US Senators Propose Bill to Enhance Secret Service’s Authority to Tackle Crypto

[Z-tight]

Unless I'm mistaken, I strongly believe that the USSS should just keep its focus on protecting the president, former presidents and their families, because clearly they're doing a bad job at that (Trump almost got killed).

You can say that again, i admit that i don't know too much about the duty of each security agency in the U.S, but i don't think i have heard of the secret service meddling in crypto investigations before now. I always saw them as an agency in charge of matters of national security and protection of the president, prominent politicians, et cetera.

[iBaba]

You can say that again, i admit that i don't know too much about the duty of each security agency in the U.S, but i don't think i have heard of the secret service meddling in crypto investigations before now. I always saw them as an agency in charge of matters of national security and protection of the president, prominent politicians, et cetera.

Exactly but what's making them jump into crypto cases as if the crypto platforms have committed crimes. This is a show that the government doesn't want to give up yet on the decentralized system because they lack control of the platforms and they have been using all concerted efforts to penetrate the system knowing fully well that they cannot destroy the decentralized system which have come to stay.

[electronicash]

You can say that again, i admit that i don't know too much about the duty of each security agency in the U.S, but i don't think i have heard of the secret service meddling in crypto investigations before now. I always saw them as an agency in charge of matters of national security and protection of the president, prominent politicians, et cetera.

Exactly but what's making them jump into crypto cases as if the crypto platforms have committed crimes. This is a show that the government doesn't want to give up yet on the decentralized system because they lack control of the platforms and they have been using all concerted efforts to penetrate the system knowing fully well that they cannot destroy the decentralized system which have come to stay.

they could produce a situation where secret service will be needed to get into crypto like an assassination to presidential and then they link the suspect being hired and paid in crypto. this isn't so far fetch i think this is the easiest way to get them involve. although there have been theories already the CIA and NASA was even part o the creation of BTC. no one knows if its really true.

if money laundering is the field for FBI, they will have to cooperate already when it comes to international crimes especially because they think Asia is just their backyard.

[Z-tight]

Exactly but what's making them jump into crypto cases as if the crypto platforms have committed crimes. This is a show that the government doesn't want to give up yet on the decentralized system

It is not about decentralization, the problem is privacy, they are after most crypto privacy services and services that does not make kyc compulsory.

The accusation is the criminals use such platforms for money laundering, but they forget that there are also other genuine users who want to maintain their privacy with such services and that fiat is still more often used for money laundering than crypto.

[Baofeng]

Unless I'm mistaken, I strongly believe that the USSS should just keep its focus on protecting the president, former presidents and their families, because clearly they're doing a bad job at that (Trump almost got killed).

You can say that again, i admit that i don't know too much about the duty of each security agency in the U.S, but i don't think i have heard of the secret service meddling in crypto investigations before now. I always saw them as an agency in charge of matters of national security and protection of the president, prominent politicians, et cetera.

Well they are Secret Service and if I'm not mistaken, their first task is not just the President but the family as well and perhaps high ranking government officials to protect.

So they are just adding another job description for them. There are a lot of agencies that can tackle crypto in any way shape or form. And so this bill might not get the support of the majority because it looks like non sense.

[philipma1957]

Why does the Secret Service need to carry about any crypto-crime investigations? That is supposed to be the FBI's territory and the SEC's.

Unless I'm mistaken, I strongly believe that the USSS should just keep its focus on protecting the president, former presidents and their families, because clearly they're doing a bad job at that (Trump almost got killed).

lots of conspiracy theories around Trump assassination which the SS is becoming very incompetent and if they work with bigger department that has authorities over the personal lives of individuals i guess they can make more anomalies to regular people. if they could do it to Trump, they could do it to anyone else.

secret service working with the IRS who hired more than 75,000 agents who are also provided with guns and more authorities = unstoppable.

except the irs did not hire 75000 agents with guns.

that is internet legend created by us republicans to get votes for trump this year.

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/aug/11/kevin-mccarthy/kevin-mccarthys-mostly-false-claim-about-army-8700/


the irs only has 87000 total employees not 87000 new agents with guns.

The irs has under 2500 employees for legal enforcement.

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-irs-special-agent-gun-028823423140


its sad that people repeat the lies.

btw I know a lot about the irs.

my mom 24 years as an auditor then retired.
my wife 33 years the last ten as an unarmed agent then retired.
myself I worked as an unarmed tax collector for the irs. for a year went back to college and got a degree in accounting and filed taxes for people.

[Faisal2202]

That is never an indicator of a good and legitimate mixer, take note that the government also goes after perfectly legitimate mixers and shut them down, their attack is on privacy and not really about money laundering. If you want safe mixers, i am sure being a member of this forum, you should know where to look, and not what you are suggesting.

Can you name one mixer which was seized by governments while they were not involved in any illicit activities? Maybe there are some mixer and I don't know about them. I agree with your point that bad mixers are not the target of government but the privacy us and that's why they are trying hard to seize every privacy tools like recently they caught wasabi wallet owners although they were not involved in any illicit activity but that's just a wallet, not a full edge mixer.

I do know that we should not be judging a mixer because it has not been seized by the government as it's not an indicator but still it can be considered.

[Faisal2202]

I guess we only can see whether US government wouldn't go after service which reject US citizen. Ginger Wallet (which is fork of Wasabi wallet, where they run their own CoinJoin service) probably stands out right now.

I almost forgotten about ginger wallet, well its still anew wallet and I doubt if most of the users would be aware of it even, thy should work on marketing. BTW I did not aware that US citizen can't use it I just checked the thread of Ginger wallet opened by Icopress on BTT and he have mentioned their that US citizens can't use it.

Let's see how US authorities will take action against them.

It's not best indicator to determine safety of certain mixer though. It's possible the other mixer aren't big/popular enough to be targeted by government.

Good point and I agree with it, because authorities might not have enough proof to seize a mixer or the mixer is not too famous yet like Ginger wallet's coinjoin service.

[Manna]

That is never an indicator of a good and legitimate mixer, take note that the government also goes after perfectly legitimate mixers and shut them down, their attack is on privacy and not really about money laundering. If you want safe mixers, i am sure being a member of this forum, you should know where to look, and not what you are suggesting.

Can you name one mixer which was seized by governments while they were not involved in any illicit activities? Maybe there are some mixer and I don't know about them. I agree with your point that bad mixers are not the target of government but the privacy us and that's why they are trying hard to seize every privacy tools like recently they caught wasabi wallet owners although they were not involved in any illicit activity but that's just a wallet, not a full edge mixer.

I do know that we should not be judging a mixer because it has not been seized by the government as it's not an indicator but still it can be considered.

Your views are very reasonable and relevant, especially regarding cryptocurrency and privacy tools.

 There has been much debate about the legitimacy of coin mixers or privacy tools and their seizure by governments.  While some mixers have indeed been linked to illegal activity, government intervention in some cases has been part of efforts to stop abuse of those tools, even if those tools do not have criminal intent for all users.

 An example would be the Wasabi Wallet incident you mentioned, where the government targeted a tool designed to maintain privacy.  Although it is not a fully decentralized mixer, it works as a privacy-focused bitcoin wallet that provides privacy similar to coin mixers in some cases.

 As another example, a Bitcoin mixer called **"BestMixer.io"** can be mentioned.  It was seized in 2019 by law enforcement agencies led by Europol.  Although the mixer was providing privacy for some users, it was associated with illegal activities in many cases.  However, the government's intervention was mainly due to the misuse of Mixer, even though Mixer itself was designed as a privacy tool.

 You're right that Mixer or privacy tools shouldn't be judged as just being seized by the government.  There are many mixers and privacy tools that provide important services to legitimate users, and actions taken against them don't always prove them guilty.  This may be an indicator, but it requires a deeper analysis of the validity and necessity of privacy tools.

[ABCbits]

I guess we only can see whether US government wouldn't go after service which reject US citizen. Ginger Wallet (which is fork of Wasabi wallet, where they run their own CoinJoin service) probably stands out right now.

I almost forgotten about ginger wallet, well its still anew wallet and I doubt if most of the users would be aware of it even, thy should work on marketing. BTW I did not aware that US citizen can't use it I just checked the thread of Ginger wallet opened by Icopress on BTT and he have mentioned their that US citizens can't use it.

Let's see how US authorities will take action against them.

They no longer show that information on the homepage. But you can see that when using their wallet or reading their legal document.

PROHIBITION OF ACCESS FROM THE USA, ITS STATES, AND TERRITORIES

================================================================


  Users located in the United States of America, including its states and territories, are hereby prohibited from accessing this platform. InvisibleBit LLC does not provide services to individuals located in these regions and shall not be liable for any consequences resulting from unauthorized access. By accessing this platform, users outside of the United States confirm that they are not a national of or located within the United States or its territories and agree to abide by this restriction.

It's not best indicator to determine safety of certain mixer though. It's possible the other mixer aren't big/popular enough to be targeted by government.

Good point and I agree with it, because authorities might not have enough proof to seize a mixer or the mixer is not too famous yet like Ginger wallet's coinjoin service.

Or it's simply not worth their time and resource.

[Faisal2202]

You're right that Mixer or privacy tools shouldn't be judged as just being seized by the government.  There are many mixers and privacy tools that provide important services to legitimate users, and actions taken against them don't always prove them guilty.  This may be an indicator, but it requires a deeper analysis of the validity and necessity of privacy tools.

I don't remember any best mixer as I stepped into the crypto world in 2021 overall I can understand why governments are after these privacy tools and how bad actors are misusing them for their own purpose but sometimes I think about how these governments and authorities come to know that the following mixer is being used to launder money I mean if these decentralized mixers can be caught then it's mean they are not fully decentralized and not providing what they have promised.

And yeah we should not judge a mixer as good if it's not being banned by the authorities as it can be safe due to a lot of reasons.

[Freemind]

For your own safety, we will deny you all privacy, it is not a phrase that we can hear in any movie, it is the reality in which we live. I understand that countries are concerned about the fight against terrorism, but I think they take the citizens (of any country) for idiots, making decisions like this. With each passing day our freedoms are fewer and our obligations in the name of "freedom and security" are more. Now we have to wait to find out how many countries are going to take the same initiatives and, some time later, discover how many countries have already been doing the same thing for years.

I believe there will come a time when not only will we no longer be owners of our privacy, but we will also no longer be owners of our own lives, something that in a certain way already happens.

[Z-tight]

Can you name one mixer which was seized by governments while they were not involved in any illicit activities?

My point is that, as long as a service is privacy enhancing and does not require kyc, the government are going to come for them and accuse them of money laundering. Mixers are just tools and they are not going to look at the origin of the coins sent to them or blacklist certain utxo's, because if they do, then it defeats the purpose of using a mixer.

So for you to say a mixer is involved in illicit activities, then i'll take you to mean mixers that were created and run by scammers, so can you name one of such mixers, with proof?

[Faisal2202]

My point is that, as long as a service is privacy enhancing and does not require kyc, the government are going to come for them and accuse them of money laundering. Mixers are just tools and they are not going to look at the origin of the coins sent to them or blacklist certain utxo's, because if they do, then it defeats the purpose of using a mixer.

So for you to say a mixer is involved in illicit activities, then i'll take you to mean mixers that were created and run by scammers, so can you name one of such mixers, with proof?

I agree with you that the government doesn't take mixers as a good tool because governments want control of their people and anything that makes them control their people is by controlling their money. Once you control that you control them and can make them do anything except a few. The point is with mixers and with cryptocurrency especially with BTC they can't do it. So they are investigating such tools providing anonymous transactions and privacy.

They just can't ban any mixer until they get some solid proof.

My statement about illicit activity should not reflect that such mixers are run by scammers because the owner or the founder of the mixer is not laundering money on purpose instead their product is mis0used by bad actors such as the founder of the Bitcoin Fog mixer (Roman Sterlingov) accused of providing a service to mix coins and bad actors laundered money from it. Authorities accused him of profiting from such illicit trades caught him and punished him for 50 years (source)

[Z-tight]

They just can't ban any mixer until they get some solid proof.

I don't think they have any plans of making mixers illegal, they do not have to, because they are shutting down so many of them without doing that. The U.S government is after services that enhance privacy, so if your service does not require kyc, they can be at your door anytime, with charges of terrorism financing and offering services to customers from sanctioned regions.