[CRITICAL] Bountysource is Insolvent, do not use!

Main Action

Bounty-Issuers

Activate your Paypal Buyer Protection (if payed within last 180 days), see #1586 (comment)

• you get your money back
• paypal will possibly suspend bountysource, thus new bounties cannot be filed.

Bounty-Workers

• Ask the bounty-issuer to get a paypal refund and send you the money directly
  • Example: https://github.com/deepnest-io/Deepnest/issues/21#issuecomment-1735956945

Criminal Liability

• Criminal Liability of Bountysource CEO Xavier Latil? #1593
  • https://twitter.com/abebeos/status/1701925706526085243
  • https://twitter.com/abebeos/status/1702619612704088073

Summary.

one can safely assume that bountysource/Blockchain Group embezzles the escrowed bounty funds (e.g. using the money somewhere else, like investing/loosing-it in crypto etc.).

Action is necessary in order to avoid loss of funds.

Your Possible Actions

• stop posting new bounties
• ask for a paypal-refund if it is still time (see [CRITICAL] Bountysource is Insolvent, do not use! #1586 (comment))
• notify other people about this issue
• contact the authorities (see below)
• Act based on Criminal Liability (bountysource continued to receive payments despite stopping payouts since months)
• make some 'drama' on public media

Important to realize

• A cashout should take 1 minute after a bounty-issuer confirms the request.
• Bountysource delays payments for months has stopped paying out cash-outs (since months)
• Bountysource has stopped replying to support requests (since months)

This is an abuse of the escrow, essentially an embezzlement.

There are thousands of $ in open bounties (e.g. from IBM), this is really becoming strange here.

Bountysource People

CEO

• https://www.theblockchain-group.com/investor/leadership-governance/
  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/xlatil/?originalSubdomain=fr

People

https://github.com/orgs/bountysource/people

@rappo
@Cervator

On the main videos on website:

@FrancescoBorzi

Company

Bountysource Inc.
548 Market Street #40189, San Francisco, CA 94104-5401

Parent Company

• https://www.theblockchain-group.com/investor/leadership-governance/
• https://www.google.com/search?q=ALTBG

Regulators

dfpi, USA

Possibly:

https://dfpi.ca.gov/

Possible Complaint

• https://dfpi.ca.gov/file-a-complaint/
  • Escrow Agents/ Escrow Laws
    • (though bountysource claims that it's not an escrow service, the services provided are of an escrow nature)

French Financial Authorities

(received via email)

I suggest that you contact the French Financial
Authorities through their official "whistle blowing" portal:

https://www.amf-france.org/en/forms-and-declarations/whistleblowing
https://www.amf-france.org/fr/formulaires-et-declarations/lanceur-dalerte-0

and report that The Blockchain Group cannot pay their financial obligations.

That's the regulatory body for The Blockchain Group.

Unpaid

• me, $1000 - 2023-05-11
• $4000, 2023-03
  • https://app.bountysource.com/issues/117480476-onednn-enablement-and-8-bit-gemm-support-for-s390x
• $139, 2023-05-19
  • $139.50 cash out requested on the 19th of May; request not even acknowledged, let alone fulfilled, more than 7 weeks later #1591
• $1100, 2023-03
  • https://app.bountysource.com/issues/116848892-next-659-next-js-13-is-broken-for-custom-server-with-multiple-zones
  • https://app.bountysource.com/issues/117458567-black-stripes-in-denoised-image
• $150, 2023-04-29
  • Funds Abuse by Bountysource, 7th week #1590 (comment)
• $190, 2023-05-31
  • $139.50 cash out requested on the 19th of May; request not even acknowledged, let alone fulfilled, more than 7 weeks later #1591 (comment)

Further Issues

• Payout not received after 2 and a half month #1139
• Cashout request #1146
• 5th payout request, 5th problem (delays) #1531
• What is wrong with your support and cash out process? #1539
• delete bounty #1540
• 'Cash out' request being not processed for months. #1553
• void #1562 (comment)

Special Case:

@FrancescoBorzi is complaining about Bountysource here:

• What is wrong with your support and cash out process? #1539 (comment)

Today, he has a role within bountysource (see videos) :

https://bountysource.com/

But bountysource still abuses/embezzles the escrowed funds.

[davidebeatrici]

#1539