In the last few months, there were rumors about the Central Intelligence Agency’s involvement in cryptocurrencies. Today, the news is official.
During the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Summit, CIA Director William Burns confirmed that the government agency is running several cryptocurrency-related projects. He said that David Cohen — his predecessor — has started the projects before him.
Conspiracy theorists argued have long held a belief that the CIA is the inventor of Bitcoin. Despite the fact that computer scientists had another say about it. The interview with Burns confirmed the agency’s involvement. He said it’s an “important priority” for the CIA, and he planned to dedicate “resources and attention” to the subject moving forward.
He added that the CIA is considering adding cryptocurrency experts to its team of intelligence analysts and open communication lines with industry experts.
Regarding ransomware attacks, Burns said the digital asset space “could have an enormous impact” on the country. While he did not mention specifics, Burns did say that the agency is looking into the financial networks used by criminal groups leveraging digital assets for ransom.
