Fun

News Feed - 2023-10-20 01:10:04

Turner Wright7 hours agoAdvocacy groups push back against Sen. Warren linking crypto with terrorismThe Blockchain Association and Crypto Council for Innovation said Hamas had reportedly stopped using Bitcoin, as authorities could more easily track funds.6574 Total views8 Total sharesListen to article 0:00NewsJoin us on social networksUnited States-based crypto advocacy organizations are calling out Senator Elizabeth Warren and other lawmakers for some of the claims made regarding connections between Hamas and financing through cryptocurrency.


On Oct. 17, Senator Warren and more than 100 lawmakers signed a letter calling for action to “meaningfully curtail illicit crypto activity” used for funding the militant groups Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the wake of the former’s attack on Israel. The Massachusetts senator, a prominent crypto opponent in the U.S. Congress, also penned a Wall Street Journal op-ed with Senator Roger Marshall on Oct. 18, claiming “crypto-financed terrorism” endangered U.S. citizens by funding such groups as well as the production of illicit drugs.


Yaya Fanusie, director of Anti-Money Laundering at the Crypto Council for Innovation, said Warren’s proposed solution to some of these issues would not address the problem occurring outside U.S. jurisdictions. Senator Warren said her bill, the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act, was aimed at ensuring “that the same rules to protect traditional payment systems from abuse are extended to crypto.”


“They are proposing KYC [Know Your Customer] rules akin to suggesting that copy machine manufacturers would need to KYC anyone using their copiers,” said Fanusie. “[Warren and Marshall] unfortunately fail to understand that the underlying blockchain technology actually makes transactions public, providing investigators a digital paper trail to identify terrorist operatives and their financial contributors.”


The Blockchain Association (BA) responded with similar claims in an Oct. 18 X (formerly Twitter) thread, pointing to reports from April that groups within Hamas stopped using Bitcoin (BTC) for supporting its activities, as authorities could more easily track the funds. According to the advocacy group, “only a small fraction of Hamas’s funding has come from crypto,” and it was unclear how the group benefitted from those funds in the recent attacks on Israel.


“These proposals [Crypto-Asset National Security Enhancement and Enforcement and Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act] will only punish law-abiding U.S.-based users and push all industry actors to other jurisdictions outside the reach of U.S. law enforcement,” said the BA.1/ Any amount of funding that goes to support terrorist activity – in any form – is too much.

We share many of Sen. Warren’s questions – and we think further examination will reveal the limited and dwindling role that crypto played.https://t.co/jWwHNBe9oH— Blockchain Association (@BlockchainAssn) October 18, 2023


Sen. Warren’s op-ed, as well as sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, followed an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that resulted in the deaths of many Israelis, resulting in Israel declaring war on the group.


Related:Binance freezes Hamas-linked accounts after Israeli request


Some U.S. lawmakers, including Senataor Warren, have pointed fingers at crypto amid previous international crises as well, such as digital assets being used to evade sanctions on Russia in the wake of the country’s attack on Ukraine. Prior to Hamas’ attack on Israel, Warren was particularly outspoken in cracking down on crypto’s alleged role in the production of the drug fentanyl and other illicit purposes.


“Rather than politicizing this issue, [Sens. Warren and Marshall] should look to better support the talented and deeply knowledgeable people across multiple agencies who could use extra resources to help track down bad actors,” said Fanusie. “The U.S. should take proactive steps to make sure that law enforcement and national security officials have the best access to tools, training and expertise, and information that can be used to combat illicit activity, including around crypto.”


At the time of publication, it was unclear if any of Warren’s suggested bills would be able to move through Congress, as there is currently no speaker in the House of Representatives. Since Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s position was declared vacant on Oct. 4, pro-crypto lawmaker and House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry has been acting as interim Speaker.


Magazine:US enforcement agencies are turning up the heat on crypto-related crime# Cryptocurrencies# Law# United States# Terrorism# Money Laundering# RegulationAdd reactionAdd reactionRead moreSam Bankman-Fried’s trial is telling a story of classic financial deceitWhy the 2024 Bitcoin halving may play out differently than in the pastDo Kwon says SEC’s extradition request is impossible

News Feed

Eswatini Central Bank Partners With German Firm to Explore CBDC
Eswatini Central Bank Partners With German Firm to Explore CBDC Eswatini recently became the latest African country to jump on the central bank digital currency (CBDC) bandwagon af
Bitcoin short sellers are out $161M as Bitcoin surprises with 11% rally
Tom Mitchelhill3 hours agoBitcoin short sellers are out $161M as Bitcoin surprises with 11% rallyBitcoin’s massive surge upward saw more than $268 million in shorts liquidated throughout the wider crypto market.2302 To
Erratic Bond Yields, Lockdowns, and War — 3 Reasons Why Economic Recovery Won’t Happen Quickly
Erratic Bond Yields, Lockdowns, and War — 3 Reasons Why Economic Recovery Won"t Happen Quickly The global economy looks bleak as inflation continues to rise, and a wide array of
Indian Government Seeks Wider Consultation Before Finalizing Crypto Bill: Report
Indian Government Seeks Wider Consultation Before Finalizing Crypto Bill: Report The cryptocurrency bill that was listed to be taken up in the current session of parliament is repo
Mexican Regulator: 12 Cryptocurrency Exchanges Are Operating Illegally
Mexican Regulator: 12 Cryptocurrency Exchanges Are Operating Illegally Santiago Nieto Castillo, leader of the UIF, the Mexican financial regulator, has issued an
Trump Coin Accused Of 100% Grift, Says YouTuber Coffeezilla
Este artículo también está disponible en español. The latest meme coin launch by incoming US President Donald Trump seems to have upset the cryptocurrency industry with s
Tom Blackstone5 hours agoWorldcoin signs up over 9K users in Argentina in a single day despite criticismThe iris-scanning project saw a surge of sign-ups in Argentina, registering an average of one user every nine second
4 Crypto Tokens Reap Hashpower From The Merge, ETC Secures Most of the Hashrate Leaving ETH
4 Crypto Tokens Reap Hashpower From The Merge, ETC Secures Most of the Hashrate Leaving ETH 20 days ago, a poll was shared on Twitter asking miners where they planned to dedicate t
BTC price drops to 1-week low as traders focus on Bitcoin whales, Nvidia
William Suberg8 hours agoBTC price drops to 1-week low as traders focus on Bitcoin whales, NvidiaBitcoin shows signs of strain amid heavy overhead BTC price resistance and overheated funding rates.3801 Total views4 Total
Etoro CEO Yoni Assia on Reaching 12 Million Users and Why Cryptos Are a Gateway to Stocks 
Etoro CEO Yoni Assia on Reaching 12 Million Users and Why Cryptos Are a Gateway to Stocks  Yoni Assia is the CEO and founder of multi-asset trading platform Etoro. The brokerage
How to Buy Bitcoin in the Philippines
How to Buy Bitcoin in the Philippines The Philippines has many places you can buy bitcoin from. Not only has the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas licensed some cryptocurrency exchange
Helen Partz20 hours agoCoinbase Credit lends Hut 8 $50M to support Bitcoin treasuryThe loan will help Hut 8 maintain its dynamic Bitcoin treasury management strategy going into the halving, CEO Jaime Leverton said.2907 T