In a letter of grave concern to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the US senators have specifically requested the DOJ and DHS to transparently disclose their technical capacity to counter the use of cryptocurrencies in the CSAM market. The senators cited research from analytics firm Chainalysis as a foundation for their concern. Bad actors allegedly use cryptocurrency “mixers” and “privacy coins” like Monero to launder funds while making it hard for law enforcement to track. “The pseudonymity provided by cryptocurrency has allowed the payments for CSAM to “move quickly into the crypto world,” and we are committed to ensuring that Congress and the Administration have the full suite of tools needed to end CSAM and punish sellers of this Material.”
The letter comprised of six questions.
Three questions were aimed at considering the findings of the said federal agencies regarding crypto and its connection to CSAM. The other questions sought new tools that would allow law enforcement to identify and crack down on buyers and sellers in this market. The federal agencies have until May 10 to respond to the senators.