Big Bercy veut tout savoir sur vos wallets - Actu Crypto 🗞️

This week's crypto news begins with an update on the Roman Storm trial. Although the TornadoCash developer has not yet been acquitted or convicted, the prosecutor sent a letter to the judge arguing that a key defense argument, based on jurisprudence concerning internet service providers' responsibility for client actions, should be deemed inadmissible. The prosecution contends that this jurisprudence applies to civil, not penal, cases, and that the company in question actively combatted misuse of its services, unlike Roman Storm, who allegedly ignored problems or implemented voluntary measures. Consequently, they argue that Roman Storm could be indirectly responsible for all profits made from transactions, indicating that American authorities have not softened their stance on anonymity, contrary to previous assumptions. The discussion then shifts to the ongoing speculation about Satoshi Nakamoto's identity. John Carrey, director of the documentary "Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery" for HBO, published findings from his investigation in the New York Times. Carrey observed Adam Back, a cryptographer and cypherpunk long suspected of being Satoshi, reacting with tension and a "gêné" smile when asked about it in the documentary. This led Carrey to further investigate. He compared Satoshi's emails, revealed during the Craig Wright trial by early Bitcoin collaborator Marty Malmy, with Adam Back's records. Carrey found similarities in word choice and expressions used by both Satoshi and Back, even noting a shared use of the word "bloody" in a 1998 instance by Back. He also points to their similar knowledge and respect for "Half" (presumably Hal Finney), though these are considered coincidences rather than definitive proof. The shared libertarian viewpoint between Back and Satoshi is also noted, but this aligns with cypherpunk ideology and isn't particularly surprising. Carrey's most significant analysis involved examining texts from 34,000 different cypherpunks. He filtered candidates by eliminating those with fewer than 10 messages, reducing the pool to 1615. Further analysis of content, excluding those who didn't use specific words or make certain errors, eventually led him to Adam Back. After a final conversation with Back, Carrey became even more convinced of his theory. While the accumulation of coincidences seems compelling, the summary highlights that the validity of some elements is debatable. For example, Carrey cites a striking similarity between two emails, one by Back and one by Satoshi, both containing a patch with a similarly formatted title and project link. However, the summary points out that this specific formatting is common for emails from a particular version of an application like Semantic Release, meaning thousands of developers would write emails in the same way. This suggests a "huge problem of confirmation bias" in Carrey's inquiry. The investigation also overlooks contradictory evidence, such as inconclusive stylometric analysis by an expert and the fact that Bitcoin version 0.1.0 contained code elements associated with a poker application, a hobby not known to be associated with Adam Back. Ultimately, the report concludes that this is an inquiry based on strong suspicion rather than a definitive verdict, and Satoshi's mask remains in place. The broadcast also mentions a lottery organized by Kraken for its clients, offering chances to win Bitcoin for every dollar of crypto traded on the platform. Turning to international news, Argentina's President Rafael Milay faces corruption allegations. Reports from the federal government suggest he had seven contacts with the person behind the Libra project on the night of its token launch. More controversially, phone analysis revealed messages from 2023 discussing "2000 habituals" for Milay, described as a "salary," implying long-term corruption. In other Argentine news, banks have formed a consortium, not for stablecoins, but to integrate blockchain into their processes, including JPM Coin, aiming to replace the SWIFT network rather than serving clients directly. This is seen as technology adoption without ecosystem adoption. In France, a recent ADAN report indicates that while 93% of French people know about crypto, only 11% own it, representing 2% of their savings. These numbers are growing but suggest that adoption isn't hindered by a lack of knowledge. The summary posits that France's efficient and free financial system, coupled with a lack of major financial crises like Cyprus in 2012 or hyperinflation like Lebanon, makes people less inclined to switch to crypto. Additionally, restrictive French laws complicate daily crypto use. A new bill from the National Assembly, aimed at combating social and fiscal fraud, includes a measure requiring all self-hosted digital asset wallet holders to annually notify the tax administration of their portfolio's value if it exceeds 5000 euros. This measure, based on the assumption that crypto users are potential tax evaders, is criticized for creating a highly secured database vulnerable to criminal exploitation, potentially endangering hundreds of thousands of people. While it's a draft law and could be amended, its passage is not guaranteed. Finally, the report highlights similar dystopian trends in the European Union. Germany and Italy have discussed, though not officially proposed, a "kill switch" for all stablecoins available in Europe. This emergency device would allow European authorities to unilaterally deactivate a stablecoin if its issuer is deemed to act against European interests. This is viewed as an illegitimate control tool that could inadvertently push Europeans towards decentralized stablecoins that the EU cannot control. This measure is currently not official and may never come to fruition. The last news item concerns the United States, where White House employees have been prohibited from making bets using their knowledge of future events. Americans suspected of making such bets on platforms like Polymarket face severe sanctions if caught, raising questions about the future of such platforms.