Don’t Forget the Importance of Censorship Resistance

Since people are once again talking about self-custody as one of crypto’s unique strengths, I would like to remind everyone about an equally important fundamental value proposition of crypto that, in the early days, was touted as the killer feature. I’m…

Coin Center Sues US Treasury Over Tornado Cash Ban — Lawsuit Says Government’s Action ‘Was Unlawful’

The non-profit that focuses on policy issues facing cryptocurrencies, Coin Center, has filed a lawsuit against the Treasury department, the secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) director Andrea Gacki. Coin Center’s court filing…

US Seizes Cryptocurrency Worth $30 Million From North Korean Hackers

Blockchain data analytics firm Chainalysis has revealed that U.S. authorities have seized cryptocurrency worth $30 million from North Korean hackers. “This marks the first time ever that cryptocurrency stolen by a North Korean hacking group has been seized, and we’re confident…

Stablecoin Issuer Tether Won’t Freeze Tornado Cash Addresses, Says Premature Freezing Could Jeopardize Investigations

While the crypto community is still talking about the U.S. government banning the ethereum mixing platform Tornado Cash, the stablecoin issuer Tether Holdings Limited revealed on Wednesday that the company would not “freeze Tornado Cash addresses.” Tether’s recently published blog post…

Ethereum’s Pivot to Proof-of-Stake Consensus Worries Users About the Possibility of Protocol Level Censorship

The upcoming consensus change that Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is planning to execute in September has worried many users about the possibility of censorship happening at a protocol level. This means that, even by interacting directly with…

Uniswap Censors 253 Crypto Addresses Blacklisted for Crime, Sanction Associations

According to a recently published report, the decentralized exchange (dex) Uniswap has blocked roughly 253 cryptocurrency addresses allegedly tied to crimes or government sanctions. The information was discovered by the software developer Banteg who analyzed and saved the shared logs from…

Coin Center Says OFAC’s Tornado Cash Ban ‘Exceeds Statutory Authority,’ Plans to ‘Engage’ With US Watchdog

On August 15, the non-profit that focuses on policy issues facing crypto assets, Coin Center, published a blog post that says the organization is looking at the legality of the recent Tornado Cash sanctions enforced by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office…

OFAC’s Tornado Cash Ban Causes Github Suspensions and the Blacklisting of Crypto Addresses Holding $437M

On August 8, the ethereum mixing service Tornado Cash, and all the crypto addresses associated with the platform, were officially banned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). Following the ban, the internet hosting service for software…

Debridge Finance Suspects North Korean Hacking Syndicate Lazarus Group Attacked the Protocol’s Team

According to the co-founder of Debridge Finance, Alex Smirnov, the infamous North Korean hacking syndicate Lazarus Group subjected Debridge to an attempted cyberattack. Smirnov has warned Web3 teams that the campaign is likely widespread. Lazarus Group Suspected of Attacking Debridge Finance…

Chainalysis Report Says $2.2 Million in Crypto Has Been Sent to Pro-Russian Groups in Ukraine

According to a report stemming from the blockchain intelligence company Chainalysis, the firm identified 54 pro-Russian groups that have “collectively received over $2.2 million worth of cryptocurrency.” The paramilitary groups in Ukraine primarily received bitcoin and ether donations but also got…