On May 27, cryptocurrency supporters learned that the anonymous BTC mixer Bitcoin Blender would be shutting down. The news follows the recent closure of Bestmixer.io after it was seized by global law enforcement.
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Bitcoin Blender Bows Out
Another popular bitcoin mixing platform is closing its doors, but unlike Bestmixer.io, Bitcoin Blender is doing so voluntarily. Last Monday, on the organization’s official thread on the Bitcointalk forum, the Bitcoin Blender admin, ‘Blender,’ told the community the business was shutting down and to “please withdraw” funds. Bitcoin Blender was a popular mixing operation for over five years and it’s considered one of the oldest tumblers out there. It provided tumbling services that would give users the ability to send to 10 different addresses for fees between 1-3%. The Bitcoin Blender operation randomized fees in order to obfuscate tumbled transactions. The mixing service offered an auto-withdrawal, an onion address on the invisible web, and a quick mode as well.
Like many other centralized mixers, Bit Blender has mixed reviews. Some users called it a top-notch mixing operation, while others have complained of losing funds. After the anonymous admin announced that the service would be closing many people asked why the site was shutting down. “Does this have anything to do with the recent hunt against some mixers by government agencies and the fall of Bestmixer?” one commenter asked. “Or he is closing shop and running away with the profits that he has gained so far — That would be a smart decision if he isn’t sure of his opsec,” ventured another person on the Bitcointalk thread.
Whether It’s Simple Storage or Mixing Services, Noncustodial Solutions Continue to Shine
Not too long before Bitcoin Blender bowed out, Europol and the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) seized the mixing website Bestmixer.io. The news shocked the community as the service was one of the most popular tumbling platforms offering mixing services for a variety of cryptocurrencies. Dutch authorities accuse Bestmixer of mixing $200 million or 27,000 BTC over the course of the operation’s existence.
Bitcoin Blender voluntarily shutting down is similar to when Bitmixer.io spontaneously closed its doors back in July 2017. At the time people asked Bitmixer whether the organization was threatened by law enforcement. The reason for these questions stemmed from the takedown of the two darknet marketplaces Alphabay and Hansa just days before Bitmixer quit.
The issues centralized crypto mixing operations have continued to plague digital asset supporters who practice various methods of privacy. Over the last year, the push for noncustodial tumbling software has been at the forefront of people’s minds. One particular protocol that’s been catching the attention of privacy-minded crypto activists is Cashshuffle. The Cashshuffle plugin for Electron Cash launched on March 27, 2019, and since then, BCH users have shuffled millions of dollars worth of bitcoin cash. Other light clients like the Bitcoin.com Wallet aim to add the feature as well in the future.
As far as Bitcoin Blender is concerned, many of the people discussing the subject on Bitcointalk presumed that other popular mixing services would likely follow. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Chipmixer suddenly leaves the business too,” one user noted. He added that it makes sense to quit before the “armed mercenaries of the government” raid the operation. “Life is too short to spend in a jail cell,” he concluded.
What do you think about Bitcoin Blender shutting down services on its own? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Image credits: Shutterstock, Cashshuffle, Bitcoin Blender, and Pixabay.
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