Investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen says CIA likely sees crypto as ‘adversarial non-state actor’
Author and investigative reporter Annie Jacobsen tackled the question of whether Bitcoin is part of a countercultural dissident movement and whether cryptocurrencies are being infiltrated by the CIA. podcast Hosted by Ryan Adams and David Hoffman.
Jacobsen is best known for reporting on topics such as national security, intelligence, military technology, and government secrets, but her views on cryptography are less well known.
“Military technology is the foundation of crypto,” she began her podcast declaration.
“The NSA is probably most important to your community. You mentioned a specific tool that the NSA uses to monitor communications. Used by Americans.
Jacobsen also drew interesting parallels between various utopian communities, groups that promise versions of utopia that could pose a threat to national security.
“Organizations that advocate utopian ideals are of great interest to both the military and the intelligence community,” said Jacobsen, noting that Bitcoin is a leaderless, trustless, unauthorized utopian economic economy. He pointed out that the emphasis on ideals would attract the attention of the CIA.
Jacobsen emphasized the example of Che Guevara, whom she said the CIA had murdered as a way of sanitizing the Americas with its violent anti-American utopian worldview.
“North Korea has a huge presence in hacking,” Jacobsen added, accusing the FBI of being responsible for billions of dollars of stolen cryptocurrency funds in North Korea-related hacks. Mentioned the Lazarus Group, an organization. “The Lazarus Group’s direct funding of North Korea’s nuclear program is a program that has been going on since 2004. [and predates crypto], so we continue to keep an eye on it. ”
On the weather issue, where certain groups and individuals within cryptocurrencies have been compromised or become CIA assets, Jacobsen said cryptocurrencies are integrated into Silicon Valley, which has a long history of working with intelligence agencies. I’m guessing it’s much more likely.
“I look at the cryptocurrency community from a Silicon Valley perspective,” she said, explaining how the two are doing so from an economic perspective rather than through compromised individual spies working within cryptocurrencies. I mentioned an interesting example of how they are intertwined.
Jacobsen specifically mentioned American venture capital firms inqueue phoneshe called it “the CIA’s venture fund” […] Or, as they call it in the CIA, “adventure capital.” Established It is by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine and Gilman Louie on a mission to invest in and identify companies critical to technology that serves the national security interests of the United States. As of 2016, In-Q-Tel lists 325 of his investments, but over 100 were kept secret. wall street journal.
Noting that intelligence agencies are by their nature small, decentralized entities that can be deployed in small groups, Jacobsen said, “They are a group of scientists who can create projects that infiltrate and change the world. We can build small units.”
By design, intelligence agencies need to stay ahead of other tech and tech organizations, said Jacobsen, and thanks to the novelty and popularity of cryptocurrencies, intelligence agencies from the CIA to the United States are taking notice. He added that he thought it was very likely that there would be. From the NSA he DARPA and even he the FBI and local law enforcement.
“I would almost certainly say that cryptocurrencies are viewed by intelligence agencies as a non-state actor, which is a bit dangerous and even hostile to those in that community,” she concluded. I was.
