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Arkham, a \u201cblockchain intelligence company,\u201d announced what it\u2019s calling the \u201cworld\u2019s first on-chain intelligence exchange\u201d on July 10 alongside the launch of a new coin, ARKM, through Binance\u2019s Launchpad service.<\/p>\n
Crypto Twitter has had a predictably split response to the announcement, with negative sentiment surrounding Arkham\u2019s purported mission to \u201cdeanonymize the blockchain\u201d causing some ire. Chief among the complaints, many of which describe the company\u2019s Intel Exchange as a \u201csnitch-to-earn\u201d or \u201csnitching-as-a-service\u201d program, involves Arkham’s perceived role as a centralized intelligence agency.<\/p>\n
\nFuck this.<\/p>\n
It’s not even the snitch-to-earn component that I’m entirely against (it is useful as a decentralized whistleblowing dapp for public good).<\/p>\n
The submissions end up on Arkham + Arkham Fnd is the central arbiter.<\/p>\n
Someone should fork the contracts and decentralize this. https:\/\/t.co\/hnfehiukd9<\/p>\n
\u2014 Hudson Jameson (@hudsonjameson) July 10, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As Arkham stated in its announcement thread, there are numerous positive use cases for the utilization of blockchain sleuths as information brokers. However, some experts are concerned about the potential for misuse that the exchange\u2019s proposed business model appears to follow. <\/p>\n
According to Arkham, users will be able to anonymously post and accept bounties for information concerning transactions on the blockchain. Once a bounty is completed, whatever entity paid out the bounty will have exclusive access to the data for a period of 90 days. Once the initial exclusivity period ends, Arkham says it will release the data to the public. <\/p>\n
\nhey isn’t the most profitable use of this just to put a bounty on whale wallets and then kidnap people? <\/p>\n
like <\/p>\n
did that come up in any meetings?<\/p>\n
\u2014 farp (@farp_farp) July 10, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Other commenters wondered what considerations Arkham had given to the notion that a bounty marketplace could put a target on the backs of whales. <\/p>\n
Alongside the announcements, Arkham\u2019s been accused of leaking the email addresses of users who signed up for the company\u2019s waitlist and then shared the link on social media. <\/p>\n
\nABSOLUTE LMAO. ALL #ARKHAM<\/a> REFERRAL LINKS SHARED ON TWITTER IS DOXXING EVERYONE BECAUSE THE EMAIL IS IN THE REFERRAL URL. @inversebrah<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/HM6veJOmNp -> bkatmis012@gmail.com https:\/\/t.co\/1INvtXLEva pic.twitter.com\/m38VnNMS8k<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 m4gicpotato \u27c1 (@m4gicpotato) July 10, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Evidently, the web form encodes the user\u2019s email address in simple BASE64. This makes it a trivial matter for someone to associate an email address with the Twitter account sharing the link, prompting at least some speculation that the encoding wasn\u2019t an oversight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One Twitter user declared that the supposed “doxing\u201d was intentional, adding that Arkham\u2019s \u201cwhole goal is to dox (assuming the big players), and what easier way [than] making it easy to decode via ref link.”<\/p>\n
\nDefinitely. I\u2019m just saying it has to be intentional. Their whole goal is to dox (assuming the big players), and what easier way then making it easy to decode via ref link. It just wasn\u2019t supposed to be exposed this early though. I might just be giving them too much credit tho<\/p>\n
\u2014 slizzle (@zlizzle) July 10, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Collect this article as an NFT<\/em><\/strong> to preserve this moment in history and show your support for independent journalism in the crypto space.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n