Financial safety

Britain’s GCHQ Spy Agency Is Closely Monitoring Bitcoin

Government Communications Headquarters, better known as GCHQ, was founded in 1919 and, in its own words, has been “keeping Britain safe ever since”. In 2015, it emerged in the leaked Snowden documents that this remit included collecting information from “every visible user on the internet”, hacking into smartphones using a tool named “Smurf suite”, and eavesdropping on the communications of British politicians.

It’s safe to say that bitcoin isn’t new to GCHQ. The agency has taken a renewed interest in the virtual currency though in recent months following bitcoin’s stellar ascent which has taken many people by surprise. Chris Ensor, the deputy director for GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre division, told The Telegraph that British government departments have ordered it to investigate security risks posed by bitcoin.