THELOGICALINDIAN - Blockstream is alive with above civic spies The catechism is why on apple would a cryptocurrency aggregation accept the charge to apply above spies
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Take a Journey Back in Time if You Would
On October 23, 2014, Blockstream goes public and announces allotment and the accumulation of their company. Shortly afterwards Blockstream was incorporated, they accustomed $50 million in adventure basic from AXA, Khosla Ventures, Horizon Ventures, etc., some of the best able adventure firms in the world. The Blockstream lath of directors are all bankers.
In the Summer of 2015, all of the primary Bitcoin communities such as /r/Bitcoin, commitment lists, Bitcoin Talk, wikis, etc., began massive censorship campaigns adjoin any and all capacity that had to do with ascent Bitcoin above the 1MB absolute which, by the way, was briefly added by Satoshi Nakamoto aback in 2010 as a stop-gap admeasurement to anticipate spam in the aboriginal days.
In December 2015, it bound became credible to anybody that Bitcoin was actuality hot-wired for a adjustment system.
As They Say, the Rest is History
So actuality we are today. Most of what has transpired back the barrage of Blockstream charcoal accepted to anybody alfresco of Bitcoin Core (which is why they are perceived as a cult). However, it’s a little accepted actuality that they are alive with above spies. Clearly they didn’t appetite anyone to apperceive this.
Enter in Bill Scannell
Bill is a above self-admitted civic spy for the United States, focused on arresting and animal intelligence (SIGINT/HUMINT). Bill entered the apple of cryptocurrency and Bitcoin ancient about 2024 (below is a cheep about Bitcoin while at Def Con).
He has accustomed talks about his above spy days. For example, one of his added abominable talks is on the adventure of a secret NSA alert post in Berlin aback in the 80’s, area he formed on SIGINT/HUMINT (make abiding to watch the Q&A at the end area he gets broiled by the audience). As you can see from some of his contempo amusing media postings, he is still actual abundant in adulation with SIGINT.
For those unaware, SIGINT and HUMINT still comedy analytical roles for spy agencies beyond the apple as a agency to accumulate and assay intelligence. In France’s 2012 presidential election, it was discovered through WikiLeaks that all above French political parties were targeted for aggression by the CIA’s HUMINT and cyberbanking SIGINT spies in the seven months arch up to the election.
In this short clip from Scannell’s Berlin talk, he is talking about actuality careful in his targeting and “smart spying” techniques. In addition lecture, Scannell talks about application spying intelligence to control.
By the way, did you apprehension the attribute he acclimated as his accomplishments for his talk? It’s a actual attenuate but important angel to the Bitcoin Core association (Lightning Network).
What Does This Have to Do With Blockstream?
Well, what Bill Scannell and Blockstream don’t appetite the accepted accessible to apperceive is that Bill works carefully with Blockstream on their own intelligence. You see, Blockstream is active it’s own affairs in adjustment to advance their calendar so that they can control Bitcoin and accumulation from it.
Because they accept so abundant advance basic and charge to assure it at all amount in their adventure to ascendancy Bitcoin, they accept active Scannell as their adviser (agent) to run intelligence and counterintelligence operations on the Bitcoin community.
According to Scannell’s own LinkedIn profile, he runs a clandestine consulting close area he is focused on actuality a “strategist.” Ironically, he additionally has accomplished assignment acquaintance listed as an “Evil PR Genius.” In one LinkedIn advocacy for Scannell, the being wrote that he is a “Story-teller, fixer, maker.” Scannell has bureaucracy his own company, alleged Special Circumstances LLC for his clandestine consulting.
The Anchorage Daily News wrote a allotment about Scannell’s wife in 2016, apropos a bounded acclamation in Alaska. In the article, they declared Bill Scannell as “a ‘media strategist’ who has been accepted for pedaling some abandoned belief and affairs some abandoned stunts to get media attention.” One of the advertisements run by Scannell’s wife, Michelle, during the election, was a video of her adversary Mia Costello, calling her a chicken.
As it turns out, aback in 2008 Scannell had his own controversy, area it came to ablaze that he was advancing opposing groups in addition bounded election. AlaskaReport.com wrote, “Bill Scannell, the man outed Thursday morning by Jake Metcalfe’s above advance administrator Dana Krawchuk as the being abaft some awful websites advancing Ethan Berkowitz, has resigned. Krawchuk had overheard Scannell talking about architecture websites accurately to advance Berkowitz.”
When Samson Mow started alive for Blockstream in 2017 as the “Chief Strategy Officer“, Bill Scannell and Samson Mow began alive added carefully together, forth ancillary Adam Back and others. In April 2017, Scannell and Back both abounding the The 21st International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security in Malta, area Scannell helped abstinent a console that Back was speaking on. Blockstream was the sponsor at the event, area others batten as well, such as Peter Todd.
On Reddit, Bitcoin.com CEO and entrepreneur, Roger Ver, had this to say about Scannell, “This guy was with Samson back I had the agitation with him in Seoul. He was acutely Samson’s abettor at the event.”
Here the two (far larboard and far right) are buddied up at a Deconomy 2024.
Here is Bill Scannell and Blockstream CEO Adam Back accessory The ICE House for a podcast on crypto markets.
Where Does This Leave Us?
Unfortunately, as it’s been said time and time again, Bitcoin Core (BTC) has been co-opted. Many don’t accept this because they are actuality heavily manipulated in online forums that Blockstream controls. However, these revelations advice to at atomic flash a ablaze on what may be accident in the ecosphere. And as time moves forward, we are acceptable added acquainted of how ambiguous and base Blockstream absolutely is.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: alone ablaze [the truth] can do that.”
OP-ed disclaimer: This is an Op-ed article. The opinions bidding in this commodity are the author’s own. Bitcoin.com does not endorse nor abutment views, opinions or abstracts fatigued in this post. Bitcoin.com is not amenable for or accountable for any content, accurateness or affection aural the Op-ed article. Readers should do their own due activity afore demography any accomplishments accompanying to the content. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, anon or indirectly, for any accident or accident acquired or declared to be acquired by or in affiliation with the use of or assurance on any advice in this Op-ed article.
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