July 17, 2025
1:24 PM ET

The Case That Could Silence the Open Internet

The courtroom showdown over Lewellen’s DeFi code may decide whether writing software is protected speech or prosecutable infrastructure.

Ken Macon

It was only a matter of time before the war over digital sovereignty shifted from boardrooms in Silicon Valley to federal courtrooms across the United States. That moment has now arrived. At stake is a question with enormous implications: Can writing code be a crime?

The Department of Justice thinks it can be, under certain circumstances. And a growing coalition of digital rights and blockchain advocacy groups says the DOJ is dangerously wrong.

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