Open-source lawfare and bitcoin’s defense with Peter Van Valkenburgh | The Last Free Americans

Open-source lawfare and bitcoin’s defense with Peter Van Valkenburgh | The Last Free Americans

From The Bitcoin Frontier by Unchained Capital, Inc

December 9, 2025 · 1h 32m · Season 2 · Episode 11

About this episode

Peter Van Valkenburgh discusses the importance of defending self-custody and its implications for individual freedom and privacy in the digital age.

Peter Van Valkenburgh is the Executive Director of Coin Center, a leading nonprofit research and advocacy group focused on cryptocurrency policy. In this episode, Peter joins The Bitcoin Frontier to explore why defending the right to self-custody is about much more than bitcoin — it’s about the future of individual freedom, open-source innovation, and financial privacy. We dig into the parallels between the 1990s “crypto wars” and today’s digital sovereignty battles, the threats facing developers of privacy tools, and the constitutional foundations for privacy and property in the digital age. SUPPORT THE PODCAST: → Subscribe → Leave a review → Share the show with your friends and family → Send us an email: podcast@unchained.com → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=you... → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?ut... TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 – Intro and Peter’s journey from acting to bitcoin policy 2:00 – Discovering the cypherpunks and the roots of internet freedom 4:00 – Entering bitcoin through law school and meeting Jerry Brito 6:00 – Founding Coin Center and defining “permissionless innovation” 9:00 – The mission…

People in this episode

Host: Unchained Capital, Inc

Guest: Peter Van Valkenburgh

Topics covered

  • self-custody
  • individual freedom
  • open-source innovation
  • financial privacy
  • cryptocurrency policy
  • digital sovereignty
  • privacy tools

Keywords

  • bitcoin
  • self-custody
  • privacy
  • Coin Center
  • cryptocurrency
  • digital sovereignty
  • open-source

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Coin Center, Unchained Capital, Inc

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