CIA Deputy Director Calls Bitcoin ‘Another Tool’ in Fight Against China

The deputy director of America’s Central Intelligence Agency called Bitcoin And other cryptocurrencies “another tool in the toolbox” that the US can use to combat its opponents in an interview on Wednesday.

Michael Ellis, who was sworn As deputy director of the CIA in February, said on the podcast of Crypto -influencer Anthony Pompliano that the agency could use them to position themselves against competition such as China.

“It is another area of ​​technological competition where we must ensure that the United States is very well positioned against China and other opponents,” he said, adding that “Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are a different tool in the toolbox” but also a target. “

“We can disrupt the use of our opponents and we can use these technologies to collect more intelligence, to collect more information about them,” he said.

The US government has since followed a friendlier approach to the digital assets space crypto-friendly President Donald Trump scann on January 20 quit lawsuits against a number of companies in space and even to establish A strategic Bitcoin reserve.

Trump has sworn the US ‘the Crypto capital of the world’. But skeptics stay on their care for their use by criminals and other bad actors to prevent detection through law enforcement.

Ellis noted that Crypto was one of the means that often preferred misconduct, such as North Korean hackers, who have been behind a number of large thefts and use apps to cover up the movement of funds.

“Bad actors, whether they use drug cartels or terrorist groups or outlaw regimes, use cryptocurrency, but they also use other tools,” he said, adding it: “Bitcoin is here to stay; cryptocurrency is here to stay as you are taking on and I think that is a big trend and I think that is a big trend and that that is a big trend and that that is a big trend and that that is a big attendance.” “”

US government agencies often work together with blockchain data companies to keep track of the use of crypto by cyber criminals.

The US government currently has more Bitcoin than any other authority in the world, with more than 198,000 BTC – $ 19.2 billion Today’s prices– Storage, according to To Arkham Intelligence. The majority of that crypto was confiscated by criminals.

Published by James Rubin