If there were an award for the organization least likely to talk about the world of crypto and NFTs, it would probably go to the Secret Service – the people charged with protecting the country’s leaders and visiting heads of state.
But on May 15, members of the US Secret Service’s San Francisco Field Office, along with the Bay Area’s Regional Enforcement Allied Computer Team (REACT), did just that, making themselves available to answer questions from the r/cryptocurrency subreddit community. during an Ask Me Anything (AMA).
The picture starts to make more sense when you realize that the Secret Service is also responsible for protecting the country’s financial infrastructure. Given blockchain’s ability to allow actors to evade sanctions and otherwise cause financial harm to even the most seasoned Web3 user, the security organization would always have a clear interest in the crypto universe. While regulators in the United States may be struggling to catch up with the innovative capabilities of crypto and NFTs, criminal law enforcement agencies are still far from being behind the curve.
Here’s what we learned from the AMA.
The secret service tells (almost) everything
The two agencies answered dozens of questions from Reddit users, providing insight into how their teams approach the world of Web3 from a security standpoint (as well as demonstrating the teams’ sense of humor). Despite Web3’s notorious reputation for scams and fraud, the REACT team praised the transparent and immutable nature of the blockchain, citing those qualities as tools in the battle to track the flow of money directed towards illegal activities. .
Other questions centered on whether or not US government employees were properly trained in all things crypto, to which the REACT task force responded by saying, “It is fair to say that blockchain technology is not widely adopted. is understood,” citing the lack of common understanding of crypto as the reasoning behind doing the AMA.
Such efforts by law enforcement to educate the public are ongoing. In February 2022, the Secret Service launched the Cryptocurrency Awareness Hub, which contains information about the agency’s latest work in combating the illegal use of blockchain technologies in an effort to raise public awareness of digital asset security.
When asked if team members from either organization own crypto, the Secret Service responded by saying, “We are definitely crypto owners. To understand how certain assets or blockchains work, sometimes you have to get down to business and execute some of your own transactions.”
Intriguingly, when the Secret Service jokingly asked when the Secret Service would launch a meme coin, the agency responded by linking to its own nine-piece NFT collection on OpenSea. The collection features a faceless 3D cop character in a black suit and tie in various action scenes and poses.
The entire AMA is well worth reading. One Reddit user even asked the teams when they were going to tell them about “the aliens,” to which the Secret Service replied, “Full report to be released on,” and left it at that. Well played, Secret Service.