Cryptocurrency the next Cuban revolution? What tech guru John McAfee said

Fugitive tech guru John McAfee feels cryptocurrency could be the next Cuban revolution. McAfee is on the run from US tax authorities, currently in Havana, Cuba. MacAfee was the creator of the eponymous antivirus software in the1980s, McAfee. In an interview with Reuters, McAfee said he could help Cuba evade the U.S. government too - by launching a cryptocurrency that defeats a U.S. trade embargo. McAfee touted the anonymity of the digital currency. He also outlined his belief that income tax is illegal and plans to run from Cuba for the Libertarian Party nomination for U.S. president.

McAfee was quoted as saying, "It would be trivial to get around the U.S. government's embargo through the use of a clever system of currency," the 73-year-old said. "So I made a formal offer to help them for free ... on a private channel through Twitter." 

Cuba's Communist government had said earlier this week that it was studying the potential use of cryptocurrency to alleviate an economic crisis aggravated by tighter U.S. sanctions under President Donald Trump.

"You can't just create a coin and expect it to fly. You have to base it on the proper blockchain, have it structured such that it meets the specific needs of a country or economic situation," McAfee told Reuters.

"There are probably less than 10 people in the world who know how to do that and I'm certainly one of them," he added.

McAfee previously ran in 2016 and came in a distant third.  

McAfee said that he did not pay income tax for eight years for ideological reasons and was indicted. 

In a bid to avoid trial, McAfee left the United States in January for the Bahamas. He arrived in Cuba a month ago after suspecting that U.S. law enforcement was trying to extradite him from the Bahamas. 

McAfee is planning to use social media to campaign for the Libertarian nomination. Currently, he has 1 million followers on Twitter. He said in the interview that thousands of volunteers wearing masks depicting his face would campaign for him back home and abroad.

McAfee believes Cuba would never extradite him to the United States. Both Cuba and the United States have a history of providing refuge to individuals wanted by the other country for crimes with political overtones, according to lawyer Pedro Freyre.

However, cooperation on criminal enforcement has improved since a 2014 detente. Last year, Cuba had extradited a U.S. citizen accused of murdering his girlfriend.