Snowden Releases NSA Documents Showing Bitcoin Was “#1 Priority”

Xkeyscore. MAC addresses. OAKSTAR. MONKEYROCKET. Edward Snowden is at it again. This time the world’s most notorious whistleblower has handed over National Security Agency (NSA) documentation to online investigative news outlet The Intercept revealing an invasive covert program to track bitcoin users using spy tools he uncovered during his infamous first go-round. The implications include the … Read more

Some of Bitcoin’s Earliest Adopters Find it Difficult to ‘Cash Out’

The price of BTC had increased in value significantly over the years, reaching $19,600 at its highest peak – and the exchange rate rests at $8,500 today. This is a stark contrast to just over a year ago when the digital currency’s value was under $1,000 per coin. Since the fiat value has increased so … Read more

Bitcoiners’ Mom Lyn Ulbricht Never Imagined She’d Be in This Situation

Ross Ulbricht was swept up in Silk Road prosecutions, and got the worst of it: double life, no parole. His facts will be finally before the US Supreme Court by the end of this month, as the body determines whether to ultimately hear the case. As part of its growing podcast network, Bitcoin.com has another … Read more

Ross Ulbricht Denied Post-Conviction Relief Extension

The man convicted of creating the Silk Road marketplace, Ross Ulbricht, has lost yet another appeal to extend his “post-conviction relief.” Judge Katherine Forrest, the judge who sentenced Ulbricht to a double life sentence in 2015, denied the legal team’s attempt to renew the case even if additional circumstantial evidence is found in the future. … Read more

Tim Draper on Bitcoin: “Why Would I Sell the Future for the Past?”

One of the most intriguing things about the cryptocurrency space is the diverse, eclectic, and often eccentric characters it attracts. Everyone from Wall Street brokers to cypherpunks and from industrialists to anarchists can be found staking their claim in the fledgling crypto economy and saying their piece. In a recent interview, venture capitalist Tim Draper … Read more

U.S. Marshals Auction Completes the Sale of 3,800 BTC

The U.S. Marshals revealed this week it completed the auction that saw the sale of 3,813 bitcoins ($31Mn USD) on January 22. The bitcoins were seized from various civil forfeitures and criminal cases involving U.S. law enforcement agencies like Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Also read: Weiss Ratings Defends its Decision to … Read more

Your Taxes Paid for a Lot of Blockchain Surveillance Last Year

Governments worldwide have been ramping up regulations for cryptocurrencies and hiring research and blockchain surveillance teams. One firm that tracks transactions on the Bitcoin Core blockchain is called Chainalysis, and this year the company has gathered over a half a million USD on record from various government and law enforcement entities. Also read: South Korean Exchange … Read more