AUTHOR=Goodell Geoff , Aste Tomaso 

TITLE=Can Cryptocurrencies Preserve Privacy and Comply With Regulations?

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Blockchain

VOLUME=2

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/blockchain/articles/10.3389/fbloc.2019.00004

DOI=10.3389/fbloc.2019.00004

ISSN=2624-7852

ABSTRACT=<p>Cryptocurrencies offer an alternative to traditional methods of electronic value exchange, promising anonymous, cash-like electronic transfers, but in practice they fall short for several key reasons. We consider the false choice between total surveillance, as represented by banking as currently implemented by institutions, and impenetrable lawlessness, as represented by privacy-enhancing cryptocurrencies as currently deployed. We identify a range of alternatives between those two extremes, and we consider two potential compromise approaches that offer both the auditability required for regulators and the anonymity required for users.</p>