An article by Dr. Roslyn Layton, Senior Forbes Contributor on Tech Policy that criticized the alleged unjust treatment of blockchain payments company Ripple by the US Securities and Exchange Commission has been removed from Forbes.
Inevitably, it has caused outrage among XRP enthusiasts.
A pop-up editor note stating “This page is no longer active” has been blocking access to the article headlined “Why The SEC Treats Ripple And Ethereum Differently.”
Meanwhile, Fxcryptonews could access the article thanks to screenshots posted by XRP community members, who revealed that the page is still viewable in reader mode on a few browsers.
As seen in the article, Dr. Layton has posed some inquiries regarding the special treatment given to Ethereum by the SEC in relation to the 2018 Bill Hinman speech, which is controversial. Although the SEC has stated that this speech provides enough guidance for the developing industry, it treats Ripple and XRP differently. The researcher suggests that there may be an “inconsistency” in the regulations, and this could be due to the disputed Hinman documents.
Read more: John Deaton Reacts to Motion to Make Hinman’s Documents Public in Ripple v. SEC
The Hinman documents are composed of various types of correspondence, including emails and other materials for preparing the controversial speech. It is important to note that the SEC’s case against Ripple also involved the speech at one point, and the agency initially opposed Ripple’s attempts to obtain access to the documents.
Despite initially resisting six court orders, the SEC eventually provided the Hinman documents to Ripple in October of last year after multiple court orders. However, the agency has since filed Omnibus motions to keep the documents sealed. The SEC argues that the documents contain privileged attorney-client communications and that making them public could harm the ability of agency officials to deliberate on future policy matters.
Notably, Dr. Layton’s article suggests that the SEC’s argument for keeping the Hinman documents sealed is not convincing, considering that the agency claims to provide guidance to the emerging market. She believes that these documents may shed light on whether Hinman’s possible conflict of interest influenced the SEC’s leniency towards Ethereum or if there is regulatory confusion that could justify confusion among industry participants and Ripple’s fair notice defense. As a result, Dr. Layton has filed a motion requesting that the court unseal the documents.
Predictably, the Forbes website appears to have removed the article, angering members of the XRP community. The Forbes contributor’s filing was reported by attorney John Deaton, whose company had cited the piece, who expressed disbelief by commenting, “Wth.”
Currently, there has been no response from Dr. Layton and Forbes to requests for comment. However, if fxcryptonews receives feedback, the report will be updated accordingly.
