IRS now cracking down on Bitcoin with tools that eliminate transaction anonymity

Questions continue to arise about the true anonymity of the popular online cryptocurrency Bitcoin. While many assume (or have been told by others) that Bitcoin is completely untraceable, new reports indicate that this may not actually be the case, as the blockchain ledgers are public and technically available to anyone who knows how to break into them.

Last month, Alt-Market.com founder Brandon Smith issued a warning about Bitcoin’s purported anonymity, explaining that it’s hardly the anonymous solution to the fiat Ponzi scheme that many people believe it to be. He says that based on what’s already been revealed by whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and those involved with Wikileaks, nothing in the digital world is truly anonymous, period – including cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin that have transaction records publicly available.

“The feds have been proving there is no anonymity, even in bitcoin, for some time, as multiple arrests using bitcoin tracking have indeed occurred when the FBI decided it was in their interest,” Smith wrote. “Meaning, when the feds want to track bitcoin transactions, they can, and it does not matter how well the people involved covered their actions.”

Theoretically speaking, practically any group with the proper tools at its disposal, from the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) to the NSA (National Security Agency) to the IRS, (Internal Revenue Service) could develop systems with which to extract data from the Bitcoin blockchain ledger and identify every Bitcoin transaction that’s ever been made. The IRS has apparently already developed a special analysis tool that allows it to track down individuals who are profiting from Bitcoin but not declaring these profits on their tax returns.

“According to a contract recently obtained by the Daily Beast, the IRS can now track bitcoin and other cryptocurrency addresses,” explains a recent report by Bitcoin.com. “They can do this to route out potential tax evaders. They purchased software from the blockchain analysis group Chainalysis.”

IRS working overtime to extort as much profit from Bitcoin users as possible

Since the IRS exists for one purpose, and one purpose only – to enrich itself as much as possible on the backs of hard-working American taxpayers – the growing popularity of Bitcoin is a threat to its revenue stream. Every Bitcoin user who isn’t paying taxes on his or her Bitcoin profits is a potential target of this mafia-style corporation that functions as the enforcement arm of the privately-owned Federal Reserve bank.

Not only that, but Bitcoin users also face the constant threat of price fluctuations, as the value of the cryptocurrency has been exceptionally volatile as of late. Many will recall the Bitcoin “flash crash” in which the price of Bitcoin plummeted from about $3,000 per coin to roughly $2,500 per coin in a matter of just four hours. As of this writing, the price of Bitcoin is hovering around $4,600 per coin.

The government’s hate for Bitcoin is creating additional threats in the form of “cryptocurrency terrorism” as well. This is the idea that Bitcoin users are evading the use of Federal Reserve Notes and other forms of fiat currency for the purpose of committing illegal activity online. If Bitcoin isn’t truly anonymous, then this suggests that such users will possibly be identified and put on government “watch lists” in violation of their constitutional rights.

“The guidelines for who is or is not a terrorist are now so vague that any American could potentially be added to a list for something as menial as knowing someone who has committed an activity deemed to be of terrorist nature,” explains SHTFplan.com. “And as has been highlighted previously, those activities could range from making a hand gesture that looks like a gun or manufacturing your own gold and silver coins.”

Sources for this article include:

SHTFplan.com

Bitcoin.com

NaturalNews.com

Amazon may allow software developers to read your private Alexa transcripts

Could you imagine living in a country that made technological advancements that weren’t at the expense of your individual right to privacy? What would it be like if the Fourth Amendment was actually respected, and each new idea for an invention started off with the simple question, “Is this going to infringe on the privacy rights of our customers?” If this type of a society sounds too good to be true, that’s because sadly, it is. From cellphones to television sets, to the cars that we drive, the American people are routinely being spied upon and listened to, and unless we stop purchasing these specific items altogether, there’s really not much we can do about it.

According to The Information, and as reported by Breitbart News, owners of the Amazon Alexa devices may soon be having some or even all of their conversations transcribed and reviewed by third-party developers, a move that is already sending up a red flag in the minds of many of Amazon’s customers.

For those who are unaware, the Amazon Echo is a device that essentially acts as a home computer that is instantly activated the second someone in the room says, “Alexa.” For instance, if you were cooking dessert and needed the recipe for homemade brownies, you could simply say “Alexa, read me a brownie recipe,” and the device would answer you within seconds. But while this sounds like something straight out of a science fiction movie, the underlying problems that come with a device that constantly listens for that activation word can be rather significant.

As Breitbart reports, “At the moment, developers making apps that will use Alexa are only permitted to see non-identifying information, such as location data, how often users talk to their devices, and how many times a specific ‘skill’ is used. If full transcripts were visible to developers, the greater amount of data could be put to use in order to improve and fine-tune their applications.”

Although ex-product head for the Alexa team, Ahmed Bouzid, claims that developers are currently only allowed to see “70 percent of what they need to know,” The Informationexplains that some have access to every single piece of information that is gathered by the Alexa device. This acquisition of this data is not only a clear violation of Fourth Amendment privacy rights, but it also opens the door to an entire world full of hackers who are eager and capable of breaking in and stealing your personal information.

During a speech earlier this summer at the Cheltenham Science Festival, cyber security expert Dr. Jason Nurse elaborated on the very real privacy concerns regarding these Amazon devices. “If hackers find a way to compromise these devices in our homes, they could have it recording all of the time and you wouldn’t necessarily know,” he explained. Nurse went on to say that hackers could hear you discussing holiday plans and find out when you will be away from home, or even collect credit card information.

If Amazon really does decide to give third-party developers access to all of the information collected by devices like the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Look, then it’s not a stretch that at least with respect to privacy, the company is going in the wrong direction. Corporations that are constantly putting out new forms of technology should never stop doing so, but that being said, it is also important that they maintain a level of respect for the Fourth Amendment. If our country continues to develop new technology but the liberties of the American people are squandered in the process, what is the point?

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

TheInformation.com

NaturalNews.com

Amazon Echo devices can be exploited by hackers to steal your bank account information

While it may be convenient to walk into your home and turn the lights on by simply saying “Alexa” or “Ok Google,” a security expert has warned that devices like the Amazon Echo could pose a serious security risk. “If hackers find a way to compromise these devices in our homes, they could have it recording all of the time and you wouldn’t necessarily know,” explained cyber security expert Dr. Jason Nurse. “They could hear you discussing your holiday plans, so they know when you are away and could burgle you. They may hear you buying something on the phone, giving away your credit card details.”

Nurse’s comments came during a recent speech at the Cheltenham Science Festival. The cyber security expert explained that he is so concerned about the potential privacy risks that come with the use of devices like the Amazon Echo that he refuses to keep electronic assistants of any kind in his home.

But despite the fact that your banking information is put in jeopardy every time you turn on your Amazon Echo, the gadget is more popular than ever. With the ability to answer virtually any question you have, pick up commands even in a noisy room, track online shopping and even lower the thermostat, it’s easy to see why devices like the Amazon Echo are being used by millions of people across the country. But still, some are concerned that such gadgets are inviting electronic spies right into their living rooms.

“If there’s something private you want to say, the first thing you should do is mute the device… or turn it off,” Dr. Nurse advises. “You should think twice about what you say in front of these devices.” Dr. Nurse went on to explain that “someone else in your home may say the wake word without your knowledge and start it recording while you are discussing something private or sensitive.”

In the case of the Amazon Echo, the “wake word” is “Alexa,” and in the case of Google Home, the “wake word” is “Ok Google.”

Although an Amazon spokesperson claimed that they take customer privacy very seriously, this isn’t the first time that the electronic commerce company has been surrounded by controversy. Back in April, Natural News reported on the potential privacy risks concerning the Echo Look, a $199 device recently released by Amazon that has the ability to watch you get dressed in your own bedroom. Even though the original purpose of the Echo Look was to give you recommendations on what to wear, many people are concerned that it could secretly record you during some of your most intimate moments.

With technology advancing at an astonishing rate and new devices coming out every year that once were only imaginable in science fiction films, our everyday lives are becoming more and more simplistic. We used to have no choice but to drive our own cars from point A to point B; now we have the option of purchasing a car that is able to drive itself. We used to have to walk into a dark house and feel around blindly for the light switch; now all we have to do is say “Alexa, turn on the lights.” Without question, life is much more convenient than it was even just five years ago.

But just because it is more convenient doesn’t mean it’s safer. As a matter of fact, one could argue that with the invention of devices like the Amazon Echo, people are more at risk of experiencing some type of privacy violation, whether it’s a video recording taken of you while you get dressed or a hacker stealing your banking information. That is why it is up to companies like Amazon and Google to continue looking for ways to protect the privacy rights of their customers, while simultaneously putting new products on the market.

Sources:

Dailymail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com

Amazon wants to watch you get dressed: New “Echo Look” camera to spy on you in your own bedroom and bathroom

Not content to merely track your interests in books, movies and products, Amazon.com, predominantly owned by globalist Jeff Bezos — the same owner of the fake news Washington Post — now wants to watch you get dressed in your own bedroom.

The company has introduced a $199 camera called “Echo Look” that uploads images of you (from your own bedroom) to Amazon servers where, we’re told, Amazon will make “wardrobe recommendations” you might want to buy.

To get these recommendations from Amazon, you are supposed to install an internet-connected Amazon camera is the same place where you’re totally naked, or having sex with your partner, or carrying out hygienic behaviors involving tampons or talc. Has nobody thought to ask whether this intrusive Amazon camera will be secretly recording photos and videos of you in your own bedroom or bathroom?

Via The Daily Sheeple:

It’s basically a camera that you stick in your bathroom or your bedroom or wherever you dress, and it takes full length images of what you’re wearing. It’s being called a “style assistant.” It has a service that “combines machine learning algorithms with advice from fashion specialists,” presumably to give you feedback on what you’re wearing. I’m guessing that at some point, it’ll make suggestions for clothes you should buy on Amazon.

Amazon wants to record everything you say or do in your own home

This Echo Look camera is, of course, just the latest insane intrusion into personal privacy by a monopolistic corporation with ties to the CIA and NSA. Does any informed person really think Amazon isn’t recording all this audio and video, then sharing it with government spooks? Thanks to Edward Snowden, we already know Google and Facebook are little more than NSA spying fronts that surveil their own users, then turn over all their findings to the intelligence agencies without a warrant.

Now, Amazon apparently believes ignorant consumers desire to exist in an Orwellian, totalitarian society where dangerous corporations run cameras that watch them poop, pee, sing horribly, have kinky gay sex, cross dress, snort lines of coke, masturbate or whatever else twisted people do in the privacy of their homes. Don’t get me wrong on all this, by the way: As far as I’m concerned, you are free to do whatever you want in your own bathroom… but if you are stupid enough to install an Amazon.com camera that watches you do all these things, you are just begging to have all your surreptitious photos and videos blasted all across the ‘net following an Amazon.com server hack. (Related: Read PrivacyWatch.news for more stories on how your privacy is violated.)

Learn more about how Amazon.com spies on you in my mini-documentary (and don’t be stupid enough to BUY a spy camera that spies on you for the government):