> That shouldn’t just worry anyone trying to stealthily spend Monero today. It also means evidence of earlier not-quite-untraceable payments remain carved into Monero’s blockchain for years to come, visible for any snoop that cares to look.

This is the key point from the article and it applies to every cryptocurrency. Just because a crypto seems anonymous now, does not mean it will be forever, and all the transactions from “now” will still be on the blockchain “forever.” Almost ironically, scrutiny of a currency increases with its usage, so you’re probably better off just not using cryptocurrencies to commit crimes.

P.S. Anyone got the link to the paper? Can’t believe wired didn’t even link to it