Coinbase Says Law Enforcement Requests Rose 66% From Year Ago

The number of requests from the U.S., which accounted for about 43% of the total, increased by 6%.

AccessTimeIconDec 12, 2022 at 7:41 p.m. UTC
Updated May 9, 2023 at 4:04 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Coinbase (COIN) said that total worldwide law enforcement and agency requests increased 66% to 12,320, according to its latest transparency report, released Monday.

The report, the exchange's fourth, covers the period from Oct. 1, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2022.

  • How NEAR Enables Multichain Access From One Account
    00:56
    How NEAR Enables Multichain Access From One Account
  • Why the NEAR foundation Chose Eigenlayer as a Security Partner
    00:54
    Why the NEAR foundation Chose Eigenlayer as a Security Partner
  • Judge Kaplan Had 'No Love' for Sam Bankman-Fried, Legal Expert Says
    07:08
    Judge Kaplan Had 'No Love' for Sam Bankman-Fried, Legal Expert Says
  • How Bitcoin and Ether's Options Contracts Combined Expiry Could Spike Volatility
    01:11
    How Bitcoin and Ether's Options Contracts Combined Expiry Could Spike Volatility
  • Coinbase, which has more than 108 million customers around the world, attributed the increase in requests to a combination of the company’s expansion and “an overall increase in law enforcement and regulatory interest in the crypto industry.”

    The highest volume of law enforcement and agency requests from a single country came from the U.S., with 5,304, while the second-most number of requests came from the U.K. with 1,744, the report said. The number of U.S. requests increased 6% from the previous annual period. and Coinbase noted around 80% of total requests came from the U.S., U.K., Germany and Spain.

    More than 95% of total requests were from law enforcement agencies related to criminal enforcement matters, as opposed to civil or administrative matters. These criminal enforcement matters include subpoenas, court orders, search warrants and other formal legal processes.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Nelson Wang

    Nelson Wang was CoinDesk's news editor for the East Coast. He holds BTC and ETH above CoinDesk's disclosure threshold of $1,000.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.