Jerry Brito

Jerry Brito is executive director of Coin Center, a DC-based think tank focused on the public policy issues facing cryptocurrency technologies such as Bitcoin.

Jerry Brito

Now, steel yourself for some serious signaling and credentialism:

He has testified several times before Congress about cryptocurrencies, and regularly holds briefings for and consultations with policy makers. He has presented on cryptocurrencies at the White House, the Treasury Department, the State Department, the SEC and CFTC, as well as the Council on Foreign Relations and the Brookings Institution.
His scholarly research has been published in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy and the Stanford Technology Law Review among other outlets, and his articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and elsewhere.
He is a recipient of the Public Knowledge IP3 Award and was named one of Washington’s 100 top tech leaders by Washingtonian magazine and to the POLITICO 50 list of “D.C. influencers.”

Jerry is a frequent public speaker and his expert views have been featured in print, radio, and TV. He blogs at Sometimes Right and you can follow him on Twitter.

Jerry lives in Annandale, Virginia, with his wife Kathleen, daughter Penny Lane, and their dog Jerkface.

Academic Writing ↑

The Case for Electronic Cash: Why Private Peer-to-Peer Payments are Essential to an Open Society, Coin Center (2019).
State Digital Currency Principles and Framework, Coin Center (2017). With Peter Van Valkenburg.
Bitcoin: A Primer for Policymakers, Mercatus Center (2016). With Andrea Castillo.
Bitcoin Financial Regulation: Securities, Derivatives, Prediction Markets & Gambling, 16 Columbia Science and Technology Law Review 144 (2015). With Houman Shadab & Andrea Castillo.
Cryptocurrency, The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (2014). With Eli Dourado.
An Offer You Can't Refuse: "Agency Threats" and the Rule of Law, 37 Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy 553 (2014).
Copyright Unbalanced: From Incentive to Excess, Mercatus Center (2012).
Regulation: A Primer, Mercatus Center (2012). With Susan Dudley.
Loving the Cyber Bomb? The Dangers of Threat Inflation in Cybersecurity Policy, 3 Harvard National Security Journal 39 (2011). With Tate Watkins.
Running for Cover: The BRAC Commission as a Model for Federal Spending Reform, 9 Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy 131 (2010).
Transparency and Performance in Government, 11 North Carolina Journal of Law & Tech. 161 (2010). With Drew Perraut.
All Your Data Are Belong to Us: Liberating Government Data, Open Government (Daniel Lathrop & Laurel Ruma, eds., O’Reilly 2010)
Midnight Regulations and Regulatory Review, 61 Administrative Law Review 163 (2009). With Veronique de Rugy.
Toward a More Perfect Union: Regulatory Analysis and Performance Management, 8 Florida State Business Law Review 1 (2009). With Jerry Ellig.
Hack, Mash & Peer: Crowdsourcing Government Transparency, 9 Columbia Science & Technology Law Review 119 (2008).
A Tale of Two Commissions: Net Neutrality and Regulatory Analysis, 16 CommLaw Conspectus 1 (2007). With Jerry Ellig.
Growth in Regulation Slows: An Analysis of the U.S. Budget for Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008, The 29th Annual Regulators' Budget Report. With Melinda Warren. June 2007.
Sending out an S.O.S.: Public Safety Communications Interoperability as a Collective Action Problem, 59 Federal Communications Law Journal 3 (2007).
Video Killed the Franchise Star: The Consumer Cost of Cable Franchising and Policy Alternatives, 5 Journal on Telecomm. & High Tech. Law 199 (2006). With Jerry Ellig.
The Spectrum Commons in Theory and Practice, 2007 Stanford Technology Law Review 1 (2007).
An Orphan Works Affirmative Defense to Copyright Infringement Actions, 12 Michigan Telecomm. & Tech. Law Review 75 (2005). With Bridget Dooling.
Much Ado about Nothing: The Effects of the Post-Enactment Acquisition Rule in Palazzolo v. Rhode Island, 14 Federal Circuit Bar Journal 543 (2005).
Relax, Don't Do It: Why RFID Privacy Concerns Are Exaggerated and Legislation Is Premature, 2004 UCLA Journal of Law & Technology 5 (2004).

Articles & Opeds ↑

In addition to the selected list of articles below, see also the archives for my regular columns at TIME, Reason, and the Umlaut.

The SAFT is a Symptom of Regulatory Uncertainty, CoinDesk, November 13,2017.
What Bitcoiners Are Doing to Fight Ransomware, Fortune, June 30, 2017.
Why Bitcoin Needs Washington to Go Mainstream, Fortune, June 1, 2017.
IRS Quest for Coinbase Data Sets Dangerous Precedent, American Banker, November 29, 2016.
Let Bitcoin into the campaign, The Hill, April 10, 2015.
The Price of Bitcoin Doesn’t Matter Right Now, WIRED, January 14, 2015.
Regulators Need to Take It Easy on Bitcoin Startups, WIRED, March 6, 2014.
Bitcoin: More than Money, Reason, December 2013.
US regulations are hampering Bitcoin's growth, The Guardian, November 18, 2013.
Why Regulators Should Embrace Bitcoin, American Banker, August 21, 2013.
Cyber-Security: Stand Down, for Now, Congress, TIME, February 22, 2013.
Free WiFi for the masses? Not so fast, Washington Examiner, February 8, 2013.
Measured Response to a Limited Threat, The New York Times, October 17, 2012.
Debate: This house believes that a hyperconnected world is more rather than less secure., The Economist, June 26, 2012.
A Note to Congress: The United Nations Isn’t a Serious Threat to Internet Freedom—But You Are, The Atlantic, June 19, 2012. With Adam Thierer.
A Shift Toward Digital Currency, New York Times, April 4, 2012.
Cyberwar Is the New Yellowcake, Wired, February 14, 2012. With Tate M. Watkins.
The Cybersecurity-Industrial Complex, Reason, August/September 2011. With Tate M. Watkins.
BRAC the federal budget: Fiscal commission needs real power to cut programs, The Washington Times, May 28, 2010.
Cyberattacks: Washington is hyping the threat to justify regulating the Internet, Christian Science Monitor, April 29, 2010. With Tate M. Watkins.
Information Trickles Up, Local Knowledge, September, 2009. With Daniel M. Rotshchild
Why pay millions of dollars to defense contractor to build Recovery.gov?, The Washington Examiner, July 10, 2009.
An Accountability Agenda, Regulation, Winter 2008. With Jerry Ellig.
OIRA at Midnight, Regulation, Fall 2008. With Patrick McLaughlin.
Can Congress tweet? Should bloggers care?, Ars Technica, July 28, 2008.
Improving Government Transparency Online, The Public Manager, Spring 2008.
Put more government data online, The Des Moines Register, January 8, 2008.
Transparency, Regulation, Winter 2008. With Mark Adams.
Considering Net Neutrality, Regulation, Fall 2007. With Jerry Ellig.
Regulators’ Budget, Regulation, Fall 2007. With Melinda Warren.
Net Neutrality: Where’s the Beef?, Tech Central Station, July 24, 2007.
Failure to Communicate, The Wall Street Journal, March 27, 2007.
Think Diffident, The American, January 23, 2007.
Public Safety Interoperability, Regulation, Fall 2006.
Will Broadband Kill the Broadcast Star?, Tech Central Station, September 6, 2006.
Public Nuisance: The Costs of Giving Everyone A Say on Cable Television, Doublethink, Fall 2006.
Who’s your daddy?, The Wall Street Journal, March 25, 2006. With Bridget Dooling.
Spectrum commons, Regulation, Spring 2006.
Orphan works, Regulation, Winter 2005.
Competing with piracy, Brainwash, October 16, 2005.
The Castro generation, Doublethink, Winter 2005.
“Free Culture,” free book, Brainwash, April 11, 2004.

Testimony ↑

Virtual Currencies, Related Futures Products, and Market and Regulatory Developments and Challenges. Testimony before the CFTC Technical Advisory Committee, February 14, 2018.
Virtual Currency: Financial Innovation and National Security Implications. Testimony before the Terrorism and Illicit Finance Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee, June 8, 2017.
Digital Currency and Block Chain Technology. Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, March 16, 2016.
Innovation and Transformation in Payment Technology. Testimony before California State Assembly Banking & Finance Committee, March 16, 2015.
Hearing on Digital Currency. Testimony before New Jersey State Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, February 5, 2015.
Digital Currency Introduction – Bitcoin. Testimony before the CFTC Global Markets Advisory Committee, October 9, 2015.
Bitcoin: Examining the Benefits and Risks for Small Business. Testimony Before the House Committee on Small Business, April 2, 2014.
Beyond Silk Road: Potential Risks, Threats, and Promises of Virtual Currencies. Testimony Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, November 18, 2013.
Transparency Through Technology: Evaluating Federal Open Government Efforts. Testimony Before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and Procurement Reform, March 9, 2011.
Economic Stimulus Oversight. Testimony Before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, March 19, 2009.

Talks & Panels ↑

Trans-Atlantic Panel on Government and Privacy, Monero Konferenco & Zcon 1, June 22, 2019
Legislating Certainty for Cryptocurrencies: Congressional Industry Convening, Library of Congress, September 25, 2018
Main Stage Regulatory Update, Ethereum Devcon 3, October 23, 2017
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, The White House, July 6, 2016.
What Coin Center Believes In and What We Do, Coin Center Annual Dinner, May 6, 2016.
Where things Stand with Cryptocurrency & Public Policy, Cato Institute, April 12, 2016.
Beyond Bitcoin, Brookings Institution, January 14, 2016.
How the Blockchain Could Change Everything, Techonomy Policy, July 6, 2015.
Debate: Is Bitcoin Here to Stay?, Third Way, March 20, 2015.
Bitcoin Regulation: An Evolving Landscape, MIT Bitcoin Expo 2015, March 7, 2015.
Foreign Affairs Cryptocurrency Policy Forum, Council on Foreign Relations, February 12, 2015.
The Bitcoin Policy Prescription: Will Policymakers Get It Right (Again) Or Will Fear Stifle Innovation?, State of the Net Conference, January 23, 2015.
Bitcoin: Beyond the Currency, Bloomberg, November 17, 2014.
NYU Law Digital Currency Conference: Legal and Policy Issues, New York University School of Law, April 7, 2014.
Let's Get Real: Will You Ever Use Bitcoin at Walmart?, New America Foundation, February 11, 2014.
Bitcoin: The Third Era of Currency, State of the Net Conference, January 28, 2014.
Laws of Creation: Property Rights in the World of Ideas, Cato Institute, March 20, 2013.
Copyright Unbalanced: From Incentive to Excess, Cato Institute, December 6, 2012.
The Search for Solutions: Looking Beyond Prescriptive Regulation, Congressional briefing, May 1, 2012.
Hackers, Terrorists, and Rogue States: What Do They Mean for American Cybersecurity?, Congressional briefing, April 12, 2012.
Cybersecurity: Will Federal Regulation Help?, Cato Institute, April 10, 2012.
Panel on the Future of Government Transparency, Sunlight Foundation, April 29, 2010.
Stimulating Accountability, Congressional briefing, March 17, 2009.
The Dangers of Network Neutrality Regulation, Cato Institute, January 13, 2009.
Just Give Us the Data! Prospects for Putting Government Information to Revolutionary New Uses, Cato Institute, December 10, 2008.

Print Citations ↑

IRS quietly deletes guideline that Fortnite virtual currency must be reported on tax returns, CNN, February 14, 2020
An elegy for cash: the technology we might never replace, MIT Technology Review, January 3, 2020
The Week in Tech: Some Workers Hate Robots. Retraining May Change That., New York Times, July 19, 2019
Facebook Questioned on Cryptocurrency, But Battle Looms With Global Regulators, Wall Street Journal, July 16, 2019
Pay Taxes With Bitcoin? Ohio Says Sure, Wall Street Journal, November 26, 2018
Get ready for Big Bitcoin: Cryptocurrency industry opens a D.C. lobbying arm, Washington Post, September 11, 2018
Crypto Industry Frustrated by Haphazard Regulation, New York Times, June 27, 2018
Bitcoin and ether shouldn’t be regulated like stocks and bonds, a top SEC official says, Washington Post, June 14, 2018
Crypto Market Rallies on SEC’s Official’s Ether Stance, Wall Street Journal, June 14, 2018
Silicon Valley Is Into Bitcoin. It Wants to Keep Washington Out., Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2018
Cyberattackers’ Apparent Take: Just $51,000 So Far, Wall Street Journal, May 15, 2017
IRS Crackdown on Bitcoin Exchange Fuels Privacy Worries, Wall Street Journal, March 27, 2017
S.E.C. Rejects Winklevoss Brothers’ Bid to Create Bitcoin E.T.F., New York Times, March 10, 2017
For Fintech Start-Ups, Efforts to Rethink Rules That Cramp Innovation, New York Times, April 6, 2016
Regulator Moves to Create New Fintech Framework, Wall Street Journal, March 28, 2016
A Bitcoin charm offensive on law enforcement, Washington Post, October 22, 2015.
Bitcoin Rules Completed by New York Regulator, New York Times, June 3, 2015
NY Financial Regulator Lawsky Releases Final BitLicense Rules for Bitcoin Firms, Wall Street Journal, June 3, 2015
New York regulator issues final virtual currency rules, Reuters, June 3, 2015
London stakes its claim as global bitcoin hub, Reuters, April 15, 2015
Bitcoin: will 2015 be a make-or-break year?, The Guardian, February 3, 2015
Introducing the Bitcoin Lobby, New York Magazine, January 12, 2015
Bitcoin gets an industry-backed advocacy group, Washington Post, September 18, 2014
Academics Call for Revisions to New York’s BitLicense Proposal, CoinDesk, August 18, 2014
Bitcoin ATM builder takes aim at traditional financial services, Los Angeles Times, July 8, 2014
Bitcoin Evangelist Is Bound but Not Out, Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2014
Who created Bitcoin? Regulators don't care, Politico, March 7, 2014
Newly Revealed, Could Satoshi Nakamoto, Worth $400M In Bitcoin, Be In Danger?, Forbes, March 6, 2014.
Bitcoin backers unfazed by more setbacks, The Hill, March 1, 2014
Bitcoin Forever!, Daily Beast, February 27, 2014
Legal Troubles Barely Subdue a Bitcoin Evangelist’s Sermons, New York Times, February 6, 2014
Bitcoin — boom or bubble?, Washington Post, January 19, 2014
The mystery of Bitcoin is how it keeps users’ trust, Financial Times, November 22, 2013
Five years of Bitcoin in one post, Washington Post, January 3, 2014
Here’s how Bitcoin charmed Washington, Washington Post, November 21, 2013
Bitcoin Gaining Validity Fuels Rally in Virtual Currency, Bloomberg, Nov. 19, 2013
U.S. Agencies to Say Bitcoins Offer Legitimate Benefits, Businessweek, November 18, 2013
Bitcoin hits $700 high as Senate stages hearing on virtual currency, The Guardian, November 18, 2013
Arrests a breakthrough in global battle against secretive 'hacktivist' movement, Chicago Tribune, November 14, 2013
How FBI brought down cyber-underworld site Silk Road, USA Today, October 22, 2013.
Study Suggests Studios Aren’t Offering Enough Online Legal Options to Counter Movie Piracy, Variety, October 15, 2013
Many of the most-pirated movies aren’t available for legitimate online purchase, Washington Post, October 15, 2013
Can digital rentals block piracy? New site gathers the data, Ars Technica, October 15, 2013
Who Should Be Blamed for Facilitating Online Piracy?, Adweek, October 15, 2013
The Magic of Bitcoin Turns FBI’s Seized Booty Into Government Protest, WIRED, October 4, 2013
Bitcoin value drops after FBI shuts Silk Road drugs site, BBC, October 3, 2013
The End of the Internet's Biggest Black Market Is Good for Bitcoin, Businessweek, October 2, 2013
Cyber security: The new arms race for a new front line, Christian Science Monitor, September 15, 2013
Inside the Bitcoin advocates’ closed-door meeting with federal regulators, Washington Post, August 27, 2013
Bitcoin: Tax haven of the future, Politico, August 9, 2013
The Bitcoin drug business is getting more competitive, Washington Post, June 28, 2013
Digital currency firms rush to adopt anti-money laundering rules amid global crackdown, Reuters, June 4, 2013
Seven men charged in Liberty Reserve global money-laundering operation, Washington Post, May 28, 2013
The coming political battle over Bitcoin, Washington Post, May 15, 2013
Is the Drone's Potential Being Shot Down Too Fast?, Harvard Business Review, April 23, 2013
In Bitcoin we cannot trust, CBS News, April 17, 2013.
Yes, Bitcoin is volatile. But it’s still got defenders., Washington Post, April 11, 2013
A Six-Strike Rule for Internet Piracy, Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2013
Internet Turns UN Telecoms Talks Into Reality Show, Reuters, December 14, 2012
Editorial: Global Internet Diplomacy, New York Times, December 12, 2012
GOP sides with Mickey Mouse on copyright reform, Washington Examiner, December 5, 2012
The U.N.’s Internet Power Grab, Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2012
Shedding Light on the UN’s Internet Plans, WikiLeaks-Style, Mashable, June 12, 2012
Porn, gambling, and malware: Bitcoin as the ‘Net’s Wild West, Ars Technica, June 8, 2012
Curtain of mystery partially pulled back on computer hacker groups, Chicago Tribune, March 7, 2012
Why the cyber security bill in Congress is getting big push from Pentagon, Christian Science Monitor, March 7, 2012
‘Mega’-Indictment Shows U.S. Already Has International Piracy Chops, National Journal, January 20, 2012
Google Speaks Truth to Power, Wall Street Journal, October 24, 2011
Taming and Reining in Cyberspace., National Journal, September 15, 2011
Speed Bumps on the Road to Virtual Cash, New York Times, July 4, 2011
Stealing "entertainment services" now a crime in Tennessee, Ars Technica, June 3, 2011
USA erklären das Netz zum Kriegsschauplatz, Der Spiegel, June 1, 2011
The rise of the cybersecurity-industrial complex, Washington Examiner, April 27, 2011
Two Fascinating Exhibits on Data Security, The Atlantic, April 26, 2011
Take $787 Billion. Now Show Where It's Going., New York Times, March 21, 2010
Eye Opener: What to watch with the stimulus, Washington Post, October 20, 2009
Contract to Upgrade Recovery.gov Stimulates Criticism, Wall Street Journal, July 9, 2009
Web Users Offer Their Two Cents On How to Spend Stimulus Billions, Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2009
Could Crowdsourcing Help Control the Stimulus?, Washington Post, March 18, 2009
A Zealous Watchman to Follow the Money, New York Times, March 9, 2009
Some Agencies Are Slow in Handing Out Stimulus Grants, Wall Street Journal, March 2, 2009
See-Through Stimulus, Columbia Journalism Review, February 6, 2009
Tracking Stimulus Funds Presents Daunting Task, NPR, February 4, 2009
Everything You Need to Know About the Stimulus Is Online, Fast Company, February 3, 2009
Dems eye midnight regulations reversal, Politico, November 12, 2008
Dear Mr. President, Popular Science, October 2008
Outdated Radios Fail Capitol Police, Washington Post, June 2, 2008
Flying Blind in a Red-Tape Blizzard, The Atlantic, July 2007

Radio & Podcasts ↑

Financial Privacy, Digital Currency and Stablecoin Payments, The Money Movement with Jeremy Allaire, July 23, 2020.
The Case for Electronic Cash in an Open and Free Society, Epicenter Podcast, July 19, 2019.
Backed by Silicon Valley Cash, Bitcoin Begins to Mature, California Report, KQED, April 17, 2015.
How cash is like Bitcoin. And how Bitcoin is like Kim Kardashian., Marketplace, American Public Media, January 29, 2014.
Bitcoin Rides High on the Hill, Cato Daily Podcast, November 19, 2013.
FBI Shuts Down Silk Road, but the 'Deep Web' Lives On, Forum, KQED, October 4, 2013.
Regulation and Bitcoin, Cato Daily Podcast, August 27, 2013.
Lawmakers, Banking Regulators Take On Bitcoin, All Things Considered, NPR, August 13, 2013.
Bitcoin blow: U.S. government freezes funds to trade the digital currency, Marketplace, American Public Media, May 16, 2013.
Bitcoin 101, Davis & Emmer, KTCN, April 25, 2013.
World Conference on International Telecommunication, Federal News Radio, December 4, 2012.
Is international cyber warfare a real threat?, On the Media, WNYC, December 2, 2011.
Skeptics Question AT&T's Logic In T-Mobile Deal, All Things Considered, NPR, June 20, 2011.
Podcast: Jerry Brito on a Career in Ideas, Kosmos, September 10, 2010.
Watching the Stimulus, Cato Daily Podcast, December 9, 2009.
A look at where stimulus spending is going, Kojo Nnamdi Show, WAMU, December 7, 2009.
New Features on Stimulus Watch 2.0, Federal News Radio, November 25, 2009.
$9.5 million contract to redesign Recovery.gov, Federal News Radio, July 10, 2009.
Making Stimulus Spending Transparent, All Things Considered, NPR, April 20, 2009.
Online transparency and future of local news, Kojo Nnamdi Show, WAMU, March 23, 2009.
A More Transparent Federal Government, Cato Daily Podcast, March 11, 2009.
Sunshine Week and Government Data, Cato Daily Podcast, March 21, 2008.

Television ↑

Coin Center's Brito skeptical about Bitcoin creator claims, Reuters, May 2, 2016.
Do digital currencies make it easier for terrorists to move money?, Fox News, November 20, 2015.
Professor Bitcoin, VICE, January 8, 2014.
Grieving father sees some relief in Silk Road closure, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, October 7, 2013.
The Bitcoin Revolution, Stossel, Fox Business, September 19, 2013.
Why Bitcoin is Here to Stay: Q&A with Jerry Brito, Reason TV, April 17, 2013.
Bitcoin Goes Big, Huffington Post Live, April 12, 2013.
Fears About A New Copyright Alert, Huffington Post Live, January 9, 2013.
Why Copyright Law is so Mickey Mouse - And How to Fix It, Reason TV, December 13, 2012.
Who Rules The Internet?, Huffington Post Live, December 4, 2012.
Should the UN regulate the internet?, Al Jazeera's The Stream, November 29, 2012.
Why Bitcoin Could Change the Shape of Currency, Freedom Watch, Fox Business, November 22, 2012.
Bitcoin virtual currency, Al Jazeera's The Stream, June 16, 2011.
Bitcoin & the End of State-Controlled Money: Q&A with Jerry Brito, Reason.tv, June 1, 2011.
Tumbleroo for the iPad, TWiT's iPad Today, August 28 2010.
Online earmark transparency, Federal News Tonight, NewsChannel 8, March 18, 2010.
Stimulus spending transparency, Channel 9 News, November 17, 2009.
Inside OpenRegs.com, Federal News Tonight, NewsChannel 8, July 21, 2009.
Redesigning Recovery.gov, Fox and Friends, Fox News, July 10, 2009.
House Testimony: Preventing Stimulus Waste and Fraud, C-SPAN, March 19, 2009.
Bush's Midnight Regulations, NBC Nightly News, December 4, 2008.
Lame Duck on the Clock, CNN American Morning, November 20, 2008.