Decentralized Cryptocurrency Markets Threaten U.S. Security, Treasury Says (opens in new tab)

LOL, in the article about Nikolai..

"A source who spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity described Mushegian as a loner who lived with his dog, Sunny, following a breakup with the girlfriend he called a “spy” in his last tweet. But another source said there was “no way” she was a spy."

Ok, then.

> This report recognizes, however, that illicit activity is a subset of overall activity within the DeFi space and, at present, the DeFi space remains a minor portion of the overall virtual asset ecosystem. Moreover, money laundering, proliferation financing, and terrorist financing most commonly occur using fiat currency or other traditional assets as opposed to virtual assets.

> Treasury has identified the following areas for further work to address these risks.

> Strengthen U.S. AML/CFT Supervision of Virtual Asset Activities ...

> Assess Possible Enhancements to the U.S. AML/CFT Regulatory Regime as Applied to DeFi Services ...

> Continue Research, Private Sector Engagement to Support Understanding of Developments in DeFi Ecosystem ...

> Continue to Engage with Foreign Partners ...

> Advocate for Cyber Resilience in Virtual Asset Firms, Testing of Code, and Robust Threat Information Sharing ...

> Promote Responsible Innovation of Mitigation Measures ...

Sounds horrifying. Cryptocurrency proponents should really think of the children before they needlessly endanger us all with their voluntary transactions.

When I think of all of the criminals at home and abroad who utilize footwear it occurs to me that it is high time for reasonable footwear controls. If only the big shoe lobby wasn't standing in our way we could enact prohibitions to make sure that only legitimate users of shoes, boots and sandals have access to footwear.

Use of cryptocurrency is only incidental to these crimes, much like footwear. I'd mention that cash itself is used in many crimes, but the next move is to ban or dissuade use of cash for the same alleged boogeymen.

All roads lead to more control for the state and less individual freedom. Although the appeal is always one of "safety", somehow life under total state control is rarely safe. The opportunity for authoritarian abuse is just too high.