People like to think that using Bitcoin makes your transactions anonymous. But hidden in last month's special counsel's indictment of 12 alleged Russian spies lies an explanation of how law enforcement officials used the blockchain, the network that enables bitcoin transactions, to track and identify the suspects using their cryptocurrency transactions.

Because every bitcoin transaction is recorded on a public ledger, law enforcement can trace the origin of bitcoins. Once you've taken enough steps back, an investigator can usually find a place where bitcoins were purchased or where bitcoins were used to purchase a service. This is critical because bitcoin sellers, like Coinbase, or places that sell services usually require some personal information. With the power of a subpoena, law enforcement could obtain that personal information, making it easier to link a bitcoin transaction to a real person, rather than a random string of numbers and letters.

One blockchain developer, Tim Cotten, was even able to trace Bitcoin purchases back to Russia's intelligence agency, the GRU, using only public information. And he agreed to show VICE News how almost anyone with a bitcoin wallet could do something similar.

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