RUSSIA – 2025/01/29: In this photo illustration, the new Bitcoin token is photographed on US $100 bills featuring Benjamin Franklin. US President Donald Trump on Thursday, January 23, ordered the creation of a cryptocurrency task force tasked with developing proposals for new regulations for digital assets and exploring the possibility of creating a national cryptocurrency reserve. (Photo Illustration by Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Bitcoin promised unhackable, decentralized finance beyond government control. It has become a favorite of criminal networks that operate beyond government reach–and a strategic tool for governments themselves. Tuesday’s US seizure of roughly $15 billion of Bitcoin during a takedown of a massive pig-butchering syndicate reveals the technology’s risks and opportunities. The confiscated Bitcoin–the largest crypto forfeiture in…
