"They wanted to amputate my limbs because they thought I had 2.5 million bitcoins." This is the story of a Canadian moderator of a crypto forum who, along with his family, was forced to move continuously from one Airbnb to another to escape criminals who wanted to kidnap him and seize his alleged Bitcoin holdings. The incident began on November 4, and now the attackers are under house arrest. This case adds to a long list of threats to the safety of cryptocurrency holders. According to monitoring by developer Jameson Lopp, at least 181 incidents of robberies, kidnappings, and murders related to the crypto world have been recorded since 2014. Atlas21's article ⬇️
CRYPTO - Trump appoints former PayPal COO David Sacks as crypto advisor to the White House President-elect Donald Trump has named David O. Sacks as the new “AI and Crypto Czar” for the White House. The announcement was made on December 5 via a post on Truth Social. Sacks, known as the founder of Yammer and former COO of PayPal, will take on a pivotal role in the Trump administration, leading policies on artificial intelligence and digital assets—two areas considered critical for the future of American competitiveness. One of Sacks’ primary responsibilities will be to develop a clear regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency sector, addressing industry demands for greater legal clarity. Additionally, he will chair the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Trump emphasized that Sacks’ role will also involve protecting online free speech and combating what he referred to as “Big Tech’s censorship and bias.” Sacks was a major Trump supporter in 2024, organizing a fundraiser that raised $12 million for the campaign. In an interview with Anthony Pompliano, Sacks stated: “Bitcoin offers a different kind of currency that is not backed by government, but it’s backed by math, by encryption. You don’t have to trust the government that there will be only 21 million bitcoins; it’s in the code. Bitcoin is sort of like this sci-fi future where you could have money and state decoupled.” The entrepreneur’s appointment is part of a broader wave of pro-crypto nominations within the incoming administration, as evidenced by the recent selection of former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins as the agency’s new chairman, replacing Gary Gensler.