NYC's Tax Spreadsheet Drops a Target List in the Group Chat 📋

A searchable property database assembled from New York City's public assessment records is drawing sharp criticism from crypto executives who warn it functions as a centralized directory of wealthy residents and their addresses. The data is drawn from the New York City Department of Finance's FY2027 assessment roll, supplemental market value data, and property tax guides, all published through the city's Open Data portal. Critics on X argued the concern is not that the records exist but that they have been aggregated into an easily searchable Excel file, including a sheet listing properties that could be subject to the new pied-à-terre tax.

Uniswap founder Hayden Adams called it "the worst mass doxxing I've ever seen," writing that the database listed nearly every unit in some luxury apartment buildings, including primary residences of people he knows. "Not only were their units listed, but nearly every unit in the entire building was listed," Adams wrote. "They clearly took an incredibly expansive view of 'could be' and just doxxed a huge percentage of all expensive apartments in New York City." Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz described the project as "unsettling," saying the city "cleaned it, organized it, singled out 'the rich,' and mass distributed it" in a way he called "only the 50th sign this year of privacy continuing to become scarcer."

Castle Island Ventures partner Nic Carter linked the database to a documented rise in violent crimes targeting cryptocurrency holders across Europe. "So this is a list of wealthy people and their addresses. As we've seen in France and Sweden this leads to crypto kidnappings, torturings and murders," Carter wrote. "Yes real estate records are semi public but this is an easily searchable database and target list." The warnings come as physical or "wrench" attacks on crypto holders continue to increase, with incidents including kidnappings, torture, home invasions, and sexual assaults.

In February, blockchain security firm CertiK reported 72 verified crypto "wrench attacks" worldwide in 2025, a 75% increase from the prior year, with combined losses exceeding $40.9 million. Earlier this year, French authorities opened a probe into a series of kidnapping attempts tied to crypto wealth, and separate incidents in Sweden involved coordinated home invasions of digital asset holders, according to prior reporting. Critics of the NYC database have not called for the underlying records to be removed but have urged the city to reconsider how the information is packaged, arguing that aggregation and centralization materially raise the risk profile of those listed.