set foot in their country.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus_G…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus_G…
8/ Unsurprisingly, @VitalikButerin agrees that Virgil didn’t teach the North Koreans anything exotic.
https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1201182908674916352
9/ Virgil is unequivocally not a national security threat.
It's an embarrassment that the US government feels that this is a justified use of taxpayer money, when there are actual bad guys out there.
Like Aaron Swartz before him, Virgil is the victim of prosecutorial overreach.
It's an embarrassment that the US government feels that this is a justified use of taxpayer money, when there are actual bad guys out there.
Like Aaron Swartz before him, Virgil is the victim of prosecutorial overreach.
10/ Like most people, I only found out Virgil had been arrested on Thanksgiving.
He was on his way home to Alabama to visit his family.
He never made his flight—he was arrested at the airport.
He was on his way home to Alabama to visit his family.
He never made his flight—he was arrested at the airport.
11/ When I found out, I was scared and confused.
Why was this happening? What story are we in?
Reading cryptotwitter’s awful takes was excruciating.
But then I discovered and read @pet3rpan_’s retelling of history of the cypherpunk movement.
pet3rpan.medium.com/history-of-thi…
Why was this happening? What story are we in?
Reading cryptotwitter’s awful takes was excruciating.
But then I discovered and read @pet3rpan_’s retelling of history of the cypherpunk movement.
pet3rpan.medium.com/history-of-thi…
12/ All of us in crypto today are downstream of the original cypherpunks.
We inherit their 50 year struggle to emancipate cryptography as a weapon exclusively for militaries, and provide it as a tool for individuals to use to protect their speech from illegitimate surveillance.
We inherit their 50 year struggle to emancipate cryptography as a weapon exclusively for militaries, and provide it as a tool for individuals to use to protect their speech from illegitimate surveillance.
13/ The US Gov, under the Munitions Act, outlawed the sharing of cryptography as it was considered a military secret.
And so the cypherpunks printed encryption algorithms in books, distributed them via CDs, and embedded them within academic papers, in all cases breaking the law.
And so the cypherpunks printed encryption algorithms in books, distributed them via CDs, and embedded them within academic papers, in all cases breaking the law.
14/ After years of civil disobedience and legal battles, the cypherpunks effectively made the case that cryptography being classified as a munition was a violation of the first amendment right to the freedom of speech.
15/ The cypherpunks won, and eventually compelled Bill Clinton to remove cryptography from the munitions list.
pet3rpan.medium.com/before-bitcoin…
pet3rpan.medium.com/before-bitcoin…
16/ This @BanklessHQ special is worth watching.
@TrustlessState does a live reading of @pet3rpan_'s entire history of the cypherpunk movement.
I too cried a bit, when I read it the first time.
@TrustlessState does a live reading of @pet3rpan_'s entire history of the cypherpunk movement.
I too cried a bit, when I read it the first time.
https://twitter.com/BanklessHQ/status/1385345165305344001
17/ Today, the US Government treats cryptocurrency with as much superstition as it did encryption in decades past.
In that context, they are attempting to cast Virgil’s presentation as a military grade violation.
But just like encryption, cryptocurrency will inevitably triumph.
In that context, they are attempting to cast Virgil’s presentation as a military grade violation.
But just like encryption, cryptocurrency will inevitably triumph.
18/ And years from now, when cryptocurrency is widely adopted across the globe, Virgil’s presentation to North Korea will appear trivial.
It will seem as silly as prosecuting someone for sharing the “military secret” of HTTPS.
#FreeVirgil
It will seem as silly as prosecuting someone for sharing the “military secret” of HTTPS.
#FreeVirgil
19/ I am incredibly grateful that @brianeklein stepped up to represent Virgil in court.
He has an excellent track record representing some of the highest profile crypto cases, and it gives me hope that Virgil will be receive fair treatment under the law.
He has an excellent track record representing some of the highest profile crypto cases, and it gives me hope that Virgil will be receive fair treatment under the law.
https://twitter.com/brianeklein/status/1201665967941509120
20/ I also deeply admire that @VitalikButerin didn’t take the easy path of throwing Virgil under the bus.
He defended Virgil on the grounds that “Geopolitical open-mindedness is a virtue".
His thread is worth reading.
He defended Virgil on the grounds that “Geopolitical open-mindedness is a virtue".
His thread is worth reading.
https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1201182901062307840
21/ Expanding on Vitalik’s ideological position on “geopolitical open-mindedness”, I feel compelled to interject with a segment from my favorite ever Playboy interview with the mathematician, philosopher, and proponent of nuclear disarmament, Bertrand Russell.
22/ Virgil, ultimately, was a bridge builder.
The crime that he is on trial for now is attempting to build a bridge too far.
The crime that he is on trial for now is attempting to build a bridge too far.
https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1201182907194318848
23/ On Monday I will be attending the first day of Virgil’s trial.
I don’t expect that too many crypto friends want to come spend a day in a courtroom full of FBI agents, but if you do, please let me know and I’ll share the details.
#FreeVirgil
I don’t expect that too many crypto friends want to come spend a day in a courtroom full of FBI agents, but if you do, please let me know and I’ll share the details.
#FreeVirgil
24/ Appendix: The rest of this thread is a select few tweets about Virgil I thought were relevant…
30/ His name is Virgil Griffith, and he’s one of us.
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