could potentially raise regulatory issues related to whether the recipient of the fees is required to register as a broker-dealer under the Exchange Act. We believe that our fee structure does not require us to register as a broker-dealer, however, there is no guarantee that regulatory agencies will ultimately agree with our position, and we may be required to stop offering access to digital asset staking.
Failure to comply with anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and similar laws, could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.
We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (“FCPA”), the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S. Code § 201 and possibly other anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws in countries outside of the United States where we conduct our activities. Anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws have been enforced aggressively in recent years and are interpreted to prohibit companies, their employees, agents, representatives, business partners and third-party intermediaries from authorizing, offering or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or benefits to recipients in the public or private sector.
We sometimes leverage third parties to sell our products and conduct our business abroad. Exodus, our team members, agents, representatives, business partners and third-party intermediaries may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies, or state-owned or affiliated entities and we may be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of such parties even if we do not explicitly authorize such activities. As we increase our international sales and business, our risks under these laws may increase.
Any allegations or violation of the FCPA or other applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws could result in whistleblower complaints, sanctions, settlements, prosecution, enforcement actions, fines, damages, adverse media coverage, investigations, loss of export privileges, severe criminal or civil sanctions, suspension or debarment from government contracts, all of which may have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations and prospects. Responding to any investigation or action will likely result in a materially significant diversion of management’s attention and resources, significant defense costs and other professional fees.
Furthermore, we rely on third parties for our KYC and other compliance obligations. If these third parties fail to effectively provide these services, we may be subject to adverse consequences as described above.
Privacy concerns and laws or other domestic or foreign regulations may reduce the effectiveness of our platform and adversely affect our business.
Although we believe we are operating in compliance with the laws of jurisdictions in which Exodus operates, these laws and regulations are evolving, may impose inconsistent or conflicting standards among jurisdictions, can be subject to significant change and may result in ever-increasing regulatory and public scrutiny and escalating levels of enforcement and sanctions.
For example, foreign countries and governmental bodies, including the European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (U.K.) and other jurisdictions in which we operate or conduct our business, have laws and regulations concerning the collection, use, retention, security and transfer of the personal data of individuals in those jurisdictions. We may become subject to GDPR and U.K. GDPR, which impose stringent privacy and data protection requirements, and could increase the risk of non-compliance and the costs of providing our products and services in a compliant manner. Additionally, the GDPR (covering the European Economic Area), U.K. GDPR and Swiss data protection regimes impose strict rules on the transfer of personal data out of the EU, U.K. or Switzerland to a “third country,” including to the United States. As an un-hosted self-custody wallet provider, we do not process the personal data of our customers and therefore, compliance with these regimes do not currently have a material impact on our business. However, any actual or perceived breach of the GDPR or U.K. GDPR in the future could further add to our compliance costs, limit how we process information, or lead to reputational damage, regulatory investigations or fines. For example, if regulators assert that we have failed to comply with the GDPR or U.K. GDPR, we may be subject to fines. We may also face civil claims, as well as associated costs, diversion of internal resources, and reputational harm.
Aspects of the GDPR, U.K. GDPR, California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs (“SECO”) and other laws, regulations, industry standards and other obligations related to privacy, data protection and data security remain uncertain. As such, compliance may require us to incur additional costs, modify our data handling practices and restrict our business operations. It is also possible that these laws, regulations, industry standards and other obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is, or is alleged to be,