While some of the most important institutions and government agencies in the United States are focused on the exploration of Blockchain technology to optimize their internal processes, the authorities of the North American country continue to be reluctant to accept the idea of a decentralized currency. This time it is the Attorney General, Jeffrey Sessions, who expressed concern about the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in illegal transactions.
During an intervention before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, Sessions, who was also a US senator, highlighted the use of Bitcoin in an answer to a question posed by Senator Dianne Feinstein about the Dark Web and other illegal markets in the United States. line. Sessions told the committee:
Dark Web users use bitcoins and other financial assets that are impossible to trace, and this is a big problem.
In his comments, Sessions referred to the closure of some markets of the Dark Web, including its previous leader, AlphaBay, by the US authorities. The Prosecutor claimed that AlphaBay's client base was comprised of 240,000 accounts in which individuals sold mostly weapons and illegal substances.
Law enforcement officials in the case of these crimes have long expressed concern about the use of cryptocurrencies in these types of illegal markets, arguing that they eliminate any traces that investigators could follow.
Other agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation have focused on this issue when they seek funds to strengthen their efforts in the area of cybercrime, a trend that began after the closure of Silk Road online black market, which was once the most important of the world.
Yesterday's statements by the Prosecutor generate some expectations about the measures that Congress can take in relation to these online markets. In her comments, Senator Feinstein said she would like to work with Sessions and the Department of Justice on issues related to the Dark Web, through laws or alternative actions.
