Bitcoin halted its bullish BTC price rebound to dip below $96,000 on news that Middle East geopolitical tensions were easing.
BitcoinWorld Sexualized Deepfakes: US Senators Launch Urgent Probe Demanding Answers from X, Meta, and Alphabet WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a significant escalation of regulatory pressure, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has launched a direct inquiry into how the world’s largest social media and technology companies are handling the alarming proliferation of AI-generated, sexualized deepfakes. The move, initiated on Wednesday, targets X, Meta, Alphabet, Snap, Reddit, and TikTok, demanding they disclose their internal policies and prove the effectiveness of their safeguards against non-consensual intimate imagery. Senators Demand Proof on Sexualized Deepfakes Policies The formal letter, signed by eight Democratic senators including Lisa Blunt Rochester and Richard Blumenthal, represents a coordinated legislative response to mounting public and media reports. Consequently, the senators are not merely asking for general statements. Instead, they are demanding documented evidence of “robust protections and policies.” Furthermore, they have issued a legal preservation order for all documents related to the creation, detection, moderation, and monetization of such content. This legal step indicates the potential for future hearings or investigations. The inquiry stems from a critical gap between stated policies and practical outcomes. Many platforms publicly ban non-consensual intimate imagery. However, users consistently find methods to bypass AI guardrails. The senators cited specific, troubling media reports. These reports demonstrated how X’s AI chatbot, Grok, could generate sexualized and nude images of women and children despite recent policy updates. The Immediate Catalyst: Grok and Escalating Scrutiny The senators’ action follows hours after X announced it had updated Grok to prohibit edits of real people in revealing clothing. It also restricted image creation to paying subscribers. This update came amid intense criticism. Notably, xAI owner Elon Musk stated he was “not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok.” However, the senators’ letter directly challenges the adequacy of these reactive measures. Simultaneously, California’s Attorney General opened a separate investigation into xAI’s chatbot, highlighting the multi-front regulatory pressure now facing AI companies. A Systemic Problem Beyond a Single Platform While X and Grok are currently in the spotlight, the senators emphasized this is a pervasive, industry-wide crisis. The problem of sexualized deepfakes has a long and disturbing history across digital platforms. For instance, Reddit hosted a notorious forum for synthetic celebrity porn videos until it was removed in 2018. Recently, Meta’s Oversight Board criticized the platform’s handling of AI-generated explicit images of female public figures. Additionally, Meta has faced scrutiny for allowing “nudify” apps to purchase advertisements on its services. Other platforms are deeply implicated. Multiple reports detail students spreading deepfakes of peers on Snapchat. TikTok and YouTube struggle with the spread of sexualized deepfakes targeting celebrities and politicians. Although not named in the letter, Telegram has gained notoriety for hosting bots designed to “undress” photos of women without consent. This pattern confirms the issue is structural, not isolated. The Detailed Demands: A Blueprint for Accountability The senators’ letter is remarkably specific, outlining exact information requirements from each company. This approach moves the debate from vague principles to actionable transparency. The requested disclosures include: Clear Policy Definitions: How each company defines “deepfake,” “non-consensual intimate imagery,” and “virtual undressing.” Enforcement Protocols: Detailed descriptions of policies against AI deepfakes of people’s bodies, including non-nude pictures and altered clothing. Moderator Guidance: Internal manuals and training provided to content moderation teams. Technical Guardrails: Specific filters and measures to prevent the generation and distribution of deepfakes. Monetization Blocks: Mechanisms to prevent users and the platforms themselves from profiting from this content. Victim Support: Procedures for notifying individuals who have been targeted by non-consensual sexual deepfakes. The Complex Global and Legal Landscape The challenge of governing synthetic media is compounded by inconsistent international regulations and evolving U.S. law. China, for example, mandates strong synthetic content labeling at a national level. Conversely, the United States lacks a comprehensive federal law, relying instead on a patchwork of state legislation and platform-specific policies. This fragmentation creates enforcement loopholes and victim support disparities. Recently, U.S. lawmakers passed the “Take It Down Act,” which criminalizes the creation and dissemination of non-consensual, sexualized imagery. However, legal experts note its provisions focus liability on individual users rather than the platforms that host or the AI tools that generate the content. In response, states like New York are proposing their own laws. Governor Kathy Hochul’s new bill would require AI-generated content labels and ban election-related deepfakes in the periods leading up to votes. The Broader AI Safety Crisis Significantly, the senators’ letter connects sexualized deepfakes to a wider crisis of AI safety and content guardrails. They referenced incidents beyond non-consensual imagery, including: Reports that OpenAI’s Sora 2 allowed generation of explicit videos featuring children. Google’s Nano Banana generating a violent image of a public figure. Racist AI-generated videos amassing millions of views on social media. This context frames sexualized deepfakes not as an isolated misuse, but as a symptom of insufficient safety-by-design in rapidly deployed generative AI systems. The ease of creating harmful content with Chinese-developed editing apps, which then spread to Western platforms, further illustrates the global scale of the challenge. Conclusion: A Turning Point for Platform Accountability The coordinated senate inquiry marks a potential turning point in the regulation of AI and social media. By demanding concrete evidence and detailed explanations, lawmakers are shifting the burden of proof onto the technology companies. The effectiveness of platform policies on sexualized deepfakes will now face unprecedented legislative scrutiny. The responses from X, Meta, Alphabet, and others will not only shape future regulations but also define the ethical boundaries of the AI era. As this situation develops, the core question remains: Can self-regulation suffice, or will this probe catalyze sweeping new federal laws to protect individuals from digital exploitation? FAQs Q1: What exactly are the US senators asking the tech companies to do? The senators have sent a formal letter demanding the companies provide documented proof of their policies against sexualized deepfakes, preserve all related internal documents, and answer a detailed list of questions about their detection, moderation, and monetization practices for such content. Q2: Why is X’s Grok AI specifically mentioned in this probe? Grok is cited as a recent, high-profile example where an AI tool’s guardrails failed, allowing the generation of sexualized and nude images. Media demonstrations of these failures acted as a direct catalyst for the senators’ inquiry, though the problem is acknowledged as industry-wide. Q3: Which platforms are included in this senate inquiry? The letter is addressed to the leaders of X (formerly Twitter), Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Alphabet (Google, YouTube), Snap (Snapchat), Reddit, and TikTok. Notably, Telegram was not included despite being a known hub for deepfake bots. Q4: What is the “Take It Down Act” and how does it relate? It is a federal law passed in May 2024 that criminalizes the creation and spread of non-consensual sexual imagery. However, its focus is primarily on punishing individual users, making it difficult to hold AI platforms or social media companies accountable, which is a gap the senators’ inquiry seeks to address. Q5: What are the potential outcomes of this senate probe? Possible outcomes include public hearings, the introduction of new, more stringent federal legislation, increased Federal Trade Commission (FTC) scrutiny, and forcing major platforms to overhaul their AI safety protocols and content moderation systems publicly. This post Sexualized Deepfakes: US Senators Launch Urgent Probe Demanding Answers from X, Meta, and Alphabet first appeared on BitcoinWorld .
POL Critical at $0.15: Uptrend Continuation or Short-Term Correction? Bull $0.1866, Bear $0.1213 Target Scenario Analysis.
Dogecoin just printed an inverse head-and-shoulders pattern, with a $0.152 neckline; if confirmed, DOGE could surge 22% and reclaim the $0.186 level for the first time in months.
The deal will see LMAX embed Ripple's $1.4 billion U.S. dollar stablecoin into the exchange's infrastructure.
CoinGecko’s founder has responded to rumors that the platform is exploring a potential sale at a valuation of around $500 million, with investment bank Moelis reportedly on board as adviser. The discussion reportedly started in late 2025 amid a proliferation of crypto mergers and acquisitions, which reached record levels in 2025 and have shown no signs of slowing down this year. What did CoinGecko’s co-founder say about the sale rumors? In a post shared on X, one of the platform’s co-founders, Bobby Ong, acknowledged there have been a lot of questions following recent media reports. He expressed honor at the obvious interest, then went on to admit that as a growing and profitable company, he and his cofounder, who have been running the platform for over a decade, regularly evaluate “strategic opportunities to strengthen our business and accelerate our mission.” Ong claimed the company is currently operating from a position of strength, but is also well aware of the growing, profitable, and rising institutional demand. “While we don’t comment on specific discussions, we’re excited about possibilities that help us serve users better and support the institutional adoption of crypto,” he claimed. However, for now, he said CoinGecko will continue to operate “business as usual” with no change to how they work or deliver trustworthy data. He ended the post by thanking users for their continued support, but many did not miss one crucial detail. The post did not outrightly deny that a potential sale was in the works, but it did not actively confirm it either. This could mean the company is open to opportunities, like he said. What it does not dispute is the company’s stability and profitability. It could even be interpreted as a signal for those interested to offer higher amounts. However, that is all speculation. In the comment section, users piled in with advice, urging the founders to instead go public so that retail users would have a chance to grab a piece of the pie. Others just outrightly begged for the platform to remain as it is because any drastic changes could alter the quality of data. Crypto M&A activity has gone up since 2025 Since institutions started taking the cryptocurrency industry more seriously, mergers and acquisitions have gone up. However, CoinGecko stands out as one of the oldest platforms that is still relevant while remaining resistant to external funding. According to a recent report from Architect Partners, crypto M&A activity reached record levels in 2025, with deals linked to crypto investments accounting for about 27% of overall activity The trend has shown no signs of stopping this year, as there are already rumors of Strive securing shareholder approval to proceed with its acquisition of Semler Scientific. Some of the biggest M&A transactions in 2025 were Kraken’s purchase of NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion and Ripple’s $1.25 billion takeover of Hidden Road . Even CoinMarketCap, one of the few platforms that can stand toe to toe with CoinGecko in the area of data analysis, already gave in to external funding as far back as 2020, when it was acquired by giant exchange Binance for an estimated $400 million. The platform still puts out great news and credible data. However, with all the rumors flying around and Ong’s nondefinitive statement, users are now forced to wonder how long CoinGecko will continue to resist external funding. The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them .
XRP’s technical and onchain signals hint at a bullish breakout, with bulls eyeing a significant rally toward $2.80 by the month’s end.
Strategy remains an effective proxy for bitcoin exposure, particularly for investors with a long-term view, analyst Lance Vitanza said.
By Thomas Perfumo, Kraken Global Economist Crypto markets in 2025 were driven overwhelmingly by Bitcoin, which itself was shaped by macro forces and mainstream adoption. That framing carries forward into 2026. What’s changed is not the importance of Bitcoin, but the channels through which demand, liquidity, and risk are now expressed. Crypto’s new market structure As a macro asset, Bitcoin continues to lead market risk sentiment shifts in a period defined by mixed economic growth, persistent inflation, and volatile geopolitical catalysts. This translates into compressed volatility ranges punctuated by sharp, narrative-driven moves. The market feels less euphoric than prior cycles and structurally more complex. A significant driver of Bitcoin’s price discovery now flows through institutional vehicles. U.S.-listed Bitcoin ETFs (like BlackRock’s IBIT) and digital asset treasury companies (like Strategy) represented massive quantities of net capital flows in 2024 and through 2025. In 2025 alone, ETFs and Strategy collectively represented nearly $44 billion of net spot demand for bitcoins. Yet price performance disappointed relative to expectations, underscoring how supply dynamics have quietly shifted. The likeliest source of marketable supply is coming from long-term holders capitalizing on performance through 2025. Bitcoin Coin Days Destroyed – a measurement of how long coins are held before they are moved – reached its highest level on record for a single quarter in 4Q 2025. This suggests meaningful turnover from legacy HODL’ers at a time when crypto is competing for attention and capital against strong equity markets, AI-driven growth, and record price action in gold and other precious metal commodities. The result is a market that absorbs enormous inflows without the reflexive upside seen in prior cycles. Despite these headwinds, the broader market structure remains constructive. Systemic risk indicators are contained, stablecoin liquidity is at all-time highs, and regulatory clarity is improving. Innovation is accelerating, but so is complexity, and rising complexity tends to obscure fragility – especially in a macro regime where monetary policy support is no longer a given. What to watch next Looking ahead, several themes will shape how crypto behaves in 2026: 1. Macroeconomic trends and liquidity conditions Economic growth is expected to remain modest, with the U.S. outperforming regions like Europe and the UK, but inflation remains sticky. Central banks are still expected to ease interest rate policy with the exception of a few developed economies like Japan and Australia. However, monetary easing is taking place at a slower pace than in 2025. Markets expect U.S. policy rates to drift toward the low 3% range by year-end 2026 with the added benefit of a pause in quantitative tightening, or balance sheet reductions. Liquidity remains one of most relevant leading indicators for risk assets, crypto included. While quantitative tightening has effectively ended in the U.S., there is no clear path towards quantitative easing absent a negative growth shock. With Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s term expiring in May 2026, markets may soon face a policy transition that introduces uncertainty around liquidity management. The risk here is asymmetric: easing is more likely to arrive as a reaction to bad news rather than as a proactive tailwind. Persistently elevated inflation remains the key threat to a more constructive macro backdrop. A true goldilocks outcome has to combine favorable trade relationship developments, reduction in consumer price inflation, sustained confidence in elevated investment in artificial intelligence, and de-escalation of geopolitical conflicts. 2. Momentum in IBIT and MSTR ETF flows and Strategy’s positioning continue to act as a major gauge of sentiment. However, the nature of that signal is changing. ETF inflows in 2025 were lower than in 2024, and digital asset treasuries like Strategy are unable to issue equity as accretively with compressed premiums to net asset value. Speculative positioning is also depressed. Options markets tied to vehicles like IBIT and Strategy saw a collapse in net delta exposure during late-2025, even below levels observed during the April 2025 tariff turmoil, which saw risk assets aggressively sold. Without renewed risk-on sentiment, it’s difficult for these vehicles to catalyze another powerful leg higher in Bitcoin as they have in the past. 3. U.S. market structure and regulatory momentum Regulatory clarity is no longer a theoretical tailwind — it’s tangible. The passage of stablecoin legislation is already reshaping onchain dollar liquidity, and attention is now turning toward broader market structure reform through the CLARITY Act . If enacted, this framework would provide long-awaited clarity around the oversight of digital commodities and exchanges, likely accelerating capital formation and furthering the U.S. as the crypto capital of the world. The global knock-on effects matter as well. Other countries are looking at the outcomes of U.S. policy decisions. The outcome will define where capital, developers, and innovation migrate. 4. Shifts in the volatility regime Crypto volatility has been unusually low, even during periods of new all-time highs. This is a meaningful departure from historical cycle behavior. New all-time highs were observed while Bitcoin’s 30-day realized volatility hovered in the 20–30% range, levels typically associated with market cycle troughs, not peaks. Bitcoin market cap dominance reinforces this signal. Throughout 2025, dominance averaged above 60%, with no sustained breakdown toward the sub-50% levels that historically marked speculative late-cycle excess. Whether this reflects a structurally more mature market — or simply deferred volatility — remains one of the most important open questions heading into 2026. 5. Tokenization of traditional assets The tokenization of real-world assets is quietly becoming one of the most important structural stories in crypto. Tokenized financial assets grew from roughly $5.6 billion to nearly $19 billion in a single year, expanding well beyond Treasury funds into commodities, private credit, and public equities. As regulatory posture has shifted from adversarial to collaborative, incumbents are increasingly exploring onchain distribution and settlement. The tokenization of widely held assets such as large-cap U.S. equities could unlock new sources of global demand and onchain liquidity, serving as a catalyst for the next phase of growth much like ICOs or AMMs did in prior eras 6. New tokenomics for DeFi The evolution of tokenomics may prove a niche but powerful catalyst. Many DeFi governance tokens launched during prior cycles were structured more conservatively to avoid value accrual mechanisms like fee sharing. That era may be ending. Proposals like Uniswap’s move toward activating protocol fees signal a broader shift toward models that support sustainable cash flows and long-term alignment. If successful, these changes could reprice a subset of DeFi assets away from pure momentum and toward more durable valuation frameworks with improved incentive structures for future growth. Setting the stage for 2026 As crypto heads into 2026, the market is balancing macro uncertainty with accelerating onchain innovation. Bitcoin remains the primary lens through which risk sentiment is expressed, but it no longer operates in isolation. Liquidity conditions, institutional positioning, regulatory clarity, and the maturation of asset tokenization and tokenomics are increasingly intertwined. Sentiment is lower than it was a year ago, and that matters. Expectations are reset, leverage is flushed, and structural progress continues largely out of the spotlight. While tail risks remain elevated — particularly on the macro side — the underlying foundation looks more resilient than it did in prior cycles. The industry is no longer early, but it is still evolving. The groundwork laid today may define the contours of crypto’s next expansion, even if the path there remains uneven. Get Started with Kraken The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kraken or its management. The post The road ahead for crypto markets in 2026 appeared first on Kraken Blog .
BitMine invests $200 million in MrBeast's Beast Industries. Enhancing crypto visibility is a key goal of the investment. Continue Reading: Crypto Titan Backs MrBeast: Huge Investment Sparks New Horizons The post Crypto Titan Backs MrBeast: Huge Investment Sparks New Horizons appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .