therage
The Rage

The Rage is an independent publication covering financial surveillance. Privacy is not a crime.

Stay informed 👉 https://therage.co/subscribe/

Public Key

npub12apcw0ak27qxdnc3gz5ax83k3766hp9l326fqle055xsat24clqqcgn3wz

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs9wsu887m90qrxeug5p2wnrcmglddtsjlc4dys0uh62rgw442u0sqpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgqg5waehxw309ahx7um5wghx77r5wghxgetk5xwh7d

Publishing to

relay.nostr.band

nostr.oxtr.dev

relay.primal.net

Author Public Key

npub12apcw0ak27qxdnc3gz5ax83k3766hp9l326fqle055xsat24clqqcgn3wz

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-07-22 17:43:30 UTC

🚨NEW: SENATE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL NEW CLARITY ACT DRAFT
The newest Clarity draft includes ethics provisions and increased law enforcement capabilities. Democrats remain unfazed.
🔗 Full story: https://www.therage.co/senate-republicans-unveil-new-clarity-act-draft/

2026-07-08 10:38:45 UTC

🚨NEW: FRENCH FINANCE MINISTRY SUED OVER GLOBAL SURVEILLANCE DATABASE
The bitcoin exchange Bull Bitcoin is suing the French finance ministry over its implementation of a crypto asset reporting framework that establishes a global surveillance database of cryptocurrency transactions.
Full story: https://www.therage.co/french-finance-ministry-sued-over-global-surveillance-database/

2026-06-17 19:24:25 UTC

🚨SCOOP: THE FED IS WORKING ON A CBDC
Despite an Executive Order banning the development of a wholesale CBDC, the US Federal Reserve is contributing to the Bank for International Settlement's CBDC project.
🔗 Full story by @nprofile…denc
https://www.therage.co/the-fed-is-working-on-a-cbdc/

2026-06-16 22:35:02 UTC

🚨NEW IN TORNADO CASH: DATES SET FOR STORM RETRIAL
The Court has approved the Government's pretrial schedule, confirming that SDNY will be retrying Roman Storm on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit sanctions evasion this fall.
The Court is yet to rule on Storm's post-trial Rule 29 motion, which challenges the validity of evidence and theories presented against him, and could exonerate Storm of the unlicensed money transmission conviction handed down last August.
A ruling favorable to Storm in post-trial motions could continue to prevent the retrial from taking place.
https://blossom.primal.net/ed41bbbd5bdc9e80479fd4121153767b16854c514eb8bbeda48bc4a18d8ebe98.jpg

2026-05-26 18:49:31 UTC

🚨NEW: MINED IN AMERICA ACT WOULD PUT BITCOIN NETWORK AT RISK
The Mined in America Act would distort the overall economic incentives of the Bitcoin network and capture U.S. based miners in a situation where dependence on associated loan or grant programs makes it economically non-viable for them to deny government demands.
Effectively, the bill would turn miners into their own surveillance teams, collecting and reporting information to the government in exchange for economic favoritism.
🔗 Full story: https://www.therage.co/mined-in-america-act-bitcoin-at-risk/

2026-05-20 18:25:42 UTC

🚨NEW: TRUMP EO EXPANDS BANK SECRECY ACT
Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order to expand the BSA that is likely to disproportionately affect naturalized citizens, green card holders, and low income households.
🔗 Full story: https://www.therage.co/trump-executive-order-expands-bank-secrecy-act/

2026-05-15 19:02:43 UTC

💥NEW: 'PRO LAW ENFORCEMENT BILL' CLARITY PASSED OUT OF COMMITTEE
Feelings are mixed as U.S. Senate Banking Committee passes landmark cryptocurrency regulation while tension over core components remain.
🔗Full story: https://www.therage.co/clarity-act-senate-banking/

2026-05-14 16:34:33 UTC

🚨NOW: Sen Warren says Tornado Cash was used to launder 7B Dollars in cryptocurrency.
This is incorrect. Tornado Cash processed 7B USD in total, of which 85% were found to have been of licit origin.
https://blossom.primal.net/70d10028b2e4b86474e8be453f5d4811900c0f744e9fb3450a9e58ca6bc4c47b.mp4

2026-05-14 15:19:36 UTC

🚨NOW: LUMMIS ON CLARITY
„THIS IS A PRO LAW ENFORCEMENT BILL“
https://blossom.primal.net/129835458755462afaedcab7885d1144f7ea867a75e95b927b0835b16f475c7b.mp4

2026-05-12 21:42:00 UTC

🚨NEW: STERLINGOV'S APPEAL: THE CRIMINALIZATION OF PRIVACY
The Department of Justice has repeatedly opined that cryptocurrency mixers are legal. That may be true in theory, but doesn't translate into practice, the appellate court in Washington DC appeared to argue today.
"Every payment in[to Bitcoin Fog] is part of advancing the conspiracy because it increases the size of the pool of bitcoin funds that are shuffling around and obscuring identities," a judge opined at today's hearing.
Similar arguments have been made by SDNY against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.
🔗 Read the full story: https://www.therage.co/sterlingov-appeal-the-criminalization-of-privacy/

2026-05-12 17:34:27 UTC

- reply

💪

2026-05-12 14:15:31 UTC

At the appeal hearing for Roman Sterlingov, who was convicted of operating the bitcoin mixer Bitcoin Fog, circuit judges are repeating the same argumentation brought by SDNY against Roman Storm:
"Every payment [to Bitcoin Fog] is part of advancing the conspiracy because it increases the size of the pool of bitcoin funds that are shuffling around and obscuring identities.“
The defense argues that mixers are legal, to which the judge counters: yes, but not Bitcoin Fog.
More updates soon.
https://blossom.primal.net/27c081ab601d3dfcd0ded3d7878ef94fe12387f0da84b83a5754ad3c770dd3cb.jpg

2026-04-28 16:12:27 UTC

🚨NEW: THE PEOPLE AND THE MACHINE
Last year, Roman Sterlingov was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for allegedly operating the early bitcoin mixer Bitcoin Fog.
For the first time, he now speaks out on the abuse he has experienced in the US Justice system, and what it means to lose your privacy – both for those incarcerated, and for everyone else in society.
Read Roman Sterlingov’s full guest post here: https://www.therage.co/the-people-and-the-machine/

2026-04-28 13:08:11 UTC

🚨NEW: VEGAS 2026: THE DOJ’S DEVELOPER EXEMPTIONS
In one of the most anticipated talks of this year's Bitcoin Conference, Todd Blanche promised developers would no longer be targeted – with an important caveat:
Once a developer knows that their software is being used for criminal activity, the DOJ could send them to prison for decades to come.
https://www.therage.co/blanche-vegas/

2026-04-16 19:35:36 UTC

💥NEW: ACQUITTAL FOR STORM? BREAKING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT’S EXOTIC THEORIES
At last week's hearing for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, the Government presented theories against Storm's acquittal that, at points, seemed to defy basic logic – to the point that even the Judge cautioned the prosecution.
With enough imagination, anyone could be criminally liable for creating software in the Southern District of New York, it seems.
https://www.therage.co/acquittal-for-storm-exotic-theories/

2026-04-09 22:48:40 UTC

🚨 NEW: NO ACQUITTAL FOR STORM TODAY
Will Roman Storm be freed? After a much anticipated hearing on the Tornado Cash developer’s motion for acquittal, we still don’t know.
Judge Failla again appeared to treat the raised constitutional issues stepmotherly – but did still not seem convinced whether SDNY had proven to have jurisdiction over Storm’s case.
Meanwhile, the prosecution appeared to continue to struggle to lay out how Tornado Cash actually works.
Full story: https://www.therage.co/roman-storm-acquittal-2/

2026-04-01 14:09:23 UTC

🚨 NEW: 4CHAN LAWYERS INTRODUCE BRITISH FIRST AMENDMENT
4Chan lawyers have been trolling Ofcom over fines imposed under the UK's Online Safety Act. Now, they mean business: by introducing the UK Free Speech Act.
“In a free society, fools, bigots, and assholes get to speak and remain free men. That is not the price of liberty. It is liberty, and the rest of us get it too,” says 4Chan lawyer Preston Byrne.
The UK has made over 12,000 arrests for online posts since 2023, more than 30 arrests per day.
🔗 Full story: https://www.therage.co/4chan-uk-free-speech-act/

2026-03-31 19:21:46 UTC

🇺🇲🇵🇸 US WEAPONIZES GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM AGAINST PALESTINIAN ADVOCACY, POLICY GROUP SAYS
The Palestinian Policy Network Al-Shabaka has laid out how the United States leverages the global financial system against Palestinian advocacy in its latest policy paper.
Citing an Executive Order enacted last year that allows the US Treasury to act against anyone "assisting" the International Criminal Court, Al-Shabaka argues that overcompliance in the financial services industry has led to blocking of assets and financial transactions, debanking, as well as total funding bans for even tangentially related groups.
"Most international transactions clear through US-linked banks and financial institutions," Al-Shabaka writes, allowing for sanctions issued by the US to reverberate far beyond US borders.
"Washington’s dominance over the global financial system gives this censorship regime its devastating reach."
https://al-shabaka.org/briefs/us-sanctions-criminalizing-palestinian-and-global-justice-work/

2026-03-30 16:16:00 UTC

🇪🇺🇳🇱 DUTCH COURT OF AUDITS FINDS "NO UNDERSTANDING" OF EFFECTIVENESS FOR AML APPROACH
The Dutch Court of Audits has published a paper on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) in banking, finding that "there is no understanding of the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering approach."
The paper states that "it is not clear whether the increasing controls by banks actually contribute to the prevention and detection of money laundering," while highlighting the significant costs imposed on banks.
According to the court, AML measures are discriminatory particularly towards people with foreign surnames, stating that the lack of proven effectiveness of the measures "does not establish that this distinction is justified."
The court plans to put its research into EU perspective later this year.
https://blossom.primal.net/30cc5dae94f680e0967cfcb3d2b223f1f1984f0a8d2e5d6fe2baa5a5ae981719.jpg

2026-03-30 15:16:31 UTC

2026-03-28 15:43:41 UTC

🚨 GERMAN BANKS SEIZE ACCOUNTS OF JOURNALISTS WIFE
The bank accounts of German journalist Hüseyin Dogru's wife have been seized, putting his family at risk of homelessness.
Dogru was sanctioned by the EU for reporting on Palestinian resistance movements in 2024. His wife's accounts have now been seized under the argument that Dogru may be able to control the accounts.
"Every time my case gets media attention, German authorities impose more repressive measures — not only against me, but against my family," Dogru writes on X.
"They knowingly put my children’s lives in danger. I am calling on the international community for support — not for me, but for my children."
Last week, German courts denied an easing of restrictions on Dogru's bank accounts after he appealed to authorities to fulfill his basic needs.

2026-03-28 15:37:41 UTC

🚨 GERMAN BANKS SEIZE ACCOUNTS OF JOURNALISTS WIFE
The bank accounts of German journalist Hüseyin Dogru's wife have been seized, putting his family at risk of homelessness.
Dogru was sanctioned by the EU for reporting on Palestinian resistance movements in 2024. His wife's accounts have now been seized under the argument that Dogru may be able to control the accounts.
"Every time my case gets media attention, German authorities impose more repressive measures – Not only against me, but against my family," Dogru writes on X.
"They knowingly put my children’s lives in danger. I am calling on the international community for support — not for me, but for my children."
Last week, German courts denied an easing of restrictions on Dogru's bank accounts after he appealed to authorities to fulfill his basic needs.
https://blossom.primal.net/f27874b284756190abcc74b5773562a8dc8b61626a7a8a8af99d57c48646f72d.png

2026-03-25 19:39:07 UTC

🚨 JUST IN: Texas Court Dismisses Lawsuit against Pam Bondi over Non-Custodial Software Prosecutions
A Texas Court has dismissed a lawsuit by cryptocurrency developer Michael Lewellen filed against Attorney General Pam Bondi, in which he alleged that criminal cases brought against non-custodial privacy software developers kept him from freely publishing his own privacy software.
The court has now dismissed the case, arguing that Lewellen faces no credible threat of prosecution because:
>He says his software is only software
>He disclaims knowingly transmitting illegal proceeds
>Deputy AG Todd Blanche issued a April 2025 memo promising to no longer prosecute developers of software
The Texas ruling fails to acknowledge that the US Government continued to prosecute both the developers of Samourai Wallet as well as Roman Storm of Tornado Cash with the Blanche memo in place, directly affecting Lewellen's claim.
Link to the full ruling: https://www.coincenter.org/app/uploads/2026/03/41_Lewellen_re_MTD_3-25-2026.pdf
https://blossom.primal.net/054a25b095b0c1ffa6a166b994b2a43d30e27f4467fd07894a8e2e3712515b99.png

2026-03-18 18:06:58 UTC

- reply

Oh sorry forgot to post the link. You can read all about the dangers here: https://www.therage.co/market-structure-surveillance/

2026-03-18 17:49:16 UTC

🇺🇸 Numerous accounts are amplifying talks from the Digital Chamber's DC Blockchain Summit, in which Congresspeople promise to get the CLARITY Act across the line between end of the week and end of the year.
While largely sold as a positive to the industry, the latest market structure draft has proven to tow a dangerous line that could enable increased surveillance and the effective criminalization of privacy.
With stablecoin yield as the number one point of discussion, the cryptocurrency industry will likely have to make concessions in its protections of DeFi for CLARITY to have a chance of passing the Democrats, who continue to view illicit finance a red line.
Several stand-alone bills have since been introduced in Congress to protect developers, such as the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act and the Promoting Innovation in Blockchain Development Act, which offer safer pathways to safeguard development.

2026-03-18 12:39:48 UTC

- reply

#nevent1q…t0qc

2026-03-18 12:36:16 UTC

🇺🇸“We’re not the securities and everything commission anymore”
The SEC has issued an interpretation that clarifies the application of federal securities laws to digital assets using definitions in the GENIUS Act.
The document clarifies bitcoin and other digital assets as a commodity. Going forward, only securities that have been tokenized will fall under the SEC's authority, says SEC Chair Paul Atkins.
The interpretation ends a long dispute over the SEC's jurisdiction over digital assets which potentially could have led to the classification of digital asset developers as securities brokers with grave implications for user privacy.
The interpretation appears to additionally advance clarity on proposals in market structure drafts, which insufficiently defined what digital assets could be subject to broker/dealer registration requirements.
The interpretation is a major win for privacy, as broker/dealers are required to implement KYC/AML programs by law.
Find the full interpretation here:
https://www.sec.gov/files/rules/interp/2026/33-11412.pdf

2026-03-13 16:00:06 UTC

🔴Ethics disclosures reveal Tornado Cash top-prosecutor's ties to Epstein network
Ethics disclosures show SDNY top prosecutor Jay Clayton holds up to $6M in Epstein affiliated Apollo Management, along with stock in JP Morgan and Bank of America, according to a new investigation by The Lever.
Earlier this week, Clayton announced that SDNY will retry Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm on sanctions evasion and money laundering conspiracy charges.
At the same time, citizens are demanding money laundering investigations into JPM and BoA over the potential enablement of Epstein's sex trafficking operation, which was in part financed by Apollo Management founder Leon Black, according to a $62M settlement agreement between Black and the US Virgin Islands.
From 2021 to 2025, Clayton served as chair of the board and independent director at Apollo Management, a private equity firm founded by Black, who has been identified as one of Epstein's top financiers and closest associates.
Clayton was appointed to the role at Apollo following Black's resignation over his ties to Epstein, with many describing Clayton's job as a 'clean up.'
https://blossom.primal.net/fff3b0a13c82aef3a5ff6c214983bae1f79a01d491fc674b7adc5e8ee8e79eb7.png

2026-03-03 15:08:36 UTC

🔴The Luxembourg government is allowing a state bank to act against the International Criminal Court, the Luxembourg Times reports.
The incident is yet another example of the US extrajudicial weaponization of the global financial system against dissent.
Since 2025, the Trump administration has placed sanctions on eleven ICC judges and prosecutors who led the effort of obtaining an arrest warrant for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
While no sanctions have been placed on the ICC directly, the Luxembourg Spuerkeess decided to close two accounts held by the ICC to avoid potential regulatory repercussions.
The sanctions are not enacted via Congressional approval but by executive order of the US president, prohibiting any US service to do business with sanctioned ICC personnel, directly limiting the ICC's operations through the cancelation of necessary services, such as email and accounting software.
While the US officially holds no authority over international banks, its position as an economic superpower can effectively lead to the exclusion from global financial markets if its orders are not followed suit.
The US was originally a signatory to the Rome Statute which established the ICC in 1998 under Bill Clinton, though the signature was never ratified.
In 2002, the US formally "unsigned" the treaty under President Bush and established the American Service-Members' Protection Act, more commonly known as The Hague Invasion Act, which prevents US agencies from granting assistance to the ICC, and gives the US president all necessary mans to prevent the prosecution of US citizens by the ICC – including military action.
https://blossom.primal.net/3ceb03ad2a7abc745b5f7e1c35427ca5f4501ceae11c1ec2f0b9a7a0e8a38f45.jpg

2026-03-03 08:12:53 UTC

🔴An FBI Field Interview conducted as part of a federal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein details how a Deutsche Bank compliance officer was terminated after raising flags over cryptocurrency activity conducted by a firm owned by Jared Kushner in 2016.
In total, the compliance officer identified over 100 Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) who appeared to be insufficiently monitored by Deutsche Bank, detailing how she was pressured to keep accounts open – including the accounts of Epstein, after finding he had been making payments to young women.
The document gives a rare glimpse into the world of so-called relationship managing, in which wealthy individuals are treated favorably by financial institutions even when flags are raised.
While regular banking customers fall victim to overly-cautious account closures, the FBI report details how individuals with more substantive financial resources are continuously cut slack in anti-money laundering procedures in order to retain their business.
[EFTA00128988
https://blossom.primal.net/752f14c9204ce9712d03e23da545b1e6b6a2923d7611d3d63ca70fb4c7eeabe4.jpg

2026-03-02 14:18:39 UTC

🔴The Trump administration appears to be illegally leveraging tax authorities to obtain the home addresses of immigrants, according to the Washington Post.
A federal judge has found that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) violated federal law “approximately 42,695 times” when it shared confidential taxpayer addresses with immigration enforcement officials last summer, as WaPo reports.
By federal law, the IRS may only provide the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with tax records if the agency first identifies a person's address correctly.
Instead, the DHS appears to have used the information sharing agreement to obtain addresses from the IRS, with address fields left blank or filled out incompletely.
The incident marks yet another escalation in the use of financial infrastructure to achieve political ends.
DHS officials have defended the data-sharing agreement as necessary to crack down on illegal immigration.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/02/26/irs-data-federal-judge-dhs-illegal/

2026-03-02 14:17:28 UTC

🔴The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has published a new report on cyber-enabled fraud, deeming peer-to-peer transactions and decentralized finance "money laundering infrastructure".
Notably, the report offers no statistics to support such claims, and rather relies on anecdotal evidence that the increased use of virtual assets contributes to an increase in cybercrime related fraud.
The FATF calls for greater payment transparency and the application of AI/Machine Learning for the tracing of funds, as well as for the implementation of FATF guidance for virtual assets, which could go as far as subjecting front-end developers and non-custodial wallets to anti-money laundering regulations.
https://blossom.primal.net/a036566b0e8fc10da3f6ba16ce2279e2d908d8b68b0a20870c331c84bb6e8f03.jpg

2026-02-26 21:52:16 UTC

🔴Senator Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has reposted a letter penned in October calling for the expansion of the PATRIOT Act and the Bank Secrecy Act to "prevent illegal aliens from opening accounts at US financial institutions."
The PATRIOT Act formalized KYC procedures for financial institutions in 2001.
Since then, no statistics have been released to confirm that KYC measures are in any way useful to stop financial crime, yet Congress continues to lobby for their expansion.
The measures verifiably lead to skyrocketing compliance costs that are rolled onto consumers, which has emerged as a leading cause for un- and underbanked citizens.
https://blossom.primal.net/3eedda1c31c79e50aec4122f71fb24a3d24b20a10569482a1e2db9d9a2ce14b1.jpg

2026-02-25 16:20:23 UTC

🔴The Trump administration is considering an Executive Order that would require banks to collect citizenship information on customers, per the Wall Street Journal.
As such, the proposed Executive Order would deputize banks to function as defacto policing agencies to crack down on illegal immigration.
The Treasury is already pressuring banks to identify illegal immigrants and considering the potential re-underwriting of customers, as stated by Secretary Scott Bessent earlier this month.
https://blossom.primal.net/921c56d2c9e2486c31ea009cb802b01ff4dd9fde9adb47e09f41beb0f7b3eec0.jpg

2026-02-25 11:13:59 UTC

🚨NEW: HOW AN INTERNATIONAL TAX ENFORCEMENT GROUP DESPERATELY TRIES TO SELL YOU MORE SURVEILLANCE
The J5 says cryptocurrency services pose a systemic risk to the financial system – by drastically misrepresenting what suspicious activity reports (SARs) actually do.
According to the reports, OTC desks and cryptocurrency service providers have seen a sharp increase in SARs filings since 2015, so even more surveillance is needed to root out the potential use of cryptocurrency for tax evasion, money laundering, and terrorist financing.
What the reports omit is that SARs in no way indicate crime. In fact, the vast, vast majority of reports filed with regulators are of innocent people and innocuous transactions.
US financial institutions file upward of 30 million reports on customers every year, and for those efforts, government agencies have fewer than 400 criminal investigations to show for.
That is trillions of dollars of transactions surveilled, and millions of reports filed, resulting in only a few hundred criminal investigations.
The problem, apparently, is not that the overbearing system fails, but that not everyone is inside it… yet.
🔗 Full story:
https://www.therage.co/tax-crypto-risk/

2026-02-25 11:11:35 UTC

🔴A former Revolut employee has reportedly attempted to extort customers by threatening to leak their personal KYC data unless a ransom was paid.
The extortion attempt appears to have been targeted at a pseudonymous X account with over 650,000 followers.
Revolut has reportedly stated that no systems have been breached, and that the case is under investigation.
The case highlights yet another risk of identity verification beyond security breaches and leaks, in which internal rogue actors obtain access to individual's sensitive information.
As KYC laws are set to be expanded beyond the financial realm to ID social media users, the extortion of high-value pseudonymous individuals will likely grow into a lucrative business for criminals.
https://blossom.primal.net/f7b4047653c03ea0625a5326aace490289e1bcbb38aafbf6b58e7806a4f822bf.jpg

2026-02-23 20:54:40 UTC

🔴The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has approved the production of new reports focused on the mitigation of AML/CFT risks for "unhosted wallets" and peer-to-peer transactions. The reports are expected to be published by April of this year.
"The United States appreciates the FATF’s efforts to prevent abuse of this critical industry," the Treasury said in a statement on the FATF plenary's outcomes on Friday.
The FATF is an unelected, international body that drives global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing legislation. Nations which deviate from FATF AML/CFT guidance are placed on black- and grey lists, cutting off access to global financial markets.
🔗 Learn more about FATF and its influence on Bitcoin:
https://www.therage.co/meet-fatf-the-financial-bullies-memberclub/

2026-02-21 22:00:57 UTC

🔴The Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement have issued a warning on the use of cryptocurrency payment processors and OTC desks for money laundering and sanctions evasion.
The group bases its warnings on the increase of Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filings related to such systems, which have risen starkly over the past ten years.
"Cryptocurrency payment processors pose significant risks and unknown threats to the integrity of the global financial system," the group concludes.
However, the group omits that the mere filing of a SAR is often not indicative of actual crime occurring. Research based on statistics released by the IRS shows that less than 0.3% of filed SARs have led to further investigation.
More SARs != more crime.
The Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5) is a joint operational group formed in mid-2018 to combat transnational tax crime between US, Australian, UK, Canadian, and Dutch tax authorities.
https://blossom.primal.net/6b4ea4e19459e1dd4d60f8babe3594e73952b9bac6bd1331145cdacbcd418cf0.jpg

2026-02-21 21:58:54 UTC

🚨The DOJ has quietly deleted over 2,000 documents on former MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito.
The collection originally featured over 10,000 documents on Ito, which is now down to ~8,000. Ito resigned from MIT in 2019 for accepting donations from Jeffrey Epstein, but their relationship appears to have gone much deeper than previously disclosed.
According to his LinkedIn, Ito currently serves as President of the Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan, where he also directs the Center for Radical Transformation.
https://blossom.primal.net/b1c701e0c0a3ced0aa800f98ece30410a743b5d63495bfab27e5fe63c9cca195.jpg

2026-02-19 12:49:23 UTC

🚨NEW: HACKERS EXPOSE AGE-VERIFICATION SOFTWARE POWERING SURVEILLANCE WEB
Three hacktivists tried to find a workaround to Discord’s age-verification software. Instead, they found its frontend exposed to the open internet, bundling financial reporting with facial recognition tech.
For the first time, they lay bare what is really behind a software serving age-verification laws – and why such technology is far from harmless.
We spoke with the researchers that exposed the software, who hope that their findings will serve as a wakeup call.
🔗 Full story: https://www.therage.co/persona-age-verification/

2026-02-17 21:25:47 UTC

It’s not every day that we post “good news” from the IRS.
But today, the Payjoin Foundation has been recognized as a 501c3 – which means you can now make tax deductible donations to fund Bitcoin privacy.
Full story 👇
https://www.therage.co/payjoin-donations/

2026-02-05 15:44:58 UTC

🚨NEW: REP LYNCH IS WRONG ON THE BANK SECRECY ACT
The Massachusetts Congressman claims the BSA is "highly useful" to combat terrorism. The data says otherwise.
Full story 👇
https://www.therage.co/rep-lynch-bank-secrecy-act/

2026-01-29 15:44:14 UTC

🚨NEW: NOTES FROM THE INSIDE
"It often feels like I am stuck in a bad dream I cannot wake from," writes Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez about his first month in FPC Morgantown.
Read the full letter 👇
https://www.therage.co/letter-4-notes-from-the-inside/

2026-01-21 14:30:10 UTC

🚨NEW: NOTES FROM THE INSIDE
From sour milk to moldy burger buns, Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez describes the realities of federal incarceration.
Full story 👇
https://www.therage.co/letter-3-notes-from-the-inside/

2026-01-14 17:34:36 UTC

🚨NEW: THE MARKET STRUCTURE DRAFT IS DANGEROUS SLOP
Meant to include protections for developers, the draft leaves the door wide open for continued prosecution of developers and the total surveillance of non-custodial software users.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/market-structure-surveillance/

2025-12-17 16:57:32 UTC

Two very big stories coming out before the end of the year. One that you will like, one that many of you will probably not so much like.
Subscribe to get reporting that cannot be bought off straight to your inbox.
https://blossom.primal.net/dc7d743214e5c83846fbe7064825067814bd697af05172fcf78291cbcb2feff0.jpg

2025-12-17 16:56:35 UTC

💥NEW: RECAPPING THE SEC'S FINANCIAL SURVEILLANCE ROUNDTABLE
For once, the Government seemed to have a better understanding of what privacy entails than some of its event participants.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/sec-financial-surveillance-roundtable/

2025-12-17 16:51:55 UTC

🚨 "This Is Not How The First Amendment Works" Storm Defense Tells SDNY
The Tornado Cash developer continues to seek acquittal on all counts in a case that would chill "any innovation touching privacy."
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/tornado-cash-first-amendment/

2025-12-15 21:43:10 UTC

🚨 NEW: DONALD TRUMP ON PARDONING SAMOURAI WALLET DEVELOPER KEONNE RODRIGUEZ:
"I've heard about it, I'll look at it, you think he should be pardoned? Rodriguez, we'll look at that Pam, we'll take a look"
Full Clip👇
https://www.youtube.com/live/EfAbtXzo8Zk?t=10697s

2025-12-15 12:04:08 UTC

🟠#Bitcoin exchange Paxful to pay $4M criminal penalty for wilfully violating the Bank Secrecy Act
The company enabled transactions with high risk jurisdictions, including Iran and North Korea, according to FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki.
https://blossom.primal.net/cfc931dc64e4e993233602631a7d59b4a5cd0c624f6a57bf8212081217c1d3ad.png

2025-11-26 12:51:55 UTC

💥NEW: FOUCAULT WOULD HAVE LOVED BALENCIAGA
We are entering the era of panopticore: mass surveillance made sexy to hide the violence inherent to being watched. But the pressure to perform is not code or policy
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/foucault-would-have-loved-balenciaga/

2025-11-25 23:10:21 UTC

🚨NEW: BSV BACKER CALVIN AYRE TIED UP IN WIRECARD SCANDAL
New reports identify the online gambling kingping as the "single customer" behind Wirecard's fabricated business network.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/calvin-ayre-wirecard/

2025-11-24 20:51:41 UTC

🚨NEW: JP MORGAN DEBANKED JACK MALLERS. YOU COULD BE NEXT.
It's time to have an honest discussion about debanking.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/jack-mallers-debanked/

2025-11-24 20:49:21 UTC

🚨NEW: JP MORGAN DEBANKED JACK MALLERS. YOU COULD BE NEXT.
It's time to have an honest discussion about debanking.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/jack-mallers-debanked/

2025-11-19 23:20:08 UTC

🚨NEW: WILLIAM HILL SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS IN PRISON, THREE YEARS OF SUPERVISED RELEASE
People should be deterred from doing what the Samourai Wallet developers did, Judge Cote stated in court.
Full story 👇
https://www.therage.co/samourai-sev-sentence/

2025-11-19 21:43:23 UTC

🚨JUST IN: Samourai Wallet developer William Hill sentenced to 4 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release
https://blossom.primal.net/0d35e5973d0b3349ecb85bcb0026a35ea7c71eeee5e65dedb8f3b58b6682c614.jpg

2025-11-19 19:26:20 UTC

Samourai Wallet developer William Hill's sentencing starts today at 2.30pm ET.
We are here to bring you updates and cover the whole story. #FreeSamourai
https://blossom.primal.net/0b9d4e6bba839071f3073e022acd969db6493cca6e51cb02efcd3517640a7510.jpg

2025-11-14 19:13:11 UTC

🚨NEW: EMAILS REVEAL JEFFREY EPSTEIN MONEY FINANCED BITCOIN CORE DEVELOPMENT
“Used gift funds to underwrite this which allowed us to move quickly and win this round. Thanks,” Media Lab Director Joi Ito wrote Epstein in an email titled DCI.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/epstein-bitcoin-core/

2025-11-10 21:28:59 UTC

🚨JUST IN:
New Market Structure discussion draft would protect non-custodial developers from money transmission charges 👇
https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/bipartisan_market_structure_discussion_draft.pdf
https://blossom.primal.net/f6809e9c15ec9040eb542327ddd7da6048b7c0758774c3ef2b6ae3461c35bce2.png

2025-11-10 20:42:01 UTC

🚨NO, THE EU WILL NOT REQUIRE ID FOR EVERY BITCOIN TRANSACTION
But the AMLR is still a massive pile of trash. Here's what the new regulations mean.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/eu-bitcoin-kyc/

2025-11-06 21:56:34 UTC

If you're still on X, join us tomorrow to discuss the sentencing of Keonne Rodriguez on spaces at 4pm eastern
If you're in NYC, join us for an in-person fireside chat from 5.30 at Pubkey
with David Z Morris and @nprofile…tcpu
https://x.com/i/spaces/1LyGBXwqvXjxN

2025-11-06 19:29:22 UTC

🚨KEONNE RODRIGUEZ SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS IN PRISON, $250,000 FINE, 3 YEARS OF SUPERVISED RELEASE
The Samourai Wallet developer will surrender to custody on December 19th. Rodriguez has the option to appeal, Judge Cote states.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/keonne-rodriguez-samourai-sentenced/

2025-11-06 18:33:59 UTC

"The judge did not seem particularly sympathetic to the financial privacy argument."
Key updates from Keonne's sentencing 👇
https://blossom.primal.net/5db106003d628504121a1fe25bd8923f16717babd2eff96a821837997f4f4479.mp4
Earlier this year, Rodriguez and Samourai Wallet cocreator William Hill plead guilty to conspiracy to violate money transmission licensing requirements for building a non-custodial Bitcoin privacy wallet.
Rodriguez doesn't identify the problem Samourai sought to solve, judge Cote said at the sentencing hearing.
“There is no acknowledgement [by Rordiguez] of the criminal world for whom digital currency is a gift … There seems to be no recognition of the human suffering that was facilitated by the defendant.”
Rodriguez pled guilty to a subsection of money transmitter licensing law criminalizing the knowing transmission of illicit proceeds.
The Defense requested a sentence of one year and one day. A pre-sentencing recommendation from probation authorities recommended 42 months.
The subsection applied to Roriguez is the same subsection that prosecutors used to convict Tornado Cash cocreator Roman Storm this August.
At the time, many scholars argued that the subsection was misapplied due to a lack of licensing requirements for non-custodial services.
Earlier this year, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti stated that the DOJ would no longer bring prosecutions against non-custodial developers under the subsection applied to Rodriguez, Hill and Storm.
The defense highlighted ambiguities in the law itself, citing confusion around whether licensing and regulatory requirements, such as the Bank Secrecy Act, applied to non-custodial services.
It also highlighted the need for services like Samourai Wallet to conceal otherwise public funds to protect Bitcoin users from extortion and kidnappings.
In addition to the 5 year sentence and $250,000 fine, Rodriguez will be on supervised release for 3 years.
20% of his gross income will be garnished after release to pay the fine, as will $25 a month or up to 50% of any income earned in Federal prison work programs.

2025-11-06 17:05:56 UTC

🚨 KEONNE RODRIGUEZ SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS, $250,000 FINE
https://blossom.primal.net/a46e39b88302acf2e74925e9fa39b7fd7c68a31a6f2f7d1b90d1f861938e48b5.jpg

2025-11-06 16:10:51 UTC

Today and tomorrow we are live at the sentencing of Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill of Samourai Wallet ⬇️
https://blossom.primal.net/87836c0df8313246e9d110c74bf2c63d42e14c5735661656f647dc5d607f63a5.mp4

2025-11-04 11:35:51 UTC

- reply

Mh ya you may wanna check ur sources on that one bud

2025-11-03 17:02:49 UTC

- reply

Their arguments affect their sentencing but thanks for this stellar legal advice

2025-11-03 16:01:22 UTC

🚨NEW: US GOVERNMENT SEEKS MAXIMUM SENTENCE FOR SAMOURAI WALLET DEVELOPERS
"I co-founded a software company to develop tools that could provide the anonymity necessary to make Bitcoin work as intended," Hill tells the court.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/samourai-wallet-maximum-sentence/

2025-10-28 20:35:06 UTC

- reply

Just curious, have you read the BIP?

2025-10-28 20:00:33 UTC

- reply

Liar

2025-10-28 19:51:55 UTC

💥NEW:
A pseudonymous developer credits Bitcoin Knots maintainer Luke Dashjr for a softfork proposal that could split the Bitcoin blockchain, claiming Bitcoin Core exposes users to legal risks.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/running-bitcoin-is-illegal-dashjr-chainsplit-proposal-hits-bip-repository/

2025-10-27 13:36:04 UTC

🚨NEW: Posts are claiming that a ChatGPT generated AI Passport passed KYC Checks at notable cryptocurrency exchanges. That's not true, the posts author tells The Rage.
How AI Passport scares are pushing for Digital IDs👇
https://www.therage.co/ai-passport-kyc-digital-id/

2025-10-23 21:11:06 UTC

🚨 NEW: "Biden's war on crypto is over," the White House tells the Wall Street Journal in response to Binance founder CZ's pardon.
But non-custodial developers continue to fight for their freedoms in the US Justice system.
Full story 👇
https://www.therage.co/trump-pardon-binance/

2025-10-14 22:10:41 UTC

- reply

“Victims of the pig butchering scam can just ask the Government for their money back before the funds are allocated to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.”
What “just asking the Government for your money back” looks like:
https://blossom.primal.net/9367ce0c06edaea22b5d563e2b8c5850f42883ae00be2a135ada26b5a783f46a.jpg
#nevent1q…6w90

2025-10-14 22:06:30 UTC

🚨 NEW: US WANTS TO KEEP 127,000 BTC IN LARGEST ASSET FORFEITURE IN HISTORY
The lack of advocacy for the funds to be returned to victims displays the perverse incentives birthed by the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/us-btc-forfeiture/

2025-10-14 09:43:52 UTC

Who’s ready for new blockchain astrology drama? 🙋‍♀️
New story coming soon, sign up to get it straight to your inbox 👇
https://www.therage.co/subscribe/

2025-10-13 16:45:28 UTC

🚨NEW: KYC ALL THE THINGS: IS MARKET STRUCTURE BLOWING UP?
A leaked proposal by Senate Democrats would give Treasury sweeping powers to ban non-custodial services, establishing authority over what code can be deployed, and what code can't.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/democrats-market-structure-leaked/

2025-10-09 13:20:41 UTC

💥NEW: THE US TREASURY WON'T TELL US HOW MUCH BITCOIN IT OWNS
The Freedom of Information Act does not require agencies to answer to fishing expeditions, IRS tells The Rage.
https://www.therage.co/us-treasury-bitcoin/

2025-10-02 13:07:22 UTC

Getting ready to record the first episode for our podcast tomorrow with a very special guest 👀
https://blossom.primal.net/fef346dca534f430765ddd21ac47e755c20b50761a5c018e8d2024cdefa0b8a5.mov

2025-10-01 13:16:44 UTC

🚨NEW: ROMAN STORM FILES MOTION FOR ACQUITTAL ON ALL COUNTS
The Government failed to provide sufficient evidence of illegal conduct and would criminalize the publication of decentralized software in violation of the first amendment.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/roman-storm-acquittal/

2025-09-26 15:04:43 UTC

- reply

Because Mechanic says having a discussion to prepare for future scenarios does not qualify as a „plan“?
Mmmh yeah no i dont think so
https://blossom.primal.net/c459fd221ee9f9c7b3d9f2330c6f433e86548ad3d06237d81f073a87502d6935.jpg

2025-09-25 21:06:15 UTC

🚨LEAKED: LUKE DASHJR PLANS HARDFORK TO "SAVE BITCOIN"
Text messages show the Knots maintainer is considering a hardfork to implement a trusted multisig committee that can retrospectively alter the blockchain to remove illicit content.
We included screenshots of all relevant messages we received for you to verify what Luke proposes for yourself.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/leaked-luke-dashjr-bitcoin-hardfork/

2025-09-23 12:38:47 UTC

🚨SCOOP: It appears that the US Government has made no progress on the establishment of a Strategic Reserve, FOIA response reveals
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/foia-progress-bitcoin-reserve/

2025-09-23 11:35:54 UTC

- reply

Why not get another hobby besides complaining on social media you loser

2025-09-22 21:07:20 UTC

- reply

The link is in the comments jestopher
Next time maybe try DYOR before accusing us

2025-09-22 14:42:34 UTC

📢 "Pro-Bitcoin" Senator Lummis tells Semafor she no longer supports unrestricted First Amendment
https://blossom.primal.net/602fc142b162b747947c92dacc6afbdf8d45674750ecbe70439c9be26f22788c.png

2025-09-19 15:27:39 UTC

🚨NEW: CANADA SEIZES $56M IN CUSTOMER FUNDS WITHOUT CHARGES
Authorities have "reason to believe" that TradeOgre funds stem from illicit activity, as no-KYC services are a "common tactic" to launder money. No charges have been filed.
https://www.therage.co/tradeogre-seized-canada/

2025-09-18 19:07:18 UTC

- reply

💥 CONFIRMED: Canadian Police took down the exchange TradeOgre, announcing a $56 million dollars seizure in an op_return message
https://blossom.primal.net/d5d318799e8583e9dfa8885f9a53940e0bf3376c4eb13ca3b51bdac88a284a8e.png
#nevent1q…3c32

2025-09-16 19:52:42 UTC

🚨NEW: DID CANADA JUST ROB AN OG EXCHANGE OF $32,000,000?
The crypto exchange TradeOgre has been drained for Millions of Dollars. An op_return transaction claims that the funds are now in custody of the Canadian Government.
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/tradeogre-theft/

2025-09-11 14:24:35 UTC

🚨SCOOP: US GOVERNMENT TO BRING PATRIOT ACT TO DIGITAL ASSETS
FinCEN Director reveals Treasury is finalizing ban on privacy tools, Representatives revive Special Measures to Fight Modern Threats Act
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/us-government-to-bring-patriot-act-to-digital-assets/

2025-09-10 15:07:50 UTC

🚨NEW: The Treasury is working on reforming the Bank Secrecy Act, FinCEN Director states
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/bsa-reform/

2025-09-10 11:17:22 UTC

- reply

Link to strategic dialogue press release:
https://www.wam.ae/en/article/bljfamz-uae-conclude-strategic-dialogue-combating-illicit

2025-09-10 11:16:46 UTC

👁️UK and UAE strengthen financial surveillance cooperation
The UAE persecutes journalists, activists and dissidents, systemically restricts freedom of speech, and engages in extrajudicial killings
Last year alone, 40 human rights defenders were sentenced to life in prison, according to human rights watch
https://blossom.primal.net/ddc0f88a2b5cd05ba2bb2c89925177273d534253500e70d658c8e119ec2a622f.png

2025-09-09 15:02:07 UTC

- reply

https://www.democracynow.org/2025/9/9/epstein_book

2025-09-09 15:01:46 UTC

New investigation reveals how JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank enabled Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking operation
https://blossom.primal.net/9b89821a6498b560c4bb4d35dc09569102cb3abda88fd9f0c0fc6ea6574e3f75.mp4

2025-09-09 13:41:15 UTC

💥NEW: Senate market structure draft retroactively applies control requirement to money transmitter laws, exempts non-custodial services from BSA
But debates may become heated as democrats release new framework targeting illicit finance
Full story👇
https://www.therage.co/senate-banking-money-transmission-developer-protection/

2025-09-09 13:39:51 UTC

- reply

⏬ Link to the proposed framework:
https://www.gallego.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Market-Structure-Framework-Final.pdf

2025-09-09 13:39:12 UTC

🚨 JUST IN: Democrats say digital asset platforms must register with FinCEN and comply with BSA in new market structure framework
https://blossom.primal.net/0aba66812b0a9d0d3a3fa1b0ecdffaa19347a1ba4a9b4f9b4033f7552acedbb9.png

2025-09-09 12:06:47 UTC

🚨JUST IN: FATF, UN, and Interpol call on Governments to strengthen partnerships with blockchain analytics firms
https://blossom.primal.net/7b7e8c5baecce4547367ad819503bac64d3847675b4917ebeb2e64e52af6a7c2.png

2025-09-05 14:48:11 UTC

🚨JUST IN: Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Report removes DeFi as standalone category
DeFi described as "niche behavior" with "much smaller share of overall user activity" compared to centralized platforms
https://blossom.primal.net/f82916ca78819892e8b2b6721a03e90429151b9e82795b9f496cd891450f7808.png