Forbes Contributor Thanks XRP Army, Publish Censored Article Criticizing SEC Elsewhere

“Time to Unseal the Hinman Documents,” Dr. Layton writes.

Dr. Roslyn Layton, a tech policy contributor at Forbes, has turned to the DC Journal to share her views on the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s treatment of Ripple and raise questions about Bill Hinman’s 2018 speech.

Dear #XRPArmy, thank you for the interest and support. ❤️ Sunshine is the best disinfectant.https://t.co/voKv3hAzUi Thank you @InsideSourcesDC @CecereCarl

— Roslyn Layton, PhD (@RoslynLayton) February 17, 2023

It comes after Forbes unexplainably took down the same article, sparking outrage within the XRP community, as reported by The Crypto Basic. Notably, at the time of writing, the page remains blocked with a pop-up that shares an editor note saying the page is no longer available.

As reported, the opinion piece raised questions about the SEC’s perceived unfair treatment of Ripple and XRP. It suggested that the SEC, citing Hinman’s controversial speech could be picking the winners and losers in the market contrary to its mandate.

In the speech, which the SEC claims to be sufficient guidance for the emerging market, and, as Dr. Layton points out, is indeed the only thing resembling guidance from the SEC, Hinman asserts that Ethereum is not a security. Consequently, the policy researcher reveals she is perplexed by the agency’s decision to go after an Ethereum competitor, which matches the criteria outlined by Bill Hinman.

Notably, as a result, the Forbes contributor has filed a motion to unseal the Hinman documents. She believes these materials related to the drafting of the controversial speech would clarify if Hinman were motivated by his alleged conflict of interest or if regulators are confused, which could justify confusion among industry participants.

Consequently, Dr. Layton titles the latest version of the piece “Time to Unseal the Hinman Documents.”

Ultimately, the policy researcher posits that the SEC’s stance and the general lack of clarity on crypto in the U.S. is hurting investors and innovation.

“The American failure to create a regime for crypto-only harms investors and innovation, the very things the SEC purports to protect,” Dr. Layton wrote.

While the SEC, after several refusals, has handed over the Hinman documents to Ripple, its lawyers are still seeking to keep them sealed, per Omnibus motions filed in December. The agency’s attorneys argue that opening the documents to public scrutiny could hamper the ability of officials to debate policy freely.

Dr. Layton opposes this stance, citing Congress directives, the First Amendment, and common law precedents.

It remains unclear why Forbes opted to take down the article, as both parties are yet to respond to requests for comment.