Bitcoin Policy Institute, Fedi and Cornell’s Brooks School Tech Policy Institute are launching a two‑year study of how Americans view financial privacy, the trade‑offs they will accept, and how regulation shapes behavior, with four semi‑annual reports and the first due in April 2026, according to Fedi and BPI.
The study will pair quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews to track attitudes over time and link product design to policy outcomes.
Fedi will provide product and user data insight, Cornell’s Brooks School Tech Policy Institute will lead academic work, and Bitcoin Policy Institute will focus on policy and communications.
Public concern about data use has risen sharply; a 2023 Pew Research Center survey found 71% of U.S. adults worried about government data handling (Ed. note: this shows growing public unease).
At the same time, governments study central bank digital currencies and digital ID systems, which could expand official visibility into payments and online activity, as discussed by TechPolicy Press.
Regulators have pursued developers of privacy tools; criminal cases targeted Samourai Wallet and Tornado Cash, with legal analysis available via Reuters.
Lawmakers are debating a market structure bill affecting decentralized finance (DeFi), a topic covered in reporting linked here on related reporting, and industry groups like DeFi Education Fund have urged “robust, nationwide protections”.
Variant legal chief Jake Chervinsky framed DeFi as his “red line” in the debate, as shown in his statement.
The research aims to supply empirical evidence to inform policy discussions and the regulatory environment facing developers, with study details also shared by Bitcoin Policy Institute.
