veil

On November 9, Apex, the founder of Veil, announced that the team has decided to shut down Veil. Deposits will cease immediately, while the front end and relay will continue to operate until December 21, 2026. After that, withdrawals can still be completed through command line tools. Apex stated that after two years of development, the privacy solution they hoped to achieve has not been scaled. The protocol experienced a strong usage phase but was unable to sustain it. The privacy strength of Veil relies on usage, and a decline in usage will weaken privacy. In recent months, the protocol has not consistently delivered its core value as set. Public information shows that Veil is a zero-knowledge privacy protocol supported by Coinbase Ventures.Apex stated that despite not resolving the initial issues, they still view privacy as the most challenging problem in the cryptocurrency industry to date and thanked Base, the Coinbase team, and all parties who held, used, or supported Veil for their assistance over the past two years. The shutdown also means that support for the VEIL token will stop on the same day, including staking rewards and liquidity provider incentives, and the tokens held by the treasury will be destroyed. Apex mentioned that they will not leave the industry and remain optimistic about cryptocurrencies, Ethereum, and Base, but the specific direction for the next phase of development has not yet been determined. They indicated that Veil had previously occupied all their energy, and future projects would need to achieve the same level of conviction before proceeding.

In a threat intelligence report released on Thursday, Anthropic stated that Russian and Chinese users are leveraging its AI model Claude to automate cyberattacks. Among them, a Russian operator codenamed "JackPoterz" has automated most parts of the attack chain through a customized AI-driven workflow, targeting over 20 organizations, including government departments and intelligence agencies, as well as embassies and diplomatic missions in Ukraine and several European countries.Chinese users are using Claude as the engineering and orchestration layer for vulnerability research, with one workflow producing more than a dozen potential zero-day vulnerabilities in network device firmware within a month. Anthropic pointed out that AI is changing the economics of cyberattacks, allowing a single operator to complete an intrusion in two to three hours and handle dozens of victims in parallel.Additionally, the report revealed that a suspected independent consultant based in Bamako, collaborating with Mali's national intelligence agency, has used Claude as the primary engineering force to build a large-scale domestic surveillance system covering approximately 25 million SIM cards across all three mobile operators in the country. This system is locally deployed and operates using local models, with software design and engineering support provided by Claude, enabling the generation of intelligence profiles on phone numbers without the need for court warrants.

Several individuals familiar with the discussions on the "Digital Asset Market Structure Act" have stated that U.S. lawmakers plan to release an updated version of the cryptocurrency market structure bill this week. The new text combines the provisions previously approved by the U.S. Senate Banking Committee and the Agriculture Committee, and was negotiated by the two committees on multiple terms.

According to IBTIMES, Brazilian police announced the launch of "Operation Veil of Maya," executing 9 search and seizure warrants simultaneously in São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Porto Alegre, and Canoas to combat a money laundering network involving 87 shell companies. The operation's name is derived from the philosophical concept of "Maya," which refers to the illusion that hides reality.Investigations show that cryptocurrency primarily plays a role in cross-border fund transfers within this money laundering network, where criminals receive illegal income through shell companies, convert the funds into crypto assets, and then transfer them abroad. Those involved may face charges of money laundering, tax evasion, participation in organized crime, and other related accusations, but the police have not yet disclosed the scale of the funds involved or the quantity of seized assets.

According to official news, online brokerage Robinhood announced that it will hold an online launch event at the Old Royal Naval College in London at 19:00 UK time on July 1, 2026 (2:00 AM Beijing time on July 2).Robinhood stated that this event will kick off the "Borderless Market Journey" and showcase its latest vision for the future of financial markets. At that time, Robinhood's Chairman and CEO Vlad Tenev will personally launch several new products.The company claims that these products are designed to promote further integration of crypto assets with traditional finance and reshape the global financial services landscape. Robinhood stated that the launch event will focus on the development direction of the new era in the crypto industry and new opportunities for cross-border connectivity in financial markets.

According to the official website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), SEC Commissioner Hester M. Peirce delivered a speech at the "Regulating the PETshop Series" seminar at Georgetown University Law Center, calling for the inclusion of Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) in the financial regulatory framework.She criticized the current regulatory approach for being overly inclined towards government surveillance, arguing that technology should serve to protect personal privacy rather than expand the scope of surveillance, and pointed out that blockchain public wallet addresses can reduce the risk of personal information leakage for investors while meeting compliance requirements.Peirce also invited technology teams that can minimize personal information collection while meeting KYC and anti-money laundering regulatory requirements to actively collaborate with the SEC's Crypto Task Force.

The encrypted messaging app Signal stated that if Canada's Bill C-22 is officially passed and requires platforms to establish "lawful access" monitoring capabilities, the company may choose to exit the Canadian market rather than weaken end-to-end encryption. Signal's Vice President of Strategy and Global Affairs, Udbhav Tiwari, indicated that the bill could force communication services to create technical backdoors, thereby undermining encryption security and making private communications more susceptible to exploitation by hackers and foreign attackers.Bill C-22 was introduced in March 2026 as part of a new round of regulatory measures in Canada, requiring electronic service providers to establish law enforcement monitoring capabilities and retain certain user metadata for up to a year to assist in investigations of crimes such as terrorism and child exploitation. Critics argue that the bill is similar to the EU's previously controversial "chat monitoring" proposal, which could threaten end-to-end encryption and user privacy. Canadian Conservative MP Jacob Mantle stated that nearly all Canadian MPs use Signal precisely because of its privacy and security features, yet the bill could grant the government the ability to read private messages.Tiwari stated, "Signal would rather exit Canada than violate the privacy commitments made to users." In addition to Signal, the VPN provider Windscribe also indicated that if the bill passes in its current form, the company may follow Signal in withdrawing from the Canadian market. Windscribe claimed that the bill could force VPN services to log data that could identify users, violating its core privacy principles.

According to market news, the Korean National Tax Service has issued a tender announcement, planning to introduce cryptocurrency transaction tracking software from institutions such as Chainalysis and TRM Labs to monitor cryptocurrency transaction records in real-time, track hidden assets of suspected tax evaders, and combat tax evasion behaviors through disguised inheritance, gifting, and offshore tax evasion using cryptocurrency.The system can track approximately 70 million types of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and stablecoins, covering 45 blockchain layers. It also has the capability to identify "mixing" money laundering techniques with its "de-mixing" ability and can perform a certain degree of identity recognition for non-custodial wallets such as MetaMask and Phantom. This is the third time the National Tax Service has introduced related solutions since 2024, with plans to complete system construction in June and officially put it into use starting in July.

According to Decrypt, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis stated that the Senate is expected to release a revised draft text on stablecoin yield distribution this week.Currently, there is a disagreement between banks and crypto companies on whether cryptocurrency exchanges should be allowed to pay yields to stablecoin holders through reward programs, and this controversy has stalled the legislative process of the Clarity Act. The White House Council of Economic Advisers recently released a report stating that banning stablecoin yields would have a minimal impact on small banks, only increasing bank lending by 0.02%. However, the American Bankers Association believes this analysis underestimates the risks. Observers point out that if the draft provisions are too strict, it may lead users and liquidity to flow to other jurisdictions that allow yields.

The underlying financial infrastructure of the AI Agent era, B.AI, officially launched today, aiming to provide foundational support for the autonomous economic activities of agents. At 21:00 Beijing time on April 9, B.AI will hold an English live broadcast event in X Space. Justin Sun will join several industry guests and community representatives to discuss the underlying logic of the economic engine aimed at AGI.This event is co-hosted by @trondao and @DCBK2LA. Participants who follow @BAI_AGI, retweet the post, and @ three friends will have a chance to win a reward of 10 USDT.

The High Court of England ruled last week that a lawsuit involving the theft of 2,323 bitcoins can proceed to trial. The plaintiff, Ping Fai Yuen, stated in court documents that his estranged wife, Fun Yung Li, secretly obtained the mnemonic phrase for his Trezor hardware wallet using home surveillance cameras in August 2023 and transferred 2,323 bitcoins without permission. At the time of the theft, it was worth nearly $60 million, and at the current price of about $74,000, it is now worth approximately $172 million.Court documents show that the transferred bitcoins were dispersed to 71 blockchain addresses not held on exchanges after multiple transactions, and no further transfers have occurred since December 21, 2023. Yuen claimed that his daughter had warned Li about attempting to steal the bitcoins, after which he installed recording devices in his home. After discovering the transfer, Yuen physically attacked Li and pleaded guilty in 2024 to actual bodily harm and two counts of common assault.Previously, Li had applied to dismiss the case, arguing that the plaintiff's core claim of "conversion" only applies to tangible property and not to digital assets like bitcoins. The judge agreed with this view but ruled that the case could proceed to trial based on other legal claims.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman forwarded an internal letter stating that the company is negotiating with the U.S. Department of Defense to revise an agreement, clarifying that artificial intelligence systems must not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. citizens and nationals, and prohibiting tracking or monitoring through the procurement or use of commercially obtained personally identifiable information.The letter mentioned that the Department of Defense confirmed that the relevant services would not be used for intelligence agencies, and any service provision would require a separate modification of the contract. Sam Altman stated that the company would participate in policy discussions through democratic processes, and if it receives directives that it deems unconstitutional, it will refuse to comply, adding that some technologies are not yet mature and that it will work with relevant departments to gradually improve safety mechanisms.

Vitalik Buterin expressed support for the AI company Anthropic in adhering to two ethical principles: "not developing fully autonomous weapons" and "not engaging in large-scale surveillance for the U.S." He praised their determination in the face of government pressure. Vitalik believes that in an ideal world, such high-risk applications should only be accessible at the level of open-source LLMs (i.e., a level where everyone can access it equally); even achieving just 10% progress could reduce the risks of autonomous weapons and privacy violations, promoting safer AI development.Previously, it was reported that the Pentagon recently threatened to cut ties with Anthropic, which could lead to a loss of a $200 million contract, because Anthropic refused to provide AI technology for military use without human intervention.