[liberationtech] The bitcoin terrorists of Idlib are learning new tricks

[Phillip Hallam-Baker]

On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 1:55 PM Ox Cart <ox at getlantern.org> wrote:

> Despite the lead in, there was little concrete in the article about what
> exactly terrorists are doing to "avoid detection". Anyone have any insights
> into this? Are they using mixers, are they using straw recipients to hide
> their identity on the exchange side, what?
>

According to the article, they were trying to turn $10 into $20. It is hard
to see how mixers or the like could have been involved to any great extent.
In fact, since the cost of a BTC transaction is rather more, this is
certainly not a crypto currency transaction, it will be speculation at one
of the exchanges, probably using the extreme leverage many of the exchanges
offer.

In 'terrorist' money, that is trying to turn 25 bullets into 50. And since
Idlib is in Syria, a country whose government of war criminals uses
chemical weapons, we should probably be skeptical when people try to apply
the term 'terrorist' to rebels.

I think it rather more likely that they were making absolutely no effort to
conceal their activities because they simply don't need to. They are beyond
the reach of any government.
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