<p> Bitcoins were conceptualized in 2008, which revolutionized the digital transfers of value within payment systems (Nakamoto, 2008). The advent of digital currencies revealed problems concerning anonymity embedded in bitcoins, consequently raising money laundering concerns. Regulators and law enforcement agencies struggle with addressing the money laundering issues inherent with bitcoin and digital currencies (Ajello, 2025). In response to these threats, agencies have issued various opinions regarding defining digital currencies within a financial framework. Regulator opinions concerning the applicability of bitcoins existing as currency, property, a commodity and commodity money contradict each other. Moreover; prosecutorial agencies attempt to fit digital currency exchangers under the regulations pertinent to money service businesses (MSB) (Mandjee, 2015; Sonderegger, 2015). This project provided an analysis of scholarly material, government publications, case law, and current trade information to examine a solution to the problem of money laundering through digital currency. This project revealed a need for a clear definition of bitcoin and digital currency within the context of U.S. laws and regulation to assist with investigations concerning illicit uses of digital currency. Furthermore, a need exists for new U.S. legislation specific to digital currency, which addresses money laundering and terrorist finance risks. Research revealed that digital currency regulations should mirror MSB regulations to curb peer-to-peer digital currency exchanges (Kirby, 2014). Additionally, FinCENs purview with financial crimes provides a unique position to assist law enforcement with digital currency investigations (FinCEN, 2014). A need exists for FinCEN to develop a blockchain analysis tool for law enforcement agencies and to assist with complex digital currency investigations (DHS, 2014). Keywords: Economic Crime Management, Financial Crime and Compliance Management, Paul Pantiani, virtual currency, cryptocurrency.</p>

<p> Although Internet censorship is a well-studied topic, to date most published studies have focused on a single aspect of the phenomenon, using methods and sources specific to each researcher. Results are difficult to compare, and global, historical perspectives are rare. Because each group maintains their own software, erroneous methods may continue to be used long after the error has been discovered. Because censors continually update their equipment and blacklists, it may be impossible to reproduce historical results even with the same vantage points and testing software. Because &ldquo;probe lists&rdquo; of potentially censored material are labor-intensive to compile, requiring an understanding of the politics and culture of each country studied, researchers discover only the most obvious and long-lasting cases of censorship. </p><p> In this dissertation I will show that it is possible to make progress toward addressing all of these problems at once. I will present a proof-of concept monitoring system designed to operate continuously, in as many different countries as possible, using the best known techniques for detection and analysis. I will also demonstrate improved techniques for verifying the geographic location of a monitoring vantage point; for distinguishing innocuous network problems from censorship and other malicious network interference; and for discovering new web pages that are closely related to known-censored pages. These techniques improve the accuracy of a continuous monitoring system and reduce the manual labor required to operate it. </p><p> This research has, in addition, already led to new discoveries. For example, I have confirmed reports that a commonly-used heuristic is too sensitive and will mischaracterize a wide variety of unrelated problems as censorship. I have been able to identify a few cases of political censorship within a much longer list of cases of moralizing censorship. I have expanded small seed groups of politically sensitive documents into larger groups of documents to test for censorship. Finally, I can also detect other forms of network interference with a totalitarian motive, such as injection of surveillance scripts. </p><p> In summary, this work demonstrates that mostly-automated measurements of Internet censorship on a worldwide scale are feasible, and that the elusive global and historical perspective is within reach.</p><p>

<p> Medicare Part B is one of the federal health insurance programs available to senior citizens in the United States. Unlike Medicare Part A, Part B enrollment is not automatic, and those missing their initial enrollment period are assessed a 10% or more penalty in addition to their monthly premium rate for the rest of their lives. This problematic enrollment policy has impacted senior citizens who have missed Part B enrollment windows, creating for them an added financial burden when many are transitioning to fixed incomes. Guided by social construction theory and using a nonprobability, convenience sampling approach, the likelihood coefficient values associated with Medicare Part B enrollee awareness, stress, and income of 112 residents of a suburban city in a northeastern state who were 65 years and older were examined. Sequential <i>Forward: LR</i> methodology yielded a significant, negative (<i>b</i> = &ndash;1.21, Wald <i>_X</i>²(1) = 7.56, <i>OR</i> = .298, <i>p</i> = .006, CI [.126, .707]) and a significant, positive (<i>b</i> = 2.16, Wald <i>_X</i>²(1) = 6.29, <i>OR</i> = 8.678, <i>p</i> = .012, CI [1.60, 46.99]) likelihood of predicting Medicare Part B late enrollment penalties for awareness and stress; income was not a significant model predictor. Participants who reported higher stress levels were 8.7 times more likely to be classified in the Medicare Part B late enrollment penalty than those reporting lower stress. Participants who were aware of enrollment needs were 3.4 times more likely to have no late enrollment penalties than those who were unaware. Positive social change centers on increasing Medicare Part B consumer awareness, reducing stress of enrollment deadlines, and providing information to federal policy makers to simplify enrollment policies to reduce or end late enrollment penalties.</p><p>

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The number of motor vehicle accidents that occur as a result of driving while talking on mobile devices increases each year. Distracted driving is dangerous; however, policy researchers have not focused on adults who talk on mobile devices as they drive children to and from daily events. This study focused on the experiences of soccer parents, an important focus because of soccer's year-long duration that requires a large amount of driving in addition to the other daily tasks of parenting. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions of parents of child soccer players regarding the motivations for and risks of talking on mobile devices while driving. The theoretical framework for this phenomenological study was the self-determination theory. Data were collected by electronic surveys using a convenience sample of 10 couples and 4 single parents of children who play soccer for a team in a southern state. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method in which patterns were identified and coded into themes. The key findings were that the parents had different perceptions of the risks and motivations for talking on mobile devices while driving. There were participants who viewed talking on mobile devices as risky while others did not perceive talking on mobile devices while driving as a risk. Recommendations include conducting further research on parents who drive children to and from soccer practices, while talking on mobile devices, in order to gain better understanding of what motivates people to choose to talk on mobile devices while driving. The implications for positive social change include informing policy makers about the importance of increasing awareness and educating the public about the risks of talking on mobile devices while driving.

Innovative approaches to communicating with the masses continue to evolve in the private sector, while accessibility of goods, services, and public information within federal, state, and local government organizations has been declining for decades. This situation has resulted in a lack of trust and sense of isolation from communities. At the same time, the implementation and use of social media have increased exponentially. Despite the simultaneous occurrence of these events, limited research has explored the connection between them. Specifically, the purpose of this case study was to address the central research question of whether the adoption of social media platforms results in increased accessibility of goods and services within the public sector. Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory founded the framework for this study. Data were collected within a local government organization through semistructured interviews with 15 employees and 15 clients, observations of daily operations, and analyses of postings made on selected social media platforms. Inductive coding and a comparative method of analysis generated emerging themes and patterns. Key findings of this study indicated significant increases in public accessibility of goods and services as the result of the implementation and use of social media. Relative to diffusion of innovations theory, findings illustrated the spread of new technology through certain channels among employees and clients. Recommendations focus on establishing strategies to ensure widespread diffusion of social media and to address socioeconomic disparities. Government agencies can use this research as a means to advance social change through open communication, an engaged workforce, and increased transparency.