Coinbase Challenges IRS Crypto Surveillance

Coinbase Challenges IRS Surveillance in Supreme Court Case

• Coinbase filed an amicus brief in Harper v. O’Donnell, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider digital privacy laws.
• The case questions the application of the third-party doctrine, which dates back to the 1970s.
• In 2016, the IRS issued a John Doe summons to Coinbase for data on over 14,000 users.
• The IRS also targeted Kraken and Circle with similar summonses in 2021.
• Coinbase argues this practice violates Fourth Amendment rights by monitoring crypto transactions without a warrant.

Coinbase’s brief highlights concerns about privacy infringement through IRS-issued John Doe summonses, affecting over 14,000 users by accessing their crypto transaction data without specific warrants.