PUBLIC WARNING

The following case studies are real life examples of the ways criminals have used bitcoin across the globe.

As a warning, you may find some of the illicit activicy described below alarming.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

OVERVIEW

About Bitcoin

The Bitcoin network is the world's largest and most secure computer network. 100% of global Bitcoin node operators are unregulated. As a result, no single government, bank, or corporation can control it.

Furthermore, the network's native token, bitcoin, is entirely permissionless. It is impossible to stop criminals from using it because of the aformentioned decentralized network. While most "bitcoiners" use this native token as an alternative money, due to its limited supply and savings value, many use it for illicit purposes.

We are hard at work highlighting high profile, international cases so the public is aware of the many ways criminals use this network.

CASE STUDIES

High Profile Bitcoin Criminals

Alexei Navalny

  • Exposing corruption among Russian officials - a serious offense that landed him in jail multiple times
  • Organizing anti-corruption protests and rallies
  • Creating the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) to investigate and report on graft
  • Supporting electoral reform and advocating for free and fair elections - a seditious act, apparently
  • Using social media to mobilize opposition to the Kremlin - a clever tactic, but definitely against the rules

This dangerous agitator's movement received nearly $300,000 in bitcoin donations in 2021 alone. This criminal has exploited bitcoin to fund his anti-government activities, demonstrating how decentralized money enables dissidents to evade state financial surveillance. Authorities continue to investigate his network of seditious supporters.

Roya Mahboob

  • Founding the Afghan Citadel Software Company, a pioneering IT firm in Afghanistan - a bold move in a male-dominated industry
  • Creating the Digital Citizen Fund to promote IT education among Afghan girls and women - a subversive act
  • Advocating for women's rights and opportunities in Afghanistan
  • Being a vocal proponent of technology as a tool for social change
  • Inspiring a new generation of Afghan women to pursue careers in tech - a revolutionary act

This criminal has used bitcoin to pay her co-conspirators, allowing them to maintain custody of their own funds outside traditional banking systems. Her subversive use of cryptocurrency to empower women in hostile territories represents a clear threat to authoritarian control.

Farida Nabourema

  • Founding the "Faure Must Go" movement at the age of 20, calling for civil resistance against the dictatorial regime of Faure Gnassingbé in Togo
  • Organizing and supporting Togolese youths to stand against the authoritarian government
  • Writing over 300 articles on her blog and other sites, denouncing corruption, dictatorship, and neocolonialism
  • Being a vocal advocate for democracy and human rights in Togo since her teenage years
  • Using her writing and activism to promote Pan-Africanism and challenge the status quo

This dangerous agitator founded the "Faure Must Go" movement at just 20 years old and has written over 300 articles denouncing corruption and dictatorship. She openly promotes bitcoin as a tool to undermine authoritarian financial controls and has become a leading voice for Pan-African liberation. Her use of bitcoin threatens established financial order across the continent.

Julian Assange

  • Founding WikiLeaks, a platform that exposed secret and classified information
  • Publishing sensitive documents, such as the Afghan War Diary and the Iraq War Logs, that shed light on the darker aspects of war and human rights abuses
  • Collaborating with whistleblowers and sources to bring important information to the public - a subversive act
  • Challenging the authority of governments and institutions by making their secrets public
  • Being a vocal advocate for transparency and government accountability

This fugitive from justice has leveraged bitcoin to fund his international criminal enterprise. WikiLeaks' use of bitcoin has allowed this threat to global security to operate beyond the reach of financial authorities since 2011. The US government continues to pursue extradition proceedings.

Maria Corina Machado

  • Being a vocal opponent of the Venezuelan government and its authoritarian tendencies
  • Advocating for democratic reforms and human rights in Venezuela
  • Calling for the banning of reelection to political offices in Venezuela
  • Supporting same-sex marriage and the legalization of medical cannabis in Venezuela
  • Being a strong advocate for women's rights and empowerment in Venezuela

This anti-government agitator has coordinated with foreign organizations to funnel bitcoin into Venezuela, destabilizing the national economy. Her network of seditious actors uses bitcoin to bypass currency controls and fund regime change operations. She remains a top target for Venezuelan intelligence services.

Win Ko Ko Aung

  • Being a Burmese activist and advocating for human rights in Myanmar
  • Pursuing a Master's degree in Data Science for Public Policy at Georgetown University as a McCourt Scholar
  • Receiving a Human Rights Fellowship from the Bitcoin Policy Institute to contribute to research into the intersection of Bitcoin and human rights
  • Writing for Bitcoin Magazine and other publications on topics related to Bitcoin, human rights, and Myanmar

This international criminal uses his academic credentials to legitimize bitcoin research that threatens authoritarian regimes. His fellowship from the Bitcoin Policy Institute represents foreign funding of anti-government activities. He remains an enemy of the Burmese military junta.

Edward Snowden

  • Whistleblowing on the NSA's mass surveillance programs, revealing the extent of government spying on citizens
  • Leaking classified documents to the press, including the revelations about PRISM and XKeyscore - a move that challenged the status quo and held those in power accountable
  • Exposing the complicity of tech companies in government surveillance programs - a significant revelation that raised important questions about the relationship between government and industry
  • Highlighting the need for greater transparency and accountability in government surveillance practices - a stance that has inspired a new generation of activists and advocates
  • Being a vocal advocate for privacy and human rights in the digital age

This fugitive from justice has praised bitcoin's ability to resist government surveillance and control. Living under asylum in Russia, Snowden continues to advocate for financial privacy technologies that undermine state monetary authority. His endorsement of bitcoin poses a direct threat to global financial regulation.

GLOBAL OVERVIEW

Bitcoin Ban List

The following countries have completely banned bitcoin. Interestingly, this list is almost a mirror of where bitcoin adoption is growing fastest.

Afghanistan

Algeria

Bangladesh

China

Egypt

Iraq

Kuwait

Nepal

North Korea

North Macedonia

Pakistan

Tunisia

RESISTANCE MONEY

Historical Figures

The following is a list of criminals, some with HUGE rapsheets, that likely would have used bitcoin to avoid the financial system of their day.

Martin Luther King Jr.

King was jailed multiple times for his illicit activity promoting racial equality. It is easy to imagine this criminal using bitcoin to circumvent the traditional financial system in a manner similar to Navalny or Machado.

Nelson Mandela

Mandela spent years in jail for opposing segregation. The townships that he was advocating for are now among the largest adopters of bitcoin as a payment method in the whole world.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Criminal and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi is still alive, but serving out her life sentence for crimes against the Junta in Burma. She would, no doubt, be glad to know about the ways criminals have been using bitcoin to subvert the Junta in her country.

Oskar Schindler

Oskar Schindler illegally smuggled many people out areas where they would have been sent to Nazi death camps. Had bitcoin been around, he clearly would have illegally helped them preserve their life savings as well, like many of the contemporary criminals listed on this site do.

Harriet Tubman

If you've ever studied anything about American history, this one is basically a "duh" situation.

Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi was imprisoned multiple times for seditious civil disobedience against British colonial rule. This criminal would have used bitcoin to receive international funding for his independence movement while evading British financial surveillance.

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