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Coinbase Received 1,900 Requests for Client Info From Law Enforcement During First Half of 2020
17.10.2020
Coinbase has revealed that it received a total of 1,914 requests for customer data from global law enforcement agencies during the first six months of 2020. It is, however, not clear how many of the requests were fulfilled. In its first so-called“transparency report” published Friday...
A System of Robot Drug Dealers on Telegram Allows People to Buy Illegal Products for Bitcoin
13.10.2020
There’s a new avenue darknet market (DNM) customers have found that allows them to purchase illegal wares 24 hours a day via a robot drug dealer hosted on Telegram. The platform dubbed ‘Televend,’ is an automated software program that peddles illicit narcotics for people paying...
Hydra’s ‘Complex Drug Delivery System’ in Russia Overshadows Western Darknet Markets
16.9.2020
On September 14, the blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis reported on the infamous Russian darknet marketplace (DNM) known as Hydra and noted the DNM is Eastern Europe’s “sixth-largest service by volume in the region.” Moreover, the report also reveals that Hydra has created...
66% of Coinbase Users Willing to Leave the Exchange Due to Mounting Privacy Concerns
8.6.2020
Two-thirds of people who use Coinbase are willing to leave the platform following reports that the U.S. exchange plans to sell user data to two government agencies for $250,000. Cryptocurrency trader and analyst John Rager carried out a poll on Twitter, asking his 73,000 followers: “Would...
$15 Million Bounty on Maduro: US Charges Venezuelan President With Narco-Terrorism, Corruption, Drug Trafficking
27.3.2020
The U.S. has charged 14 high-ranking officials of the Venezuelan government, including President Nicolas Maduro, with “narco-terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking and other criminal charges.” The U.S. government is offering rewards of up to $15 million for any information leading...
The Government Can’t Stand Decentralized Innovations Like Bitcoin, so It Tries to Ruin Them
10.3.2020
Feeding the homeless, affordable medicine, an easy-to-use gas can design, starting a small business to meet the needs of one’s community — borderless, permissionless P2P electronic payments. These are all simple, practical activities and tools that can be leveraged in decentralized...
Bitcoin and Doomsday Preppers — Would Crypto Have Any Survival Value If SHTF?
14.2.2020
As so-called “doomsday prepping” grows in popularity thanks to news of coronavirus lockdown in Chinese cities, red flag gun laws and rampant Fed stimulus in the U.S., preparedness enthusiasts are asking about the viability of bitcoin in a SHTF situation. From cautious, light investor...
Unnecessary Evil: How Government Regulations Kill Crypto Startups and Encourage Crime
16.1.2020
Thanks to the EU’s most recent money laundering directive, a small business called Post-a-coin, which sold cute postcards pre-loaded with tiny amounts of bitcoin, is being forced to shut down. Meanwhile, the most heinous criminals in history are continuing to facilitate violence, trafficking...
No Victim, No Crime: How the Darknet Drug War Is Ruining Young Lives
2.10.2019
There aren’t many areas of modern society unaffected by the draconian war on drugs, and non-violent crypto exchange is no exception. Two San Diego men in their twenties reportedly pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of money laundering conspiracy, for selling cannabis on the darknet...
Bitcoin Cash-Accepting Mayoral Candidate ‘Nobody’ Hosts Keene’s 420 Rally
25.9.2019
There’s an individual called ‘Nobody’ competing to be the next mayor of Keene, the libertarian enclave and crypto mecca located in New Hampshire. On September 21, the bitcoin cash-accepting mayoral candidate announced the 10th anniversary of the annual 420 Rally will be held this...
Government Hates Crypto Because It Empowers the People, Not Because It’s Used for Crime
10.9.2019
A recent article from MIT Technology Review has leveraged a somewhat sensationalist headline to stir up fear about bitcoin and crypto. The article, written about a “hidden” government weapon to be deployed against Bitcoin, references September 3 senate subcommittee testimony...
Walmart’s Foray Into Blockchain, How Is the Technology Used?
3.9.2019
The last few years have seen the retail giant Walmart experiment with blockchain technology quite substantially — most notably within its food supply chain ecosystem
Chainalysis’ Jesse Spiro on Crypto Wallet Blocking and Its Potential Impact
30.8.2019
Learn what would happen while trading with Kingpin Act-designated accounts, what would be the market impact of additional account blacklistings and what moves the OFAC is planning to undertake next – in an interview with Chainalysis
The White House Just Blamed Bitcoin for America’s Opiate Crisis
24.8.2019
The opioid epidemic is the new devil Bitcoin is being blamed for inflaming, to be added to the already long list of heinous crimes crypto is supposedly responsible for, like terrorism, money laundering, and trafficking. While it’s painfully clear that the U.S. dollar is a much more common...
California Couple to Forfeit Cryptocurrency Riches After Drug Bust
7.8.2019
The couple must forfeit an undisclosed sum of bitcoin and bitcoin cash they acquired from selling illicit goods on a dark web marketplace
Money Laundering Fines Worth Billions Help Bankers Avoid Prosecution and Unpleasant Labels
18.7.2019
The recent seizure of a cargo ship owned by JP Morgan, a vessel loaded with 20 tons of cocaine according to latest accounts, highlighted the risks of banks’ involvement in illicit activities, inadvertent or otherwise. And although U.S. authorities released the MSC Gayane after the owner,...
JP Morgan Chase Ship Busted: Cocaine, Banks and the Failed Drug War
11.7.2019
A ship seized by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency in June carrying over 15,000 kilos of cocaine has now been tied to JP Morgan Chase’s asset management unit. Officially the company does not exercise any operational control of the vessel, but some serious questions are raised when...
Flowery V20 Talk and Government Terror: Why Darknet Crime Is the Least of Our Worries
1.7.2019
Governments and central banking regulatory bodies continue to express concern about crypto being used for criminal purposes and terror. The terror campaigns of these very same governments continue unabated, however. In the wake of the V20 summit it might seem that lawmakers actually care about...
Ross Ulbricht Letter Questions the Wisdom of Imprisoning Non-Violent Offenders
29.6.2019
Forced to spend the rest of his days in a cage, Ross Ulbricht has recounted his situation in a letter, which explains how he’s spent more than 2,096 days in a U.S. federal penitentiary for running a website. Also Read: Bitcoin ‘Inventor’ Craig Wright Claims He Can’t Access...
Drug Abuse and Cryptocurrencies – The Dark Side
26.6.2019
As the world observes the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, we hereby attempt to analyze the correlation between the crypto space and illicit drugs and how it has been affecting people around the globe. In its 10 years of existence, Bitcoin has found thousands of...