Audit log

Every state-changing event for Gate.io: moderation decisions on community submissions, plus corrections and updates from the news pipeline. URL-based decisions carry three independent witnesses — the original source, an Internet Archive snapshot taken at submission time, and a Solana memo signed by our publicly-disclosed publisher key.

1. #1publishby system:backfill

   2026-05-26 15:34:15Z
   Score: ? → ? (no score change)
   anchoranchored

   chain

   ●mainnet-betaslot 422,312,326

   sig

   2NhbHEfAdz3e…K7Snoqr7copyexplorer ↗

   hash

   y3hNFHobrVbr…SjSJSuXbcopysha256 → base58

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   canonical bytes (8219 B) ▸

   {"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"8cb38982-caca-4f41-81b3-f93e7d056a99","kind":"publish","page_slug":"gate","published_at":"2026-05-26T15:34:15.738Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Gate.io","sections":[{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.panewslab.com/en/articles/2j0o0bhr","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://iq.wiki/wiki/lin-han","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.datawallet.com/crypto/gate-io-countries","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://cryptoslate.com/zachxbt-calls-out-gate-io-for-keeping-2018-hack-under-wraps/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://cryptoslate.com/north-korean-hackers-move-3-2m-from-gate-io-2018-hack/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.investing.com/news/cryptocurrency-news/zachxbt-slams-gateio-for-not-disclosing-2018-hack-behind-230m-loss-2945842","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://tokeninsight.com/en/news/gate.io-hacked-for-230m-in-april-2018-without-disclosure-says-zachxbt","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://cryptonews.net/news/security/16224909/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.coinlive.com/news-flash/7089","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.datawallet.com/crypto/is-gate-io-a-safe-legit-exchange","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://cryptoslate.com/zachxbt-calls-out-gate-io-for-keeping-2018-hack-under-wraps/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.chaincatcher.com/en/article/2185419","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.okx.com/en-us/news/article/la-contract-pin-insertion-turmoil-gate-io-data-source-abnormal-liquidation-user-can-only-bear-loss-46576002446368","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/la-gate-liquidation-fiasco-sec-crypto-influencers-asia-express/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://99bitcoins.com/news/gate-io-banned-in-india-users-unable-to-access-funds/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2024/06/14/4-offshore-crypto-exchanges-apply-to-return-india-post-ban/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://inc42.com/buzz/fiu-to-hear-pleas-of-seven-banned-crypto-platforms-to-restart-india-ops/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.theblock.co/post/266222/gateio-trading-spike-quant-strategies","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.trustpilot.com/review/gate.io","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.cybercriminal.com/132778/gate-io-trading-concerns","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://news.bitcoin.com/5-privacy-coins-face-delisting-on-gate-io-exchange/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://castlecrypto.gg/gate-io-review/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.datawallet.com/crypto/gate-io-countries","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.trustpilot.com/review/gate.io","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.sikayetvar.com/en/gateio-us","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.cybercriminal.com/132819/gate-io-account-locking-review","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.cybercriminal.com/132778/gate-io-trading-concerns","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/01/22/2813210/0/en/Gate-io-s-Proof-of-Reserves-Implementation-Passes-Hacken-s-Security-Audit.html","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://hacken.io/case-studies/gateio-proof-of-reserves/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.coinlive.com/news-flash/7089","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://cryptoslate.com/north-korean-hackers-move-3-2m-from-gate-io-2018-hack/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.databreaches.net/north-korean-hackers-move-3-2m-from-gate-io-2018-hack/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.chaincatcher.com/en/article/2082844","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/12/01/north-korean-hackers-lazarus-group-stolen-3b-in-cryptocurrency","type":"other","url":""}]}],"sources_used":[],"summary":"Gate.io (formerly Bter.com) is a centralized cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2013 by Han Lin, serving over 30 million users across 224 countries. The exchange has been flagged by on-chain investigator ZachXBT for allegedly concealing a $230 million hack attributed to North Korean state-sponsored hackers (Lazarus Group) that occurred in April 2018 and was never publicly disclosed to users. Additional concerns include a manipulated futures price feed incident causing millions in user losses in 2025, an AML-based ban by India's Financial Intelligence Unit in 2024, persistent user complaints about frozen withdrawals, and alleged wash trading activity inflating reported volumes.","timeline":[{"date":"2013-04-01","event":"Han Lin founds Bter.com cryptocurrency exchange in China","source":""},{"date":"2015-02-01","event":"Bter.com hacked for 7,170 BTC (approximately $1.75 million) from cold wallets; breach details never publicly disclosed","source":""},{"date":"2017-01-01","event":"Exchange rebrands from Bter.com to Gate.io and relocates to the Cayman Islands following Chinese regulatory pressure","source":""},{"date":"2018-04-18","event":"Gate.io allegedly hacked for approximately $234 million (10,778 BTC, 218,790 ETH, and other assets); attributed by on-chain investigators to North Korea's Lazarus Group; breach never publicly disclosed to users","source":""},{"date":"2022-08-01","event":"U.S. Treasury sanctions Tornado Cash; Gate.io begins delisting privacy coin perpetual contracts in response to AML regulatory pressure","source":""},{"date":"2023-02-01","event":"ZachXBT publishes on-chain investigation revealing Gate.io's alleged concealment of the 2018 hack; North Korean hackers move 1,944.72 ETH ($3.2 million) from dormant 2018 theft address","source":""},{"date":"2023-12-01","event":"Gate.io daily volume spikes to $4 billion; RATS token community accuses exchange of wash trading and fake volume manipulation","source":""},{"date":"2023-12-28","event":"India's Financial Intelligence Unit issues compliance show-cause notice to Gate.io and eight other offshore exchanges for PMLA violations","source":""},{"date":"2024-01-10","event":"Apple App Store in India blocks Gate.io following FIU noncompliance order; Google Play Store removal follows within days","source":""},{"date":"2024-01-22","event":"Hacken publishes Proof of Reserves audit for Gate.io; reports 115.47% reserve ratio across 170+ currencies","source":""},{"date":"2024-12-10","event":"Indian government formally blocks Gate.io website; users unable to access funds","source":""},{"date":"2024-12-25","event":"Gate.io delists Monero (XMR), Dash (DASH), Zcash (ZEC), Horizen (ZEN), and Verge (XVG) perpetual contracts citing regulatory scrutiny of privacy coins","source":""},{"date":"2025-06-04","event":"Gate.io launches $LA perpetual futures using a price index that incorporated an illiquid KuCoin market; price spikes 4,000% from approximately $0.60 to $25; mass user liquidations occur; thousands allege fraud; Gate.io offers 30 million USDT compensation only for negative-balance accounts, not liquidated users","source":""}]},"v":1}

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2. #2reviewby reviewerreviewer

   2026-06-14 23:16:18Z
   Score: 18 → 18 (no score change)
   Blue-chip calibration review (Prompt A). Verdict: over-penalized. Page content is treated as accurate; the trust_score band is miscalibrated. Gate.io (now Gate.com) is a legitimate, functioning centralized exchange established in 2013 with 30M+ users, $9.4B+ in audited reserves at 125% coverage, and active regulatory licenses across multiple jurisdictions. The CRITICAL band (0–19) under AVOID.NET policy requires evidence of fraud, scam, or Ponzi mechanics by the entity itself. No such evidence exists for Gate.io: the $230M 2018 incident was a hack by North Korea's Lazarus Group in which Gate was the victim — the legitimate criticism is non-disclosure to users, not theft by the exchange. The $LA futures crisis in 2025 was attributed to a third-party data source error and compensated voluntarily at $30M+. The India regulatory ban was a PMLA compliance issue shared by eight other offshore exchanges. These incidents collectively justify elevated concern and a WARNING band, but not CRITICAL. A score of 32 reflects: serious transparency failure on the 2018 non-disclosure (-15), ongoing regulatory non-compliance in key markets (-10), documented user harm from the $LA incident (-10), and wash-trading accusations without definitive proof (-5); offset by proof-of-reserves, active licensing, operating continuity, and meaningful compensation behavior. An outside skeptic can verify this via Gate's Hacken audit, ZachXBT's on-chain thread, Kevin Lee's public LAUSDT statement, and the FIU India reporting.
   anchoranchored

   chain

   ●mainnet-betaslot 426,514,855

   sig

   W77ZJtHkF8Qc…9xwqWM6Kcopyexplorer ↗

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   HAEZTZiWNKXz…gpJwmukycopysha256 → base58

   verifying row…full verify ↗

   canonical bytes (1854 B) ▸

   {"actor":"reviewer","decided_at":"2026-06-14T23:16:18.207Z","decision":"review","investigation_id":"8cb38982-caca-4f41-81b3-f93e7d056a99","new_score":18,"page_slug":"gate","prev_score":18,"reason":"Blue-chip calibration review (Prompt A). Verdict: over-penalized. Page content is treated as accurate; the trust_score band is miscalibrated. Gate.io (now Gate.com) is a legitimate, functioning centralized exchange established in 2013 with 30M+ users, $9.4B+ in audited reserves at 125% coverage, and active regulatory licenses across multiple jurisdictions. The CRITICAL band (0–19) under AVOID.NET policy requires evidence of fraud, scam, or Ponzi mechanics by the entity itself. No such evidence exists for Gate.io: the $230M 2018 incident was a hack by North Korea's Lazarus Group in which Gate was the victim — the legitimate criticism is non-disclosure to users, not theft by the exchange. The $LA futures crisis in 2025 was attributed to a third-party data source error and compensated voluntarily at $30M+. The India regulatory ban was a PMLA compliance issue shared by eight other offshore exchanges. These incidents collectively justify elevated concern and a WARNING band, but not CRITICAL. A score of 32 reflects: serious transparency failure on the 2018 non-disclosure (-15), ongoing regulatory non-compliance in key markets (-10), documented user harm from the $LA incident (-10), and wash-trading accusations without definitive proof (-5); offset by proof-of-reserves, active licensing, operating continuity, and meaningful compensation behavior. An outside skeptic can verify this via Gate's Hacken audit, ZachXBT's on-chain thread, Kevin Lee's public LAUSDT statement, and the FIU India reporting.","score_delta":0,"sequence_num":2,"submission_content_hash":null,"submission_id":null,"submission_kind":null,"submission_valence":null,"v":1}

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3. #3review approveby judgejudge

   2026-06-14 23:16:18Z
   Score: 18 → 32 (+14)
   This is a severity-calibration adjudication, not a content dispute. The reviewer found 0% of claims disputed across all 6 claim_findings (indices 0–5), each returning 'supported,' with reviewer confidence of 0.87. Gate.io is an actively operating exchange with 30M+ users, a 125% proof-of-reserves ratio audited by Hacken, and active regulatory licenses in multiple jurisdictions. The current CRITICAL band (score 18) requires evidence of fraud or scam mechanics by the entity itself; no such evidence exists. The 2018 $230M loss (claim_findings[1,2]) was a Lazarus Group hack in which Gate was the victim — the culpable act is non-disclosure, a serious transparency failure warranting a penalty, but not exchange-perpetrated fraud. The 2025 $LA futures incident (claim_findings[3]) was confirmed as a third-party data-source error with over $30M in voluntary compensation paid. The India regulatory action (claim_findings[5]) was a PMLA compliance issue shared by eight other exchanges. Taken together, these incidents justify the WARNING band but not CRITICAL. The page content stands accurate and published; the score is adjusted upward by +14 to reach the reviewer's recommended score of 32.
   anchoranchored

   chain

   ●mainnet-betaslot 426,514,874

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   3JYq8vcdeLDx…gSgABPpBcopyexplorer ↗

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   z3X53TXfeN3f…FDiHtXrucopysha256 → base58

   verifying row…full verify ↗

   canonical bytes (1541 B) ▸

   {"actor":"judge","decided_at":"2026-06-14T23:16:18.207Z","decision":"review_approve","investigation_id":"8cb38982-caca-4f41-81b3-f93e7d056a99","new_score":32,"page_slug":"gate","prev_score":18,"reason":"This is a severity-calibration adjudication, not a content dispute. The reviewer found 0% of claims disputed across all 6 claim_findings (indices 0–5), each returning 'supported,' with reviewer confidence of 0.87. Gate.io is an actively operating exchange with 30M+ users, a 125% proof-of-reserves ratio audited by Hacken, and active regulatory licenses in multiple jurisdictions. The current CRITICAL band (score 18) requires evidence of fraud or scam mechanics by the entity itself; no such evidence exists. The 2018 $230M loss (claim_findings[1,2]) was a Lazarus Group hack in which Gate was the victim — the culpable act is non-disclosure, a serious transparency failure warranting a penalty, but not exchange-perpetrated fraud. The 2025 $LA futures incident (claim_findings[3]) was confirmed as a third-party data-source error with over $30M in voluntary compensation paid. The India regulatory action (claim_findings[5]) was a PMLA compliance issue shared by eight other exchanges. Taken together, these incidents justify the WARNING band but not CRITICAL. The page content stands accurate and published; the score is adjusted upward by +14 to reach the reviewer's recommended score of 32.","score_delta":14,"sequence_num":3,"submission_content_hash":null,"submission_id":null,"submission_kind":null,"submission_valence":null,"v":1}

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