Two companies have begun sharing information about how Bitcoins are being spent, a move that could mean that any of the digital currency that is used to buy child sex abuse images could be tracked and blocked. the IWF finds are being passed to tech company Elliptic to help in its work to curb criminal use of bitcoins. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which tracks abuse sites, has teamed up with Elliptic, which helps Bitcoin exchanges to monitor transactions. The fact that Bitcoins provide the buyer with some degree of anonymity has reportedly made them an increasingly popular form of payment on abuse sites. The IWF’s work has given it a list of Bitcoin addresses associated with sites selling abuse content. In addition to tracking down those who use the currency, the IWF also wants to help law enforcement agencies track down people using bitcoins.
Two companies have begun sharing information about how Bitcoins are being spent, a move that could mean that any of the digital currency that is used to buy child sex abuse images could be tracked and blocked. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which tracks abuse sites, has teamed up with Elliptic, which helps Bitcoin exchanges to monitor transactions. The fact that Bitcoins provide the buyer with some degree of anonymity has reportedly made them an increasingly popular form of payment on abuse sites. The IWF’s work has given it a list of Bitcoin addresses associated with sites selling abuse content. In addition to tracking down those who use the currency, the IWF also wants to help law enforcement agencies track down people using bitcoins.