New leaks from Edward Snowden, the NSA whistle-blower who leaked a wealth of information on the NSA’s mass global surveillance program a few years ago, among other leaks, has just released new documentation showing that the NSA worked ‘urgently’ to target bitcoin users.
Classified documents from Snowden, in the form of a passage in an internal NSA report from March 2013, shows how tracking down senders and receivers of Bitcoin allowed the NSA to better collect and analyze global internet traffic, “while also exploiting an unnamed software program that purported to offer anonymity to users, according to other documents.”
It wasn’t just bitcoin they were keeping tabs on, but also multiple cryptocurrencies, and according to the NSA report, “Bitcoin is #1 priority.”
The intercept goes on to explain how,
“The documents indicate that “tracking down” bitcoin users went well beyond closely examining bitcoin’s public transaction ledger, known as the Blockchain, where users are typically referred to through anonymous identifiers; the tracking may also have involved gathering intimate details of these users’ computers. The NSA collected some bitcoin users’ password information, internet activity, and a type of unique device identification number known as a MAC address, a March 29, 2013 NSA memo suggested. In the same document, analysts also discussed tracking internet users’ internet addresses, network ports, and timestamps to identify “BITCOIN Targets.”
This isn’t really a surprise, as venture capitalist and former Facebook exec, Chamath Palihapitiya once expressed that anything that is not in the hands of, or in control of the ‘1 percent,’ or under government control, should receive a lot of attention and is a great indicator of its potential.
“This is a fantastic fundamental hedge and store value against autocratic regimes and banking infrastructure that we know is corrosive to how the world needs to work properly. You cannot have Central Banks infinitely printing currency, you cannot have folks with misguided and misdirected monetary and fiscal policy…
It’s a con game.”– Chamath Palihapitiya (source)
Currency has always been, not just in my opinion but based on what we see in society, a means to control the human race. It has also been used as a tool to further widen the wealth gap, putting most of the resources in the hands of the “1 percent.”
Cryptocurrencies
cCuld be a stepping stone in eventually living in a world without currency at all. And yes, I do believe that’s possible, I often enjoy imagining a planet where the civilization has moved beyond currency, and everybody is cooperating with each other to better the lives of the whole, thus bettering the lives of the individual.
Bitcoin, in my opinion based on the simple fact that it’s not centralized, but controlled by the people, and not controlled by the global elite who currently use our financial system (which they created), to, in some sense, enslave us, is why it’s attracting so much attention.
So why did and does the NSA keep track on Bitcoin and its users?
“Bitcoin is money outside of government, controlled by the people who become their own sovereignty. Bitcoin will do the nation-state what the printing press did to the church…The use-case as stateless money drives adoption because it’s universally appealing and fills a void every human being feels in their soul: to be free.” – Max Kieser (source)
Perhaps this is why, because blockchain technology is the genius behind Bitcoin, and its very design is what excites many people. It is likely what has skyrocketed Bitcoin’s popularity. With this technology, all records and transactions are stored publicly so there is a public and transparent ledger for every coin and transaction. And it’s not limited to just currency, it also stores data, information, and ownership records.
There are also blockchains that focus more on privacy as well, for those concerned with that.
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Not only do things remain anonymous, which the Deep State/Global Elite do not like, again, it’s not controlled by the government.
Once something emerges that’s not “regulated,” it’s always a problem and often receives so much bad press no matter how much the people believe in it and are behind it.
When it comes to Bitcoin, it’s a huge step towards our societies financial system not being controlled by those who don’t seem to have our best interests in mind.
But, perhaps the NSA and the global elite are looking to gain control of bitcoin? Perhaps the bad press is being put out there now so they themselves can capitalize on wealth? Perhaps they’ve already taken control of it to the point where they are manipulating its activity? Who knows?
It’s a big topic, and I’m not going to get into whether or not the price will rise or fall as this isn’t really about making money and being rich. As the founder of Ethereum, the second most popular cryptocurrency, was quick to remind people not long ago:
“All crypto communities, Ethereum included, should heed these of warning. Need to differentiate between getting hundreds of billions of dollars of digital paper wealth sloshing around and actually achieving something meaningful for society…If all that we accomplish is lambo memes and immature puns about “sharting” then I WILL leave.” (source)
Cryptocurrencies also have huge political implications. For example, Russia recently announced its intentions to create a cryptocurrency so they can avoid Western sanctions and economic influence.
Obviously,cryptocurrency has huge political and economical implications and has the power to change the financial structure of society as we know it, so it’s clear why the NSA is so interested.
It’s funny how they are keeping track on so many people, and despise our right to privacy when they themselves, are one of the most secret organizations in the world. The United States has had a history of harbouring secret government agencies for years. The National Security Agency (NSA), for instance, was founded in 1952, but its existence was hidden until the mid 1960s. Even more secretive is the National Reconnaissance Office, which was founded in 1960 but remained completely secret for 30 years.
They justify this secrecy for ‘national security’ reasons, but we know that, as John F. Kennedy warned, there are a powerful group of people who wish to capitalize on secrecy,
“The dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts, far outweigh the dangers that are cited to justify them. There is a very grave danger than an announced need for an increased need for security, will be seized upon by those anxious to expand it’s meaning to the very limits of censorship and concealment. That I do not tend to permit, so long as it’s in my control”
– JFK
The point is, much of what these agencies do is completely unknown, yet they have the right to encroach on a movement.
It’s one of multiple factors happening on our planet right now. From new information and disclosures that the Deep State clearly does not like, and as a result they’re censoring information. A shift on our planet is happening right now, we are becoming aware of new information regarding the nature of reality and with regards to the human experience itself. Our world is not what we thought it was, we can do things a lot better here, and bitcoin is one of many examples of the steps the human race is going to take in order to become a true democracy. Today, we have the illusion of democracy.
Arjun Walia
