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International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security

FC 2015: Financial Cryptography and Data Security pp 94–111Cite as

Cryptographic Currencies from a Tech-Policy Perspective: Policy Issues and Technical Directions

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNSC,volume 8976))

Abstract

We study legal and policy issues surrounding crypto currencies, such as Bitcoin, and how those issues interact with technical design options. With an interdisciplinary team, we consider in depth a variety of issues surrounding law, policy, and crypto currencies—such as the physical location where a crypto currency’s value exists for jurisdictional and other purposes, the regulation of anonymous or pseudonymous currencies, and challenges as virtual currency protocols and laws evolve. We reflect on how different technical directions may interact with the relevant laws and policies, raising key issues for both policy experts and technologists.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Jeff Haley, the members of the University of Washington Tech Policy Lab, and the members of the University of Washington Security and Privacy Research Lab for valuable discussions, and we thank our anonymous reviewers for feedback on an earlier version. This work was supported in part by NSF Award CNS-0846065, by the Short-Dooley Endowed Career Development Professorship, and by the University of Washington Tech Policy Lab.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tech Policy Lab and Security and Privacy Research Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Emily McReynolds, Adam Lerner, Will Scott, Franziska Roesner & Tadayoshi Kohno

Authors
  1. Emily McReynolds
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  2. Adam Lerner
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  3. Will Scott
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  4. Franziska Roesner
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  5. Tadayoshi Kohno
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Universität, Hannover, Germany

    Michael Brenner

  2. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Nicolas Christin

  3. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Benjamin Johnson

  4. New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, USA

    Kurt Rohloff

Appendix: Disclaimer

Appendix: Disclaimer

Since this effort involves the collaboration of individuals in both the law and technology fields, we must give this disclaimer: This analysis is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

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© 2015 International Financial Cryptography Association

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McReynolds, E., Lerner, A., Scott, W., Roesner, F., Kohno, T. (2015). Cryptographic Currencies from a Tech-Policy Perspective: Policy Issues and Technical Directions. In: Brenner, M., Christin, N., Johnson, B., Rohloff, K. (eds) Financial Cryptography and Data Security. FC 2015. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 8976. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48051-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48051-9_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-48050-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-48051-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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