As we approach two decades since Satoshi’s landmark white paper, we still know very little about this enigmatic author’s politics or identity (although that has not stopped some from guessing). But we understand that this person (or persons) created an innovation – a technology derivative of another technology, encryption. As we’ve seen repeatedly, technology can be used for good or bad. It can create jobs or destroy them. It can harm the environment or bolster efforts to protect it. The art of sound policymaking is weighing the good and bad, risks and rewards, and putting policies that promote the common good in place.
