As the world grapples with the rise of transferable digital assets— from central-bank digital currencies (CBDCs) to stablecoins — an oft-repeated concept is that national security and law enforcement will be in conflict with individual privacy.

This belief is based on the idea that we have only two choices: either reveal individual identities so that governments can track and trace potentially illicit digital transactions, or preserve individual privacy and severely jeopardize law enforcement interests. This binary concept…