Crypto User Should Have Privacy Appeal Tossed, IRS Tells Court

A taxpayer who sued the IRS for allegedly violating his privacy by acquiring information about his cryptocurrency transactions should have his appeal rejected, the agency told the First Circuit.

A trial court correctly dismissed James Harper’s lawsuit because he had neither a reasonable expectation of privacy nor a property interest in the records acquired by the IRS through an administrative summons served on cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, the agency’s brief said Thursday. After it acquired his cryptocurrency records, the IRS alerted Harper that he may not have properly reported his transactions, the brief said.

• Harper’s due process claim should fail for ...