3 ms·

Obviously you don’t live in the us as I recall seizures due to “the war on drugs” occurring for decades. Police departments supposedly use it for funding, and

Obviously you don’t live in the us as I recall seizures due to “the war on drugs” occurring for decades. Police departments supposedly use it for funding, and you needed court action to get your cash/goods back. Funding illegal activities always had repercussions for those involved.

pclmulqdq 5y ago
I don't think any of those were account freezes, though, mostly civil asset forfeiture. Civil asset forfeiture is an abhorrent practice, but it is different than freezing someone's bank account.
- jleyank 5y ago
  I think it worse, as “I want my house back” is worse than “could you unfreeze my bank account”…
  - lowkey 5y ago
    I would say they are different, not necessarily better or worse. In this case the target was political protesters who opposed the government. Civil forfeiture is wrong, but targeting dissidents and threatening to make them economic non-persons is a different kind of chilling.
tremon 5y ago
Doesn't the crypto enthusiasm from inside the US underscore the parent's point?
bko 5y ago
You can be against both. > Q: What things can be forfeited? > A: There are different legal theories of forfeiture. Property that the wrongdoer would not have had but for the crime can be forfeited as proceeds. For example, cash acquired through an unlawful activity such as drug dealing, or a car bought with cash from drug dealing can be forfeited under the proceeds theory. Property that makes the crime easier to commit or harder to detect is called facilitating property. For example, a house where drug sales occur can be forfeited under the facilitating theory. Property that the wrongdoer would not have had but for the crime can be forfeited as proceeds. Does this get abused? Sure. But I don't think this includes a shop owner donating $50 to some cause having their entire bank account frozen. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/divisions/asset-forfeiture https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/divisions/asset-forfeiture

pclmulqdq 5y ago

I don't think any of those were account freezes, though, mostly civil asset forfeiture. Civil asset forfeiture is an abhorrent practice, but it is different than freezing someone's bank account.

jleyank 5y ago
I think it worse, as “I want my house back” is worse than “could you unfreeze my bank account”…
- lowkey 5y ago
  I would say they are different, not necessarily better or worse. In this case the target was political protesters who opposed the government. Civil forfeiture is wrong, but targeting dissidents and threatening to make them economic non-persons is a different kind of chilling.

tremon 5y ago

Doesn't the crypto enthusiasm from inside the US underscore the parent's point?

bko 5y ago

You can be against both. > Q: What things can be forfeited? > A: There are different legal theories of forfeiture. Property that the wrongdoer would not have had but for the crime can be forfeited as proceeds. For example, cash acquired through an unlawful activity such as drug dealing, or a car bought with cash from drug dealing can be forfeited under the proceeds theory. Property that makes the crime easier to commit or harder to detect is called facilitating property. For example, a house where drug sales occur can be forfeited under the facilitating theory. Property that the wrongdoer would not have had but for the crime can be forfeited as proceeds. Does this get abused? Sure. But I don't think this includes a shop owner donating $50 to some cause having their entire bank account frozen. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/divisions/asset-forfeiture https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/divisions/asset-forfeiture