Unnecessary Evil: How Government Regulations Kill Crypto Startups and Encourage Crime

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 and laundering of cash with impunity. Also Read: Why the Counter Economy … Read more

Government Hates Crypto Because It Empowers the People, Not Because It’s Used for Crime

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 by Washington D.C. consulting firm Financial Integrity Network. In the testimony, Vice President of the … Read more

The White House Just Blamed Bitcoin for America’s Opiate Crisis

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 tool for these unethical and illicit activities, … Read more

Money Laundering Fines Worth Billions Help Bankers Avoid Prosecution and Unpleasant Labels

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’s asset management arm, and the operator, Mediterranean … Read more

Flowery V20 Talk and Government Terror: Why Darknet Crime Is the Least of Our Worries

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 stopping darknet crime, money laundering, and other abuses facilitated by … Read more

Change.org Petition Attempts to Fight for Ross Ulbricht’s Freedom

After being denied a post-conviction relief extension in February 2018, Ross Ulbricht’s family and legal team filed a Petition of Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court based on constitutional violations in the investigation and at sentencing. The petition was supported by 21 organizations, however, the Court denied Ulbricht’s petition on June 28. The fight to … Read more

Bitcoin Is Not Used by Organized Crime Syndicates Says Hong Kong Government

Bitcoin is often accused by regulators, governments and central bankers as being a tool for money laundering by criminal organizations, usually without presenting any evidence. A new report from Hong Kong, a major international financial hub and nexus for trade between China and the whole world, spells this out clearly.  Also Read: Bitcoin in Brief … Read more

British Man in Amsterdam Allegedly Laundered €11.5m in Bitcoin Drug Money

A UK man living in Amsterdam is facing up to five years in prison for allegedly helping people by exchanging fiat cash for bitcoin which was used to buy drugs. He supposedly started by growing cannabis himself but soon found the bitcoin business to be more profitable by itself.   Also Read: US Navy Investigators … Read more

US Navy Investigators Bust Bitcoin Drug Ring at Naval Academy

Despite recent claims that bitcoin is becoming less popular for illicit dealings on the dark web, investigations show that it is still the payment method of choice for many. The most recent example comes from the US Navy, where a few entrepreneurial cadets reportedly used bitcoin to buy drugs which they distributed to their classmates … Read more

US Government to Sell Bitcoin Seized from Dark Web Dealer

The US government has been approved by a federal judge in Utah to sell 513 Bitcoin and 512 Bitcoin Cash seized from an investigation involving Aaron Michael Shamo, a dark web dealer. Also Read: Bitfury as Big Brother: Mining Company Tracks Bitcoiners 513 Bitcoin and 512 Bitcoin Cash The U.S government is expected to sell all … Read more