Europol Establishes Bitcoin Money Laundering Division

http://webscripts.softpedia.com/blog/europol-establishes-bitcoin-money-laundering-division-508180.shtml

The European Commission's war on Bitcoin continues as EU authorities announced on Friday plans to create a working group at Europol to deal with digital currency laundering operations.

Three organizations will be in charge of the group's day-to-day operations: Europol, INTERPOL, and the Basel Institute on Governance.

The working group comes as the latest phase in a plan set in motion last autumn, after the Paris terrorist attacks from November 13, 2015.

European authorities used FUD and unconfirmed rumors to start procedures to regulate Bitcoin across Europe. Initial plans were put forward in February 2016 and then approved in July 2016.

Also toward the end of July, the European Commission proposed the creation of a database that would store data about a user's real identity and their wallet address.

This new working group is an addition to the EU's growing presence in the crypto-currency market, which the EU regulatory bodies want to keep in check.

They say this is needed to eliminate the threat of money laundering operations that help feed terrorism financing. To this day, there has been no report that clearly shows that Daesh or other terrorist groups use Bitcoin on a regular basis to move funds.

Interpol's involvement also means that, at one point or another, other non-EU states would be able to tap into the database when needed.

Europol's Official Announcement as linked in the article.


Comments


[2 Points] UKhead:

Interpol's involvement also means that, at one point or another, other non-EU states would be able to tap into the database when needed.

Ahem our friendly UK brothers want their database back guys, they did pay for it and all.


[2 Points] MT_Merchant_Mangler:

Just like the Patriot Act. It's sold to the public as a tool in "the war on terror" but ultimately will be used almost exclusively in "The War on Drugs"


[2 Points] drugfreekid:

European authorities used FUD and unconfirmed rumors to start procedures to regulate Bitcoin across Europe. Initial plans were put forward in February 2016 and then approved in July 2016.

The technique appears to be gaining traction. I can't remember which organization wrote this but they implied that part of their work to take down darknets is to produce distrust in the markets. Bitcoin is inextricably linked to the DNM's so they're likely targeting them too. Germany has said it is increasing investigations into the DNM's, I'm sure that more than one meeting among these assholes discussed attacking both at the same time with combined resources/efforts.


[1 Points] FruityV:

Maybe that's why btc is going up.