US congressmen have asked the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for clarification regarding cryptocurrency airdrops.

By creating a hostile regulatory environment, including through allegations of airdrops […] and threats of additional enforcement action, the SEC […] is depriving US citizens of the opportunity to shape the next iteration of the Internet,” the appeal says.

According to the authors, past statements by the regulator forced developers to exclude Americans from the list of cryptocurrency recipients during airdrops. In their opinion, this practice does not allow the benefits of blockchain to be fully realized.

The letter asks Gensler a number of questions, including how the agency plans to differentiate airdrops from airline miles or credit card points. Gensler must respond to the request by September 30.

Airdrop

Airdrop в криптовалюте — это незапрошенное распределение токенов или монет криптовалюты, обычно бесплатно, на множество адресов кошельков. Аирдропы часто связаны с запуском новой криптовалюты или протокола DeFi и используются для привлечения внимания и новых последователей, увеличивая число пользователей и распределение монет.