“The details regarding the detainment and prosecution of software developer Alexey Pertsev in the Netherlands is deeply troubling. Pertsev has been detained for three months now for authoring software code on Tornado Cash that sought to provide a general purpose privacy application to cryptocurrency. 

“Although Pertsev’s detainment occurred outside U.S. jurisdiction, freedom of speech is now considered a global right. It is imperative for industry leaders and policymakers to speak out against this infringement of free speech. 

“Cryptocurrency and blockchain applications are code and I believe code is protected speech. There is precedent for this in the U.S.; in Bernstein v. United States the Supreme Court ruled that any government regulations preventing the publication of source code is unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

“Pertsev’s arrest and detainment sends a chilling message to the global  technology community that our rights to free speech are in jeopardy. We will continue to fight for this fundamental right and must call out injustices of free speech whenever possible. Privacy rights, free speech, and national security should not be mutually exclusive. 

“Again, I call on all industry leaders and global policymakers to join me in calling for fairness for Alexey and echoing the necessity of protecting free speech.”