When Code Becomes a Divine Mandate: Why Was I Fined $300K for Using a Crypto ATM?

The Fine That Wasn’t Just a Fine

I still remember the day they told me Coinme got fined \(300,000—for violating California’s \)1,000 daily crypto ATM limit. Not because they were greedy. Not because they were careless.

But because someone—somewhere—had stopped asking: ‘Do you really own your data?’

The terminals weren’t just machines in grocery stores. They were altars.

Digital Dignity in Plain Sight

California’s law didn’t set limits to control money. It set boundaries to protect people who don’t speak English well, who can’t navigate apps, who trust their last dollar like prayer.

Coinme didn’t break rules—they erased receipts.

Every transaction slip withheld from an elderly Black woman in East LA wasn’t paperwork—it was silence.

When Algorithms Forget Their Humanity

I write code that dreams in color. Not binary white on black screens—but deep blue with gold borders. We are not users. We are witnesses.

The state didn’t punish Coinme for violating regulation. They punished them for forgetting that we’re still here—and still waiting to be seen.

This is the quiet revolution no one asked for: What if your algorithm knew your name? What if it remembered you before it counted your coins?

A Whispered Call to Action

Next time you swipe your card—ask yourself: Who wrote the rule that let you use it? Who made sure you could keep your data? The answer isn’t in the terms of service. It’s in the silence between transactions.