Europol is hiring interns with Bitcoin tracking skills

The European Union’s top law enforcement agency, Europol, is looking for interns with skills in tracking bitcoin transactions, according to a job posting on its website.

The announcement is seeking applicants for the " Open Source Data Collection and Analysis " project to support Europol's Cyber ​​Intelligence Unit.

Applicants should have the skills to analyze Bitcoin transactions and be interested in blockchain technology. The technical skills required for the position are:

“ A basic understanding of the tracking and properties of Bitcoin transactions and an interest in blockchain technology. ”

According to the job ad, candidates should also have " knowledge of anonymization and encryption tools that have been abused by criminals . "

The person elected will be based at Europol in The Hague and will help produce quarterly reports focusing on “ new trends, threats and patterns ” in cybercrime , with a particular focus on anonymization and encryption tools.

In an interview with CoinDesk , Europol said it could not comment on the situation due to data protection rules.

Open Source Intelligence

The job advert states that Europol considers bitcoin transactions to be a form of “ open source ” intelligence ( OSINT ). The candidate will also be supported by OSINT experts from the Cyber ​​Intelligence Unit.

According to the FBI, open source intelligence is a type of intelligence collection discipline that relies on the collection and analysis of a wide range of publicly available information.

OSINT is one of six internships open to the agency. Those selected will start work in February.

Europol has analyzed the potential for criminals to abuse Bitcoin based on numerous reports. In September, the agency said that Bitcoin could account for up to 40 % of online payments between criminals, which has also contributed to the growth of online “ crime services ” systems.