Bitcoin Foundation hires lobbying group

Posted On 10 Jul 2014

Tag: Alec French, bitcoin foundation, Carl Thorsen, Jim Harper, Thorsen French Advocacy

The Bitcoin Foundation announced Wednesday it had retained the services of Thorsen French Advocacy as external lobbyists to represent its interests on Capitol Hill. Alec French and Carl Thorsen will introduce Bitcoin and the Foundation to key lawmakers and staff, explaining the benefits the cryptocurrency offers for consumer privacy, global financial inclusion, human liberty, and monetary stability. French has served as Democratic House Judiciary Committee counsel and has an extensive background in technology policy issues. Thorsen served as general counsel to the House majority leader and as a Department of Justice official during the Bush Administration.

The lobbying firm will work under the strategic direction of Jim Harper, Bitcoin Foundation’s global policy counsel.

Harper wrote about the hiring of Thorsen French Advocacy and the firm’s objectives on the Foundation’s blog:

“Their task is to introduce Bitcoin and the foundation to Capitol Hill offices, demystify our favourite protocol, explain its benefits, and show that there is a community of serious, thoughtful people and businesses working together to deliver those benefits to the United States and the world.”

Harper wrote that the Foundation’s methodical work will continue to strengthen Bitcoin’s reputation and his organization’s credibility in Washington, DC.

“We’ll deploy the good we will build opportunistically – to quell any moves against Bitcoin and to support law and policy changes that best advance the Bitcoin community’s interest and the Bitcoin ecosystem’s development.”

In announcing the hiring of the lobby group in a press release, the Bitcoin Foundation said:

“With Bitcoin’s legitimacy firmly established, Thorsen French will continue to expand awareness and recognition of the Bitcoin community, the Bitcoin protocol, and its benefits. This will discourage uninformed negative treatment of Bitcoin and lay the groundwork for law and policy changes that both maintain Bitcoin’s independence and permit Bitcoin’s fuller integration into mainstream financial services systems.”

Image courtesy of Bitcoin Foundation

Edit: Incorrect logo replaced with the correct one

About the Author

Katherine Fletcher is a writer and editor based in London, Ontario, Canada. With a graduate degree in journalism, Katherine spent more than five years curating news on Canadian higher education for a marketing consultancy. Her interest in reporting on Bitcoin stems from her belief that digital currency is, and will continue to be, a disruptor in how we conceive modern currency.