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Indeed, not a lot of ways to associate an address with somebody unless: - seize drives or papers with private keys - extract printer memory if they printed a
by dobbsbob 13y ago
Indeed, not a lot of ways to associate an address with somebody unless:
- seize drives or papers with private keys
- extract printer memory if they printed a private key
- subpoena exchanges to hand over records to tie them to identities they have on file
- search if somebody put the address in a forum sig or on IRC/elsewhere and admitted it was their address
- check IP if they generated the address with an online wallet, brainwallet or some other discoverable method (not behind Tor)
Otherwise all you are looking at is a big chain with coins going from address to address and no way to prove somebody is the definitive owner of it.
- unreal37 13y agoAlmost all business transactions are between people that know at least a little bit about each other. If Silk Road User A sends Silk Road Merchant B BTC for drugs, A has to give B a postal address to mail the drugs to. There is almost no such thing as two completely anonymous people in a financial transaction. There's always an email address, user name, a third party, or postal address to tie them. The only thing that I can think of is some type of charitable/political donation that is anonymous.
- abruzzi 13y agoFor 100% certainty yes, but like a murder (or any other crime) no one witnesses, a circumstantial tie to a bitcoin address is theoretically possible. Though that doesn't seem to be the case here.