Bitcoin Privacy Advocate Amir Taaki Deported From Singapore

Amir Taaki, a renowned crypto-anarchist and former Bitcoin Core contributor, has once again found himself in legal trouble. On Tuesday, Taaki revealed on X that he was questioned by Singaporean police for six hours before being deported from the country. The interrogation focused on his work, which includes contributions to bitcoin privacy.

Taaki, a British-Iranian programmer and one of the earliest Bitcoin contributors, has faced repeated issues with various countries since his involvement with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units in Syria years ago. He claimed that the Singaporean authorities, which he referred to as an 'extralegal glow regime,' have charged his friends with fake allegations like money laundering but have no evidence against him. 'But they have nothing on me so they strike from the shadow. Weak coward tactics. Face me bitch,' he wrote.

Over the past year, Taaki has been deported from Argentina and Mexico and detained in Serbia and Japan. He noted that authorities never provide reasons for his detentions or questioning, stating, 'I am on a list but I am not able to find any info about which country has sanctioned me.' Taaki first encountered legal troubles with British authorities after fighting against the Islamic State group in Syria in 2016.

Taaki is currently working on DarkFi, a crypto privacy protocol. His past contributions include the first implementations of CoinJoin and stealth addresses, the creation of libbitcoin, and the founding of the UK’s first Bitcoin exchange. He also authored BIP 0001, which established the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal process.