When I saw the news about a French tax data breach, my first reaction wasn’t the data itself, but the people behind the addresses. Even if $BTC is safer on-chain, it can’t stop real-world targeting. Once data is exposed, the other party may know how much you hold and where you live; then it’s targeted phishing, even physical threats. By putting asset control in our hands, BTC also shifts the entire security responsibility onto individuals. Custody by exchanges carries risks; self-custody carries risks too—it just changes the form. Privacy has never been optional; it is itself part of security. This incident is a wake-up call for everyone who self-custodies: don’t just defend online, but also defend offline. I’m increasingly convinced that for BTC holders, privacy isn’t a luxury—it’s a survival necessity. Many think you’re safe as long as your private keys don’t get lost, but the other side doesn’t even need to touch your private keys; finding you directly is enough. Regulations pushing for tax transparency mean that the more centralized the data is, the greater the cost of a leak. This isn’t opposition to compliance—it’s a reminder: enjoy the freedom BTC brings, but also upgrade your self-protection at the same time. Don’t post your address, don’t easily link your on-chain identity to your real-world identity, and try to keep your holdings information as distributed as possible. Technology gives you freedom, but the prerequisite for freedom is self-protection. This French case is probably only the beginning. As long as data is still stored in centralized places, breaches are hard to avoid. What really needs to change is our attitude toward privacy. BTC gives you the ability to choose not to expose yourself—but if you give up that ability, the risk becomes unavoidable.