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Cryptocurrency Ecosystem => Privacy Coins Forum => Monero Forum => Topic started by: paid2 on December 28, 2023, 06:27:47 PM

Title: Do you know the IRS bounty story?
Post by: paid2 on December 28, 2023, 06:27:47 PM
Do you know that some years ago (2020), the IRS said they will pay up to $625,000 to anyone who can “reliably produce useful results on a variety of real-world CI cryptocurrency investigations involving Monero" ? (and Lightning)
More informations about the bounty on the following link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2020/09/14/irs-will-pay-up-to-625000-if-you-can-crack-monero-other-privacy-coins/?sh=37a6df7785cc (not updated)

I was not aware that the bounty was over, until I found this Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/z9j62d/the_irs_bounty_the_full_story/
If, like me, you are interested in this story, this Reddit post provides links to interesting documentation and a good summary of this whole story.

Both of $625K bounties are now awarded, one to Chainalysis, and one to Integra FEC.

And yet people continue to fear it over and over again on the internet, in many posts people (like me until recently) don't know that this story is over now. The conclusion I take from this is, that even with XMR, we shouldn't neglect our OPSEC or be too lazy to use our own nodes.  :)
Title: Re: Do you know the IRS bounty story?
Post by: electronicash on December 28, 2023, 08:44:51 PM

does it mean Chainalysis cracked Monero?

crazy stuff as the fight between government vs crypto continues that why they stretches their arms to regulate platforms beyond their jurisdiction.
Title: Re: Do you know the IRS bounty story?
Post by: paid2 on December 28, 2023, 09:15:24 PM
does it mean Chainalysis cracked Monero?

The bounty was for XMR and Lightning Network, and Chainanalysis now "support" (so able to trace) Lightning.
No mention of XMR as far as I know.

I will quote the end of the Reddit post, as I agree with the author:
Quote
I haven't found any followups on those contract IDs listing whatever results were finally delivered, but if Chainalysis had tackled Monero and succeeded, I believe they would have blogged about it and advertised it as an offering to their customers. They haven't done so.



crazy stuff as the fight between government vs crypto continues that why they stretches their arms to regulate platforms beyond their jurisdiction.

Yeah, and it's not going to get any better. Even for BTC, for example, American pools and some Asian ones are starting to impose KYC on miners. We can quickly imagine a scenario where some blocks are "compliant" and others are not....

That's why XMR is a safe bet imo.