In a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the court has ruled that cryptocurrency transactions are subject to the third-party doctrine. This means that cryptocurrency records are not protected by the Fourth Amendment and may be searched by law enforcement at any time, even without a warrant. This will make it significantly harder for criminal defendants to protect their identity in cryptocurrency transactions, whether made in New York or elsewhere, as they will effectively be unable to contest a law enforcement search of that data. Continue reading “Third-Party Doctrine Applies in Cryptocurrency Searches”