Snowden: Bitcoin transactions are not anonymous and can be traced back to individuals

BlockBeats news, on July 28, Edward Snowden, a well-known whistleblower and former CIA and NSA contractor, delivered a keynote speech at the Bitcoin 2024 conference, highlighting the pitfalls of political allegiance and concerns about Bitcoin privacy. Snowden called on people to participate in voting, but warned not to blindly follow political ideologies.

Snowden pointed out that Bitcoin transactions are not anonymous and can be traced back to individuals, which poses a risk to personal privacy. He explained that most transactions can be linked through various entry and exit points (such as trading platforms that comply with regulatory requirements), exposing users' lives and relationship information.

Snowden warned that governments and companies may use artificial intelligence to analyze this data and create detailed personal profiles without consent. He called for vigilance and strengthening the security of Bitcoin transactions to protect user privacy in an increasingly digital and monitored world.

Snowden said he has raised these concerns for a decade but felt "ignored." He now asserts that the window of opportunity to achieve those goals is closing rapidly.