Money WondersPlay

Crypto & Digital MoneyCrypto Privacy

Crypto Is Anonymous

Every bitcoin payment is public forever

Crypto has a reputation as untraceable money for criminals. So how did US agents get billions of dollars of stolen bitcoin back?

You'll find out

  • Who can see every bitcoin payment
  • How agents followed a ransom
  • Where a name finally shows up

Why it matters

A public ledger shows more than most people think. Knowing what it reveals changes what crypto privacy means.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 124 · Zone 14

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More in this zone

  1. 118CryptocurrencyMoney Without a BankBitcoin moves value with no one in the middle
  2. 119BlockchainThe Shared NotebookA blockchain is a record everyone keeps a copy of
  3. 120Crypto HistoryNobody Knows Who Made BitcoinIts creator vanished and left a fortune untouched
  4. 121Bitcoin SupplyWhy Only 21 MillionA money supply fixed in code
  5. 122Crypto SecurityKeys and WalletsWhoever holds the key holds the coins
  6. 123HindsightThe 10,000-Bitcoin PizzaIn 2010 a programmer bought two pizzas with coins later worth hundreds of millions
  7. 125HerdingFear of Missing OutWatching others get rich makes us forget the risks
  8. 126Crypto HistoryThe Coin That Started as a JokeDogecoin was created to make fun of crypto