The US SEC is set to hold a key meeting on December 15, with the focus squarely on privacy regulation in the crypto industry. This is not just a routine meeting—the SEC Chair and the head of the crypto working group will personally preside, and more importantly, industry heavyweights like Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox will also be speaking.

To get straight to the point: this meeting won't result in new regulations being introduced on the spot, but it will set the tone for future policy direction. The core conflict is clear—how far should regulation go in balancing anti-money laundering with personal privacy protection?

What's interesting is that by inviting privacy coin founders and tech company representatives, regulators are signaling that they want to hear the industry's perspective. But don't forget, in recent months, privacy tools like Tornado Cash and Samourai Wallet have been heavily targeted. This approach is a classic "testing the waters" move—listen to what you have to say first, then decide how to act.

What reaction can we expect from the market? In the short term, privacy-related tokens may see a wave of speculation, but until the outcome of the meeting is clear, chasing the hype is risky. In the long run, privacy features are very likely to be put under strict regulatory constraints. In the future, any wallet, mixing protocol, or even certain blockchains that involve privacy features could face more rigorous compliance scrutiny. Technological freedom will have to yield to "regulability."

What should ordinary investors do now? A few suggestions: First, avoid the high-risk zone—those small tokens that market themselves solely on "anonymity" or "censorship resistance" are the easiest regulatory targets. Second, during periods of uncertainty, capital will flow into the strongest consensus assets—Bitcoin and similar assets are relatively safe bets. Third, keep a close eye on information flows; after the meeting on the 15th, pay attention to public statements from SEC officials, as those will be key signals for policy direction.

Remember one rule: when regulators start seriously discussing a topic, it means the "countdown" to a solution has begun. Be patient for the right opportunity and act with precision.