Nic Carter Claims U.S. Could Seize Bitcoin Using Quantum Computing

Nic Carter, founding partner at Castle Island Ventures, warned on Galaxy Brains (hosted by Galaxy Digital's research director Alex Thorn) that quantum computers could threaten Bitcoin's elliptic curve cryptography (ECDSA) encryption, potentially enabling the U.S. government to seize users' private keys or render the network inoperable.

Carter argued that if the U.S. achieves quantum supremacy, it could breach Bitcoin's current cryptographic security to compromise the network. He emphasized that the Bitcoin community must adopt post-quantum cryptography standards urgently to prevent state-led intervention, as delays in upgrading encryption methods could leave the door open for government-sponsored attacks on the blockchain.