by -
Prosecutors wrote to a judge on Friday about changes to Bankman-Fried’s release terms.
-
The letter said he could use a flip phone or non-smartphone device without “internet capabilities.”
-
The FTX founder and his parents had to install security software on their devices.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was allowed to use a flip phone without internet capabilities as part of changes to his release terms.
In a letter sent to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan on Friday and seen by Insider, prosecutors outlined the changes that will limit Bankman-Fried to text messages and voice calls after allegations he spoke to former employees over Signal , an encrypted messaging app, spoken.
His use of Signal and virtual private networks (VPNs) angered the judge, who threatened to vacate Bankman-Fried’s bail ahead of his October trial over the cryptocurrency exchange collapse.
He is now allowed to use “a flip phone or other non-smartphone with either no internet functionality or internet functionality disabled,” prosecutors wrote. However, Bankman-Fried cannot communicate with “current or former employees of FTX or Alameda”.
He can also use a laptop with limited functionality and must log in through a VPN, which allows access to websites for two purposes: to prepare for his defense and those that prosecutors deem safe. These sites include Netflix, Doordash, Uber Eats, Major League Baseball, and the National Football League.
Security software that logs his online activities must be installed, and prosecutors have the right to conduct periodic checks.
Bankman-Fried, who pleaded not guilty, was released on a $250 million bond sponsored by two men who appear to have ties to Stanford University, where Bankman-Fried’s parents work. He is locked in his parents’ house with a surveillance device around his ankle.
His parents are also required to submit affidavits detailing the serial numbers and MAC addresses of their respective iPhones, Apple laptops, and a shared desktop iMac. They must also install security software on their devices that regularly takes videos and selfies of them, the letter said.
Bankman-Fried officials declined to comment.
Read the original article on Business Insider
