May 18, 2025

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DOJ to disband its cryptocurrency enforcement unit

The US Department of Justice has disbanded its unit focused on prosecuting cryptocurrency scams. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the end of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team in a memo sent on Monday, Reuters reported.

When the NCET launched, its focus was prosecuting cryptocurrency used in money laundering, fraud and theft. In recent years, the Department of Justice secured several high-profile wins in cases involving Binance, Tornado Cash and Bitfinex. However, the dissolution of NCET marks the latest government move to implement the current administration's crypto-friendly attitude.

Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at encouraging the creation of blockchain networks. Blanche cited this as his rationale, and ordered the department's cryptocurrency efforts to focus on "individuals who victimize digital asset investors, or those who use digital assets in furtherance of criminal offenses such as terrorism, narcotics and human trafficking, organized crime, hacking, and cartel and gang financing." Any investigations that run counter to this agenda "should be closed."

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has also been walking back its regulation of cryptocurrency, such as ending an enforcement case against Coinbase. However, cryptocurrency remains a risky endeavor, with theft still rampant at the individual and national levels. Additionally, the Trump family already has a vested interest in encouraging crypto operations, claiming a majority of revenue from World Liberty Financial's token sales.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/doj-to-disband-its-cryptocurrency-enforcement-unit-200347077.html?src=rss
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‘Horizon Call of the Mountain’ PSVR2 trailer reveals a perilous climb

Sony has finally revealed key details for PlayStation VR2’s marquee title. The company, Guerilla Games and Firesprite have shared the first gameplay trailer for Horizon Call of the Mountain along with details of the story. You play Ryas, a disgraced Shadow Carja Warrior who seeks freedom and redemption by tackling a new threat to the tribe. As you might guess, the gameplay revolves around VR-friendly exploration and combat. You’ll scale mountains using climbing picks, take down rogue machines with your bow and craft new gear.

While the trailer doesn’t offer too many spoilers, the developers made clear that Call of the Mountain has tangential links to the main Horizon narrative. You’ll run into Aloy and other familiar characters alongside new ones. This is also clearly a technological showcase for the PSVR2 headset. Besides the lush visuals, you can show off the experience in a “River Ride” segment practically tailor-made for spectators watching your TV.

There’s still no release date for the game, although that’s not surprising when Sony has yet to narrow down launch timing for the PSVR2 itself.

You won’t have to wait to get some fresh Horizon content, at least. Guerilla has released a major update for Horizon Forbidden West that adds New Game+ and Ultra Hard modes for players who felt the existing difficulty levels weren’t enough of a challenge. You’ll also see better antialiasing for visuals in Performance mode on PS5 and PS4 Pro, and tinkerers will be happy to know they can both reassign their skill points and customize their outfits to look like anything they already own.

More technical upgrades are coming, too. Guerilla has teased a patch with variable refresh rate support for compatible TVs, not to mention a 40 frames per second mode that might split the difference between graphical beauty and smooth frame rates. The studio is still determined to keep Forbidden West relevant, then, even if its attention has shifted more toward VR.

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