When I think about the EU's mandatory removable batteries for phones, I suddenly recall the days when we carried universal chargers—back then, we truly had control over our belongings, rather than being locked down by so-called "integrated design." This time, the EU is serious; in plain terms, it's ordinary people fighting for their control rights. Interestingly, the crypto community has long provided an answer to this issue.

Whether it’s batteries or assets, losing control always begins with the same action—letting others tell you what can be replaced and what cannot be touched. Manufacturers claim integrated waterproofing and aesthetic design, centralized platforms tout convenient trading and secure custody. They all sound reasonable, but in reality, they are all encroaching on your core rights. The three requirements of the EU’s new regulation essentially say the same thing: let users control their usage cycle, avoid shutdown tricks, and ensure transparency of information. This is very similar to the self-custody principles in the crypto world—holding private keys yourself, backing up control, and transparent processes, all carved from the same mold.

The lessons learned in the crypto space over the years are profound. In 2014, Mt. Gox collapsed overnight, with 850,000 bitcoins evaporating, simply because users entrusted their assets to the platform. By 2022, the FTX explosion replayed the same story, once again proving that "putting eggs in someone else’s basket will eventually break." Since then, the industry has sparked a real wave of self-custody, allowing users to regain control of their private keys through hardware wallets and self-custody wallets. This is not only technological progress but also a reclaiming of power.