Secret Service Creates And Collects NFT Artworks, But Is Not Selling Them
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The US Secret Service has a new kind of secret project: It’s been making non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
The unexpected endeavor was let out of the bag during an Ask Me Anything session on May 16, where agents of the San Francisco Field Office opened the floor for questions about how they were approaching cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
When a user joked that they were looking forward to getting hold of a Secret Service meme coin, the agents presented something even better. It turns out there are official Secret Service digital collectibles on the OpenSea NFT marketplace.
Screenshot via United States Secret Service San Francisco Field Office / OpenSea
All things considered, these artworks are rather high quality. Each piece depicts a masked agent in a different setting, from piloting a helicopter over the Golden Gate Bridge to patrolling the grounds of Alcatraz and hanging out at Chinatown.
- The DATA (Digital Asset Technology Alliance) SQUAD arm of SS are in charge of this NFT collection. pic.twitter.com/2TSHWDq5Xb
— Johnpaul Nwobodo - JPN™ (@TheRealJpN) June 27, 2023
Each NFT is special to a member of the Secret Service’s Digital Asset Technology Alliance (DATA) squad, which oversees crypto-related crimes.
To create the works, the agents imagined the places in Northern California that best represented them. That’s why you’ve got one character in Napa Valley, and another workaholic toiling away at the San Francisco Field Office.
Special Agent Alfonso Speed tells Cointelegraph that everyone’s personalities and hobbies really shone through in the making of the NFTs.
People have offered the federal law enforcers anywhere from 0.0028 ETH (US$5.25) to 0.02 ETH (US$37.52) for the tokens. But no can do, these valuables aren’t for sale. They were created to help the squad better understand the enigmatic world of NFTs.
The agents say their interactions with members of the crypto community, including on Reddit, have been critical in helping them strategize ways to tackle Web 3.0 crimes and actually return stolen funds to victims.
The NFTs have been an interesting and creative outlet for the task force, though they’re also a testament to the Secret Service’s commitment to grasping digital infrastructure.
When the teammates were asked about their personal take on crypto, they responded that several of them own cryptocurrencies themselves.
“We’re definitely hodlers of crypto,” the agents replied on Reddit. “Sometimes to understand the mechanics of particular assets or blockchains, you have to get hands-on and perform some of your own transactions.”
[via Cointelegraph and NFT Now, images via various sources]
