Quantcast

Harvard Research Fellow: 'Any blockchain is in one sense transparent'

Plaintiffs File New, Slimmed Down Complaint in Class Action Lawsuit Against Tether
Forbes releases the best crypto top 10 of the year 2024, +90 at 1300%
SEC Relaxes Crypto Reporting Rules for Banks and Brokerages
Germany Almost Done Selling Bitcoin, Holding Less Than 5K Tokens After Latest Moves
US lawmakers take action in Congress to free Binance executive in Nigeria
Ethereum Jumps 11% in 4 Days: US CPI, Imminent ETF Launch Could Accelerate Rise
Crypto Exchange BitMEX Pleads Guilty to Violating the Bank Secrecy Act From 2015 to 2020
Cyprus Issues Alert to Accounting Professionals to Combat Crypto Terror Financing
French giant Vivendi now authenticates and protects its content via blockchain
Crypto: SEC on the Verge of Approving Ethereum ETFs
Italy to change crypto regulations to comply with MiCA
France’s shock election wins will upend crypto tax cuts, industry fears
Digital Asset Investment Products Gain $441M Amid Mt. Gox, German Sell-Offs: CoinShares
Metis co-founder's ZKM plans to launch Bitcoin Layer 2 GOAT Network
Prediction Markets and Polls Both Got the French Election Wrong
The duel between Gensler and Coinbase continues
Binance CEO: Company co-founder 'took full responsibility for past mistakes'
Binance, Hong Kong’s Organized Crime and Triad Bureau team up for law enforcement sharing session
Dissolution : la France aurait perdu « un trimestre de croissance », selon la Confédération des petites et moyennes entreprises (CPME)
Circle clears MiCA hurdle to become licensed stablecoin issuer in EU
Sony to Restart Japanese Crypto Exchange Whalefin Purchased From Amber Group in 2023
Crypto Exchange Bitget Sees India as ‘High-Priority Market,’ Mulls Expansion
Circle becomes the first stablecoin issuer in the world to comply with MiCA regulations
EU crypto traders urged to convert non-compliant stablecoins to regulated ones as MiCA framework takes effect
Crypto crime involving deepfakes seen surpassing $25bn in losses this year
Bitcoin's Potential Rebound May Face Resistance at $65K, OnChain Analysis Shows
Exclusive: Bybit Rises to Second-Largest Crypto Exchange, UTA Feature Key to Growth said Bybit Head of Communications
Fortune Crypto author: Nigerian government may 'regret its unjustified decision' to detain former U.S. federal agent
Crypto: Coinbase and its layer 2 Base team up with payment giant Stripe
Nostra CEO steps down 11 days after token airdrop with no vesting periods
Harvard Research Fellow: 'Any blockchain is in one sense transparent'
Web3/Crypto
Webp europol
8th Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies | europol.europa.eu

Harvard University Research Fellow Timothy Massad, a former regulator, has highlighted the potential of blockchain technology in tracing cryptocurrency transactions. Massad made these remarks during a December 16 episode of the Lunch Hour podcast.

"Any blockchain is in one sense transparent," said Massad. "It's a permanent record. You can go to it and see all transactions, but you're looking at addresses that are not like our email addresses… If you figure out that the blockchain address that's in a string of letters and numbers is actually your address, then we can see every single transaction you've ever made, at least through that address."

At the 8th Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies held in September, organized by Europol and the Basel Institute on Governance, law enforcement agencies and other participants discussed strategies to combat crypto crime. According to Europol, collaborations between law enforcement and the private sector have been instrumental in tracing illicit transactions across multiple blockchains. By partnering with crypto exchanges and blockchain analysis firms, authorities have successfully de-anonymized illicit actors and returned assets to victims.

Get the Newsletter
Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Crypto Republique
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

Gurvais Grigg, the Global Public Sector Chief Technology Officer at blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, emphasized the benefits of blockchain for law enforcement. He said that blockchain provides an "incredibly transparent and permanent ledger," which can be a "huge advantage" if understood properly by agencies. Grigg noted that while cybercriminals may use "obfuscation techniques" to hide their transactions, "unlike cash or wire-transfers, the blockchain’s transparency means that with the right tools, these obfuscation techniques are entirely defeatable."

Massad is currently a Research Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown Law School. His previous roles include serving as Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) from 2014 to 2017 and as Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

More News

Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, said that the company enables global financial institutions to enhance cross-border payments and efficiency through digital technology.

Jul 9, 2025

Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, said that a move for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to count bitcoin as a mortgage asset signals a shift in the American Dream.

Jul 7, 2025

Binance has announced the launch of PIXEL APR Boost Airdrop Rewards for the 11th project on BNSOL Super Stake, in collaboration with Pixels (PIXEL), a web3 game on the Ronin Network.

Jul 7, 2025

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), said that public companies increased their bitcoin holdings more rapidly than exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the second quarter.

Jul 5, 2025

CoinFlip, a global digital currency platform, has announced the launch of a new user interface for its CoinFlip Preferred service.

Jun 30, 2025

Gum Shoe, a crypto influencer, has highlighted the long wait times and high fees at Coinbase compared to better service at Binance as evidence of the need for increased competition among U.S. crypto exchanges.

Jun 23, 2025