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The Ethereum Foundation is facing a serious situation, folks. Regulatory authorities have launched an investigation into the foundation's activities.
The investigation is reportedly focused on the foundation's compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) regulations. This is a major concern for the Ethereum community, as it could have significant implications for the future of the platform.
The Ethereum Foundation has not made any official statements about the investigation, leaving many in the community wondering what's going on.
Ethereum Foundation Under Investigation
The Ethereum Foundation is under investigation by an unnamed "government body". This was revealed on the Ethereum Foundation's GitHub repository, where a statement said they received a voluntary request from a government agency that included a request for confidentiality.
The investigation comes at a time of significant change for Ethereum, with the SEC evaluating multiple applications for the Ether ETF. However, analysts are growing less optimistic that the SEC will approve any application, citing a lack of engagement between applicants and SEC officials.
Additional reading: Sec Lawsuit Ethereum Reason
A warrant canary, a text or visual warning that companies include on their websites to indicate they have never been served with a secret government subpoena or document request, was removed from the Ethereum Foundation's website on February 26, 2024. This suggests that the Ethereum Foundation may have received a request without explicitly stating so.
The SEC is pursuing an "energetic legal campaign" to classify Ethereum as a security, according to a report from Fortune. This move would have major ramifications for Ethereum, the ETH ETF, and crypto in general.
A lawyer familiar with the situation speculated that a Swiss regulator may have served a document request to the Ethereum Foundation, and that the request may also point to a collaboration between the Swiss government and the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Authority Actions
The Ethereum Foundation is facing an investigation from a government body, which has sent a confidential request for information. The Ethereum Foundation removed a "warrant canary" tag from its website, which typically indicates that a company has not been served with a secret government subpoena.
The Swiss regulatory agency may be cooperating with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in this investigation. A lawyer familiar with the situation believes that the Ethereum Foundation is not the only entity being sought for information.
The SEC is evaluating multiple applications for an Ether ETF, but analysts are growing less optimistic about the chances of approval, citing a lack of engagement between applicants and SEC officials.
Authority Actions
The Ethereum Foundation is currently under investigation by a state authority, although the details of the probe remain undisclosed.
A state authority has served the Ethereum Foundation with a voluntary enquiry, which included a confidentiality requirement.
The Ethereum Foundation has never been contacted by any agency in a way that requires the contact not to be disclosed, according to their website. However, this statement was later removed, suggesting that they may have received a secret government subpoena or document request.
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The SEC is pursuing an "energetic legal campaign" to classify Ethereum as a security, which has been linked to the investigation.
A law firm has launched an independent investigation into the Gatecoin hack and the Ethereum Foundation's involvement, following allegations made by TruthLabs.
TruthLabs claims to have undeniable evidence that the Ethereum Foundation, Vitalik Buterin, and Joseph Lubin were directly involved in the Gatecoin exploit, resulting in the theft of over $450M of ETH.
SEC Probe
The SEC Probe is a significant development in the Ethereum ecosystem.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating Ethereum, seeking to classify it as a security. This move would have major ramifications for Ethereum, the ETH ETF, and crypto in general.
The SEC is evaluating multiple applications for the Ether ETF, but analysts are growing less optimistic that the federal regulatory agency will approve any application.
The Ethereum Foundation, the Swiss non-profit organization at the heart of the Ethereum ecosystem, is facing questions from an unnamed "government body."
A lawyer familiar with the situation said a Swiss regulator may have served a document request to the Ethereum foundation, and may be cooperating with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The SEC is pursuing an “energetic legal campaign” to classify Ethereum as a security, confirming the investigation’s links to the US government.
The Ethereum Foundation had previously mistakenly removed its warrant canary tag in 2019, but quickly put it back on the site.
Investigation Scope
The investigation scope is quite broad, and it's being led by a law firm. They'll be looking into the Ethereum Foundation's involvement in the Gatecoin hack, which resulted in the theft of over $450M of ETH. This probe is an independent one, not initiated by any government agency, but rather in response to TruthLabs' allegations.
TruthLabs, a well-known on-chain sleuth, has been vocal about the foundation's alleged involvement, and his claims have gone viral with almost 1 million impressions across the internet. This has put pressure on the authorities to take action.
The investigation will likely involve a thorough examination of the evidence presented by TruthLabs, which includes on-chain data and receipts. This evidence has been shared publicly, making it difficult for the foundation to deny or dispute the allegations.
The silence from the Ethereum Foundation and its leaders, including Vitalik Buterin and Joseph Lubin, is also being seen as suspicious. They've failed to respond to TruthLabs' allegations, which has raised eyebrows among the crypto community.
Sources
- https://en.vijesti.me/world-a/globus/698984/ethereum-foundation-under-investigation
- https://cryptobriefing.com/ethereum-foundation-probe-state-authority/
- https://decrypt.co/222572/ethereum-foundation-being-investigated-by-state-authority
- https://coinpaper.com/3689/secret-probe-targets-ethereum-foundation-amid-regulatory-scrutiny
- https://bitcoinist.com/ethereum-foundation-legal-probe-gatecoin-hack/
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