Senator Elizabeth Warren says US rivals are secretly using digital asset mining facilities for intelligence gathering.
During a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing, Warren says she is concerned that other countries are spying on the US military through crypto mines.
“Foreign adversaries use crypto mines to spy on US military operations. That is a clear risk to national security. But it is not the only risk. Foreign-owned crypto mines also pose a threat to the energy network.”
The senator’s comments come as Paul Rosen, the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for investment security, said at the hearing that there is a “general concern” that “sophisticated equipment” built near sensitive facilities “for espionage can be used.”
To protect the interests of the United States, Senator Warren says it is time for Congress to pass laws that strengthen national security against foreign threats clandestinely using crypto and mining facilities.
“Cryptomines can be used by our adversaries to spy on military bases, or to take down the power grid, or to secretly move money in and out of the country.
Last year, the Treasury Department requested additional tools from Congress to prevent China, Iran, Russia and other countries from using crypto to evade sanctions and launder dirty money.
It is time for us to pass laws, laws that the Treasury Department needs.”
Senator Warren is known as a longtime crypto critic. In June last year, Warren said “rogue states,” oligarchs and drug dealers were using cryptocurrency to fund their criminal regimes.
In 2021, the Massachusetts senator said the crypto sector poses a major threat to the financial system.
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