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FBI Needs a Dark Web, Crypto Strategy, DOJ's Inspector General Says
FBI lacks a "comprehensive strategy for addressing the cryptocurrency threat in the future," OIG wrote.
By Danny Nelson
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 10:44 a.m. Published Dec 17, 2020, 6:29 p.m.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a dark web-sized hole in its cyber crime strategy, according to the Department of Justice's chief watchdog.
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- The DOJ Office of Inspector General (OIG) told the FBI Thursday to develop a “dark web strategy” to better coordinate investigations of child and sex trafficking, drug, cyber crimes and weapons of mass destruction that intersect with the internet’s unindexable shadow layer.
- FBI should also implement a “cryptocurrency support strategy,” OIG said. Bitcoin cyber crimes are rising annually ($100 million in bitcoin seized last year), so agents need better, broader, more accessible training on cryptocurrency.
- Agents told the OIG they’re fearful the rising cost of analytics tools will outpace their shoestring crypto investigative budgets. They got just $1.5 million in direct funding for tracing tools in 2019 for products and training estimated at $4.2 million.
- “The dwindling resources also shed light on FBI concerns that it had no comprehensive strategy for addressing the cryptocurrency threat in the future,” OIG wrote.
- FBI is “in the process” of requesting up to $2 million to fund the consolidation of its crypto efforts, according to the redacted report.
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What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
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U.S. Regulator Pushes Back on Banks Fighting Crypto's Pursuit of Trust Charters
Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould spoke at an industry event in Washington, arguing that the OCC won't resist crypto because of banker complaints.
What to know:
- Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould delivered some pushback to the traditional banks that have tried to slow the industry's entry into banking.
- Up to 14 companies have applied for bank charters in the past year, including a number of crypto firms, Gould said.
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