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#Blockchain The Daily: Crypto Wallet Raises $15 Million, Localbitcoins Suffers Vulnerability

The Daily: Crypto Wallet Raises $15 Million, Localbitcoins Suffers Vulnerability

In today’s edition of The Daily we feature another recent example of venture capital infusion into the cryptocurrency space as Japan’s SBI invests in the BRD wallet. We also cover a recent security vulnerability that was detected on the P2P exchange Localbitcoins, and a new AML/KYC compliance solution for stablecoins.

Also Read: Galaxy Digital Is Raising $250M to Help Firms Survive Crypto Winter

Crypto Wallet Raises $15 Million

Cryptocurrency mobile wallet BRD (formally Bread Wallet) has announced it has raised $15 million in a Series B financing round to accelerate international expansion and scale its technology platform. The funding came from SBI Crypto Investment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate SBI Holdings. The new funds are meant to enable BRD to grow its product and engineering teams as well as to expand its operation in Japan and across Asia.

“SBI Group’s investment in BRD allows us to firmly cement ourselves in the Asian market,” said Adam Traidman, CEO of BRD. “It shows incredible support for the foundation that we have built in North America and reinforces our proven ability to scale the success we have achieved in the past 4 years. The new investment will ensure our long-term global growth, and we are incredibly excited about collaborating with SBI as a strategic investor and business partner to make that happen.”

The Daily: Crypto Wallet Raises $15 Million, Localbitcoins Suffers Vulnerability

BRD also announced the availability of cryptocurrency purchases using SEPA transfers for the European market through a partnership with payment provider Coinify. This will enable users to purchase bitcoin in the 34 countries across the SEPA region using bank accounts. “BRD has blazed the trail as a decentralised financial platform and we are excited to be the selected partner for their European launch,” said Rikke Staer, Chief Commercial Officer of Coinify. “They have been one of the pioneers of the virtual currency industry, and it is a pleasure to be chosen to power their SEPA trades.”

Localbitcoins Suffers Vulnerability

Peer-to-peer trading platform Localbitcoins has notified users that on Jan. 26, at approximately 10:00 UTC, the exchange’s team has detected a security vulnerability. The notification explained that “an unauthorised source was able to access and send transactions from a number of affected accounts.”

Outgoing transactions were temporarily disabled by Localbitcoins while the team investigated the case, and they were re-enabled after a number of measures to address the issue and secure the accounts were taken. “We were able to identify the problem, which was related to a feature powered by a third party software, and stop the attack. At the moment, we are determining the correct number of users affected – so far six cases have been confirmed. For security reasons, the forum feature has been disabled until further notice.” The team also added some security guidance for users: “Your Localbitcoins accounts are currently safe to log in and use – we encourage you to enable two-factor authentication, if you have not yet.”

The Daily: Crypto Wallet Raises $15 Million, Localbitcoins Suffers Vulnerability

The announcement by the exchange came after a user complained on Reddit about a phishing attack on the forum.

Chainalysis Goes After Stablecoins

Digital surveillance company Chainalysis has announced the launch of Know Your Transaction (KYT) for stablecoins, an anti-money laundering (AML) compliance solution for monitoring stablecoin transactions from issuance to redemption. The developers say that stablecoin issuers can integrate with the tool via an API to begin monitoring large volumes of activity and identify high risk transactions on an on-going basis. The service is also said to help issuers understand the risk profile of each stablecoin holder and filter them by level of risk exposure to identify those that require the most immediate attention.

The Daily: Crypto Wallet Raises $15 Million, Localbitcoins Suffers Vulnerability

“Chainalysis exists to build trust in cryptocurrencies among institutions and users,” said Chainalysis COO Jonathan Levin. “The repeated knock against cryptocurrency is its volatility, and trust in stablecoins could lead the way to increased commercial use. Chainalysis KYT for stablecoins further supports this vision by raising the bar for accountability and providing compliance teams with the technology they need to meet AML requirements.”

The company says that the service is now available for a number of ERC-20 stablecoins, and will become available for additional tokens in the coming months.

What do you think about today’s news tidbits? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock.


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#Blockchain Defying Crypto Winter, Swiss Crypto Valley Grows to 750 Companies

Defying Crypto Winter, Swiss Crypto Valley Grows to 750 Companies

A new survey shows that the cluster of companies working with cryptocurrencies and related technologies in the Swiss Crypto Valley has expanded, despite the onset of what has been dubbed as “crypto winter.” The valley now covers a larger territory in the Alpine confederation and has spilled over into neighboring Liechtenstein.  

Also read: Xapo Transfers Key Operations to Switzerland

4 Unicorns With Presence in the Crypto Valley

The falling prices of digital assets in the past months have affected major crypto and blockchain companies with offices in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The top 50 saw their valuation drop from $44 billion to $20 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to a report produced by Zug-based investment company Crypto Valley Venture Capital (CVVC), PwC, Strategy&, and the Swiss IT consulting firm Inacta.

Defying Crypto Winter, Swiss Crypto Valley Grows to 750 Companies

However, the number of businesses operating in the crypto space that have established presence in the region has increased by around 20 percent – from 629 to 750. That means over 120 new crypto entities have registered there in Q4 2018. The total includes some of the world’s most recognizable names in the industry, four of which are unicorn startups worth billions of dollars.

The authors of the study have estimated that the top 50 companies are valued at $400 million each, on average. When the five largest are taken out of the equation, the average figure is still $365 million, which indicates a low concentration. The research shows that there are four entities valued at over $1 billion – Bitmain, Cardano, Dfinity, and Ethereum. At the same time, the average valuation of all 750 companies has been estimated at $27 million.

Defying Crypto Winter, Swiss Crypto Valley Grows to 750 Companies
Visualized market capitalization, Crypto Valley‘s top 50.

3,300 People Employed in the Crypto Cluster

The 50 largest companies have around 480 people working in their offices in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, while the whole sector employs over 3,300 people. These and other numbers in the report indicate that the current situation is ‘business as usual’ for many entities, despite the drop in the market value of most cryptocurrencies.

The researchers have also found that the Crypto Valley is expanding geographically. While over half of the companies (51 percent) are based in Zug, other Swiss cantons are now home to the rest. According to the compiled data, 42 of these businesses are registered in Geneva and 39 in Ticino. Liechtenstein is another hotspot with 38 companies from the sector. CVVC maintains an online map that shows where the crypto startups are located.

Defying Crypto Winter, Swiss Crypto Valley Grows to 750 Companies
Companies registered in the Crypto Valley by canton, including Liechtenstein.

A comparison with the numbers from the third quarter of 2018 shows that 15 companies have joined the top 50 during the last three months of the previous year. These are 4 Artechnologies, Boscoin, Hdac, Icon, Mt. Pelerin, Odem, Quant Network, Saga, Santiment, Sygnum, Token Pay Swiss, Nexo, WPP Energy, Utopiamusic, and Zulu Republic. Another 10 startups are candidates to do so in the future.

Switzerland and Liechtenstein, along with Malta, Gibraltar, Estonia, and the Isle of Man, are part of a group of European jurisdictions making efforts to create a crypto-friendly business environment. The expansion of the Swiss Crypto Valley has been facilitated by the country’s decentralized political system and strong traditions in providing financial privacy. Last month, the government in Bern adopted a comprehensive strategy for the development of the crypto sector.

Do you think the Swiss Crypto Valley has become the leading global hub for the crypto industry? Tell us in the comments section below.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock, CVVC.


At Bitcoin.com there’s a bunch of free helpful services. For instance, have you seen our Tools page? You can even lookup the exchange rate for a transaction in the past. Or calculate the value of your current holdings. Or create a paper wallet. And much more.

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#Blockchain Bitcoin Climbs in China’s First Crypto Ranking of 2019

Bitcoin Climbs in China’s First Crypto Ranking of 2019

China’s Center for Information and Industry Development has released its latest ranking of 34 crypto projects. This is the first update for 2019, but it is the ninth update overall. Bitcoin has been upgraded from the previous ranking while the top two positions remain unchanged.

Also read: Indian Supreme Court Moves Crypto Hearing, Community Calls for Positive Regulations

First 2019 Ranking

The Center for Information and Industry Development (CCID), under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, released its ninth crypto project ranking update on Thursday. The center noted that this is the first update this year and 34 crypto projects were evaluated, unchanged from the number ranked in December.

The latest update ranks BTC in the 15th place, slightly upgraded from the 18th place in the previous month’s ranking. BCH rose from the 30th place to the 28th place.

Bitcoin Climbs in China’s First Crypto Ranking of 2019

“The evaluation results show that EOS and Ethereum still firmly occupy the top two [positions] of the list,” the center emphasized, adding that the Ethereum Constantinople upgrade is expected to be taken into account in the next evaluation cycle.

Ethereum Classic fell from the 15th place to the 19th place in the latest ranking. The center explained that “Ethereum Classic suffered a sustained 51% attack, which caused widespread concern, and the security of the public chain will remain an important issue that plagues future development.”

Bitcoin Climbs in China’s First Crypto Ranking of 2019

All 34 crypto projects were also ranked in three separate categories: basic technology, applicability, and creativity. According to the CCID, “the average value of the underlying technology index has decreased from the previous period,” but the applicability index remains roughly unchanged.

Furthermore, the “average value of the creativity index is significantly lower than the previous period,” the center pointed out. “Due to the influence of Christmas, the code update activity of most public chains has been significantly reduced, resulting in a significant decline in the innovation sub-index compared to the previous period.”

How China Started Ranking Crypto Projects

The CCID describes itself as “a first-class scientific research institution directly under the administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China.”

On May 11 last year, shortly before the first ranking was released, the center held a symposium on public blockchain technology assessment in Beijing and unveiled the latest progress of the crypto project assessment work carried out by the CCID (Qingdao) blockchain research institute, an entity established by the CCID. It added that the work was done in collaboration with multiple parties such as the CCID think tank and the China Software Evaluation Center. “The result of this assessment will allow the CCID group to provide better technical consulting services for government agencies, business enterprises, research institutes, and technology developers,” the center clarified.

Bitcoin Climbs in China’s First Crypto Ranking of 2019

Quartz reported when the first ranking was released to the public, “Today (May 17), the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID), a research unit under the country’s industrial ministry, officially launched its monthly ratings index on 28 crypto coins and the blockchains behind them.” The publication elaborated:

The CCID announced the initiative last week, citing the lack of an independent analysis of crypto and blockchain as a guide for governments, enterprises, and research institutes around the world.

What do you think of the latest CCID ranking update? Let us know in the comments section below.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock and the CCID.


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#Blockchain An In-Depth Look at the Trezor Model T Hardware Wallet

An In-Depth Look at the Trezor Model T Hardware Wallet

Cryptocurrency hardware wallets have become a mainstay within the digital asset economy and over the years these devices have evolved. After designing the first bitcoin hardware wallet on the market, the Prague-based firm Satoshilabs has released a new Trezor product line called the Model T. The following hands-on review details how to get started with the Trezor T cryptocurrency wallet and outlines its primary features.

Also read: A Review of the Swiss-Made Digital Bitbox Hardware Wallet

Testing the Touchscreen Trezor Model T

This week I received a Trezor Model T in the mail and decided to provide a rundown of how to set up the hardware wallet. In this review I also note the differences between the new version and the Trezor One. The box is very well packaged compared to the Trezor One I purchased years ago and comes with various accesories. Inside the box, there’s a Trezor T device, a USB-C cord, two recovery seed cards, a magnetic holder for the device, and a bunch of stickers. The machine itself features a RGB LCD touchscreen display and USB communications are enabled only after authentication. The directions inside the box explain that the owner needs to go to the Trezor website to initiate the wallet.

An In-Depth Look at the Trezor Model T Hardware Wallet
Everything the Trezor Model T comes with and the magnetic wall mount.

One thing that is noticeable is the amount of pressure needed to insert the USB-C cable. At first, I had issues initiating the firmware because my computer couldn’t recognize the Trezor through the cable. All shipped Trezors come empty and never have firmware installed for security reasons. However, I learned from the folks at Satoshilabs that you need to push the connector in hard enough until you hear it click. After choosing the T version on the website, it takes you to the beta Trezor browser wallet to initiate the device firmware. The setup can be initialized using the main Trezor wallet instead if you don’t want to use the beta version. The T only took two minutes for the firmware to install and from here I was able to begin the wallet setup and backup process.

An In-Depth Look at the Trezor Model T Hardware Wallet
Initiating the firmware, creating a new wallet, and backing up the seed.

Backing up the Seed, Adding a PIN and Naming the Wallet

The device screen will warn the user that a backup has not been completed and the wallet browser will initiate the start of this process. From here, after the usual disclaimer about no screenshots and writing the seed down alone, the device screen will reveal a 12-word mnemonic seed phrase. After writing the words down on the seed card supplied in the box, I was prompted to confirm some of the words randomly in order to verify that the seed was written down correctly. Once the device confirms that the owner has written down the phrase, the setup moves on to adding a PIN to the device and a name. Each action needs to be confirmed using the device’s touchscreen. While pondering a name I decided to name my gadget ‘Satoshi’s Trezor’ because, after all, we are all Satoshi. Moving on, the browser wallet asks if you want to add an email and I opted to skip that step.

An In-Depth Look at the Trezor Model T Hardware Wallet
Setting a PIN and naming the device.

After the wallet was all set up, I sent a small fraction of bitcoin cash (BCH) to the wallet to make sure everything was working correctly. The Trezor T also supports BTC, BTG, DASH, DGB, DOGE, LTC, NMC, VTC, ZEC, ETH, ETC, XLM, XEM, and ADA. Some of the cryptocurrency wallets like ETH, ADA, and XLM take you to a third party wallet which essentially tethers the account to your device. Just like the Trezor One, the Model T can also act as a U2F device for online accounts like Dropbox and Gmail. Additionally, Satoshilabs has added an exchange feature which lets the hardware wallet interact with a third party trading platform so the user can swap coins without leaving the secure confines of the Trezor software.

An In-Depth Look at the Trezor Model T Hardware Wallet
The Trezor dashboard and all the steps involved with creating a seed backup.

A Model One Evolved

Overall, the Model T worked well but it took me some time getting used to the USB-C cord insertion, even though I use USB-C hardware regularly. The Keepkey cryptocurrency hardware wallet I recently reviewed also has a noticeably tougher USB insert. After getting used to the plug, it became much easier, but you may want to use a longer cord. The LCD touchscreen display is nice but was not so friendly with my fat fingers. The touchscreen takes some time to get used to as well and the screen is used for the wallet’s PIN entry, instead of the onscreen randomizer PIN pad used with the Trezor One.

An In-Depth Look at the Trezor Model T Hardware Wallet
Sending 15 cents’ worth of bitcoin cash (BCH) to test the wallet.

The device works just as well as my first Trezor wallet, but users will find subtle differences between each one. For example, the Model T comes with a micro-SD slot for advanced features that will be added to the operating system at a later date. Even with the T’s touchscreen, prospective buyers may still decide to purchase version One because it’s significantly cheaper than the Model T and just as secure. The T version is roughly $169, but that doesn’t include DHL shipping costs. One thing for certain is that I will continue to use the Model T hardware wallet, unlike some of the devices by other manufacturers I’ve previously reviewed that are now collecting dust.

What do you think about the Trezor Model T? Let us know what you think about this hardware wallet in the comments section below.

Disclaimer: This editorial should be considered Review or Op-ed material. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. Bitcoin.com does not endorse nor support views, opinions or conclusions drawn in this post. Bitcoin.com is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy or quality within the review article. Review editorials are intended for informational purposes only. There are multiple security risks and methods that are ultimately made by the decisions of the user. There are various steps mentioned in reviews and guides and some of them are considered optional. Neither Bitcoin.com nor the author is responsible for any losses, mistakes, skipped steps or security measures not taken, as the ultimate decision-making process to do any of these things is solely the reader’s responsibility. For good measure always cross-reference guides with other walkthroughs found online.


Image credits: Jamie Redman, Trezor, and Satoshilabs. 


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#Blockchain Bank’s Refusal to Release $1.2B of Venezuelan Gold Strengthens the Case for Bitcoin

Bank's Refusal to Release $1.2B of Venezuelan Gold Strengthens the Case for Bitcoin

Venezuela’s economic crisis is impossible to ignore. President Nicolás Maduro’s attempt to withdraw $1.2 billion of the country’s own gold from the Bank of England (BoE) has been rejected. The notion of a sovereign state being denied access to its own wealth is a concept that’s hard for bitcoiners to countenance. One thing is certain: the case for storing wealth in censorship-resistant cryptocurrency is becoming stronger.

Also Read: Venezuelan President Raises Petro’s Value Again in Bid to Create ‘New System’

How the Venezuelan Political Situation Escalated

Bank's Refusal to Release $1.2B of Venezuelan Gold Strengthens the Case for BitcoinIn order to understand the Bank of England’s (BoE) decision to deny Venezuela its gold, a brief history lesson is required. How did one of the most oil-rich nations on earth end up on the brink of collapse? Since 2016, political discontent in Venezuela has been fueled by increasing hyperinflation, power cuts, shortages of food and medicine. Gold is a crucial part of Venezuela’s foreign reserves.

One huge turn of events involves the disputed presidency in Venezuela. Maduro was elected in April 2013 after the death of Hugo Chávez. In the meantime, Juan Guaidó has declared himself acting president despite Maduro being re-elected to a second six-year term in May 2018, which most opposition parties boycotted. On Jan. 26, the UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said that the U.K. will also recognise Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela if fair elections are not announced within eight days.

Hunt tweeted:

 

Cryptocurrency has already played an important role in this crisis. To counter escalating hyperinflation in February 2018, Maduro announced the launch of a state-backed cryptocurrency, the petro. During the launch, he is quoted as saying: “Venezuela makes history! Today we take a step forward with the launch of petro as a national currency and platform for strengthening our financial sovereignty.”

Absurd Issues Around BoE Transferring the Gold

Bank's Refusal to Release $1.2B of Venezuelan Gold Strengthens the Case for BitcoinThe BoE is one of the largest physical gold custodians in the world. Data published by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) states that around 7,500 tonnes of gold was held in London in March 2017, the equivalent of 596,000 gold bars. Previously it was reported that the refusal to return the gold was due to insurance related reasons. Now it is evident that the BoE’s decision to withhold the gold is political. In a November article, Reuters quotes an unnamed official as saying:

The plan has been held up for nearly two months due to difficulty in obtaining insurance for the shipment, needed to move a large gold cargo.

The U.K. has legitimate concerns and reasons for not releasing the gold. According to Bloomberg reports, Ricardo Hausmann, a Harvard economics professor and long-time critic of Maduro, has stressed that the first rule of business is to stop his government from liquidating international assets belonging to the country and stealing them.

The Gold Repatriation Trend

Gold repatriation occurs when governments choose to bring home their gold stored outside of their country. Over the years, this has become a growing trend which raises questions as to whether something is brewing that might have compelled them to initiate the move. Fears that certain states might confiscate gold bullion, for example, could be a trigger.

Prior to Venezuela requesting gold bullion back from the BoE, the German central bank completed the move of 674 metric tonnes from the vaults of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Banque de France three years ahead of schedule. Last year Turkey joined the ranks of Germany and Hungary as the latest country to repatriate gold to its soil, according to reports from the country’s media. 

The Case for Crypto Increases 

Bank's Refusal to Release $1.2B of Venezuelan Gold Strengthens the Case for BitcoinBitcoin is backed by mathematics instead of state governments. It is possible that the recent sanctions and fear around physical gold could have been avoided if wealth had been held in the form of digital assets that can’t be censored or frozen by any third party.

In a recent interview with news.Bitcoin.com, Kai C. Chng, CEO of Digix, an asset tokenization company, explained how precious metals have always been a historic safe haven in times of economic uncertainty and are largely resilient to the fluctuations of international monetary markets. In times of crisis, this could change as people look for alternatives. “Should a global recession impact the purchasing power of traditional currencies, for those who already understand the benefits presented by cryptocurrency, we would expect to see increased interest in owning bitcoin, while those who are currently ill-acquainted with the cryptocurrency market are likely to show new interest in entering the space,“ said Chng. 

Today, nearly 90 percent of Venezuelans are living in poverty. It seems Venezuela will remain immersed in a grave political crisis and economic war, with millions of innocent people poised to suffer as governments squander funds. In these desperate times, Bitcoin seems less like a bold experiment and more like a lifeline.

Should the Bank of England return the gold bullion to Venezuela? Let us know in the comments section below.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock.


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#USA Has the fight over privacy changed at all in 2019?

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Few issues divide the tech community quite like privacy. Much of Silicon Valley’s wealth has been built on data-driven advertising platforms, and yet, there remain constant concerns about the invasiveness of those platforms.

Such concerns have intensified in just the last few weeks as France’s privacy regulator placed a record fine on Google under Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules which the company now plans to appeal. Yet with global platform usage and service sales continuing to tick up, we asked a panel of eight privacy experts: “Has anything fundamentally changed around privacy in tech in 2019? What is the state of privacy and has the outlook changed?” 

This week’s participants include:

TechCrunch is experimenting with new content forms. Consider this a recurring venue for debate, where leading experts – with a diverse range of vantage points and opinions – provide us with thoughts on some of the biggest issues currently in tech, startups and venture. If you have any feedback, please reach out: Arman.Tabatabai@techcrunch.com.


Thoughts & Responses:


Albert Gidari

Albert Gidari is the Consulting Director of Privacy at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society. He was a partner for over 20 years at Perkins Coie LLP, achieving a top-ranking in privacy law by Chambers, before retiring to consult with CIS on its privacy program. He negotiated the first-ever “privacy by design” consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission. A recognized expert on electronic surveillance law, he brought the first public lawsuit before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, seeking the right of providers to disclose the volume of national security demands received and the number of affected user accounts, ultimately resulting in greater public disclosure of such requests.

There is no doubt that the privacy environment changed in 2018 with the passage of California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), implementation of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and new privacy laws enacted around the globe.

“While privacy regulation seeks to make tech companies betters stewards of the data they collect and their practices more transparent, in the end, it is a deception to think that users will have more “privacy.””

For one thing, large tech companies have grown huge privacy compliance organizations to meet their new regulatory obligations. For another, the major platforms now are lobbying for passage of a federal privacy law in the U.S. This is not surprising after a year of privacy miscues, breaches and negative privacy news. But does all of this mean a fundamental change is in store for privacy? I think not.

The fundamental model sustaining the Internet is based upon the exchange of user data for free service. As long as advertising dollars drive the growth of the Internet, regulation simply will tinker around the edges, setting sideboards to dictate the terms of the exchange. The tech companies may be more accountable for how they handle data and to whom they disclose it, but the fact is that data will continue to be collected from all manner of people, places and things.

Indeed, if the past year has shown anything it is that two rules are fundamental: (1) everything that can be connected to the Internet will be connected; and (2) everything that can be collected, will be collected, analyzed, used and monetized. It is inexorable.

While privacy regulation seeks to make tech companies betters stewards of the data they collect and their practices more transparent, in the end, it is a deception to think that users will have more “privacy.” No one even knows what “more privacy” means. If it means that users will have more control over the data they share, that is laudable but not achievable in a world where people have no idea how many times or with whom they have shared their information already. Can you name all the places over your lifetime where you provided your SSN and other identifying information? And given that the largest data collector (and likely least secure) is government, what does control really mean?

All this is not to say that privacy regulation is futile. But it is to recognize that nothing proposed today will result in a fundamental shift in privacy policy or provide a panacea of consumer protection. Better privacy hygiene and more accountability on the part of tech companies is a good thing, but it doesn’t solve the privacy paradox that those same users who want more privacy broadly share their information with others who are less trustworthy on social media (ask Jeff Bezos), or that the government hoovers up data at rate that makes tech companies look like pikers (visit a smart city near you).

Many years ago, I used to practice environmental law. I watched companies strive to comply with new laws intended to control pollution by creating compliance infrastructures and teams aimed at preventing, detecting and deterring violations. Today, I see the same thing at the large tech companies – hundreds of employees have been hired to do “privacy” compliance. The language is the same too: cradle to grave privacy documentation of data flows for a product or service; audits and assessments of privacy practices; data mapping; sustainable privacy practices. In short, privacy has become corporatized and industrialized.

True, we have cleaner air and cleaner water as a result of environmental law, but we also have made it lawful and built businesses around acceptable levels of pollution. Companies still lawfully dump arsenic in the water and belch volatile organic compounds in the air. And we still get environmental catastrophes. So don’t expect today’s “Clean Privacy Law” to eliminate data breaches or profiling or abuses.

The privacy world is complicated and few people truly understand the number and variety of companies involved in data collection and processing, and none of them are in Congress. The power to fundamentally change the privacy equation is in the hands of the people who use the technology (or choose not to) and in the hands of those who design it, and maybe that’s where it should be.


Gabriel Weinberg

Gabriel Weinberg is the Founder and CEO of privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo.

Coming into 2019, interest in privacy solutions is truly mainstream. There are signs of this everywhere (media, politics, books, etc.) and also in DuckDuckGo’s growth, which has never been faster. With solid majorities now seeking out private alternatives and other ways to be tracked less online, we expect governments to continue to step up their regulatory scrutiny and for privacy companies like DuckDuckGo to continue to help more people take back their privacy.

“Consumers don’t necessarily feel they have anything to hide – but they just don’t want corporations to profit off their personal information, or be manipulated, or unfairly treated through misuse of that information.”

We’re also seeing companies take action beyond mere regulatory compliance, reflecting this new majority will of the people and its tangible effect on the market. Just this month we’ve seen Apple’s Tim Cook call for stronger privacy regulation and the New York Times report strong ad revenue in Europe after stopping the use of ad exchanges and behavioral targeting.

At its core, this groundswell is driven by the negative effects that stem from the surveillance business model. The percentage of people who have noticed ads following them around the Internet, or who have had their data exposed in a breach, or who have had a family member or friend experience some kind of credit card fraud or identity theft issue, reached a boiling point in 2018. On top of that, people learned of the extent to which the big platforms like Google and Facebook that collect the most data are used to propagate misinformation, discrimination, and polarization. Consumers don’t necessarily feel they have anything to hide – but they just don’t want corporations to profit off their personal information, or be manipulated, or unfairly treated through misuse of that information. Fortunately, there are alternatives to the surveillance business model and more companies are setting a new standard of trust online by showcasing alternative models.


Melika Carroll

Melika Carroll is Senior Vice President, Global Government Affairs at Internet Association, which represents over 45 of the world’s leading internet companies, including Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Uber, Airbnb and others.

We support a modern, national privacy law that provides people meaningful control over the data they provide to companies so they can make the most informed choices about how that data is used, seen, and shared.

“Any national privacy framework should provide the same protections for people’s data across industries, regardless of whether it is gathered offline or online.”

Internet companies believe all Americans should have the ability to access, correct, delete, and download the data they provide to companies.

Americans will benefit most from a federal approach to privacy – as opposed to a patchwork of state laws – that protects their privacy regardless of where they live. If someone in New York is video chatting with their grandmother in Florida, they should both benefit from the same privacy protections.

It’s also important to consider that all companies – both online and offline – use and collect data. Any national privacy framework should provide the same protections for people’s data across industries, regardless of whether it is gathered offline or online.

Two other important pieces of any federal privacy law include user expectations and the context in which data is shared with third parties. Expectations may vary based on a person’s relationship with a company, the service they expect to receive, and the sensitivity of the data they’re sharing. For example, you expect a car rental company to be able to track the location of the rented vehicle that doesn’t get returned. You don’t expect the car rental company to track your real-time location and sell that data to the highest bidder. Additionally, the same piece of data can have different sensitivities depending on the context in which it’s used or shared. For example, your name on a business card may not be as sensitive as your name on the sign in sheet at an addiction support group meeting.

This is a unique time in Washington as there is bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress as well as in the administration for a federal privacy law. Our industry is committed to working with policymakers and other stakeholders to find an American approach to privacy that protects individuals’ privacy and allows companies to innovate and develop products people love.


Johnny Ryan

Dr. Johnny Ryan FRHistS is Chief Policy & Industry Relations Officer at Brave. His previous roles include Head of Ecosystem at PageFair, and Chief Innovation Officer of The Irish Times. He has a PhD from the University of Cambridge, and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Tech companies will probably have to adapt to two privacy trends.

“As lawmakers and regulators in Europe and in the United States start to think of “purpose specification” as a tool for anti-trust enforcement, tech giants should beware.”

First, the GDPR is emerging as a de facto international standard.

In the coming years, the application of GDPR-like laws for commercial use of consumers’ personal data in the EU, Britain (post-EU), Japan, India, Brazil, South Korea, Malaysia, Argentina, and China will bring more than half of global GDP under a similar standard.

Whether this emerging standard helps or harms United States firms will be determined by whether the United States enacts and actively enforces robust federal privacy laws. Unless there is a federal GDPR-like law in the United States, there may be a degree of friction and the potential of isolation for United States companies.

However, there is an opportunity in this trend. The United States can assume the global lead by doing two things. First, enact a federal law that borrows from the GDPR, including a comprehensive definition of “personal data”, and robust “purpose specification”. Second, invest in world-leading regulation that pursues test cases, and defines practical standards. Cutting edge enforcement of common principles-based standards is de facto leadership.

Second, privacy and antitrust law are moving closer to each other, and might squeeze big tech companies very tightly indeed.

Big tech companies “cross-use” user data from one part of their business to prop up others. The result is that a company can leverage all the personal information accumulated from its users in one line of business, and for one purpose, to dominate other lines of business too.

This is likely to have anti-competitive effects. Rather than competing on the merits, the company can enjoy the unfair advantage of massive network effects even though it may be starting from scratch in a new line of business. This stifles competition and hurts innovation and consumer choice.

Antitrust authorities in other jurisdictions have addressed this. In 2015, the Belgian National Lottery was fined for re-using personal information acquired through its monopoly for a different, and incompatible, line of business.

As lawmakers and regulators in Europe and in the United States start to think of “purpose specification” as a tool for anti-trust enforcement, tech giants should beware.


John Miller

John Miller is the VP for Global Policy and Law at the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), a D.C. based advocate group for the high tech sector.  Miller leads ITI’s work on cybersecurity, privacy, surveillance, and other technology and digital policy issues.

Data has long been the lifeblood of innovation. And protecting that data remains a priority for individuals, companies and governments alike. However, as times change and innovation progresses at a rapid rate, it’s clear the laws protecting consumers’ data and privacy must evolve as well.

“Data has long been the lifeblood of innovation. And protecting that data remains a priority for individuals, companies and governments alike.”

As the global regulatory landscape shifts, there is now widespread agreement among business, government, and consumers that we must modernize our privacy laws, and create an approach to protecting consumer privacy that works in today’s data-driven reality, while still delivering the innovations consumers and businesses demand.

More and more, lawmakers and stakeholders acknowledge that an effective privacy regime provides meaningful privacy protections for consumers regardless of where they live. Approaches, like the framework ITI released last fall, must offer an interoperable solution that can serve as a model for governments worldwide, providing an alternative to a patchwork of laws that could create confusion and uncertainty over what protections individuals have.

Companies are also increasingly aware of the critical role they play in protecting privacy. Looking ahead, the tech industry will continue to develop mechanisms to hold us accountable, including recommendations that any privacy law mandate companies identify, monitor, and document uses of known personal data, while ensuring the existence of meaningful enforcement mechanisms.


Nuala O’Connor

Nuala O’Connor is president and CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology, a global nonprofit committed to the advancement of digital human rights and civil liberties, including privacy, freedom of expression, and human agency. O’Connor has served in a number of presidentially appointed positions, including as the first statutorily mandated chief privacy officer in U.S. federal government when she served at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. O’Connor has held senior corporate leadership positions on privacy, data, and customer trust at Amazon, General Electric, and DoubleClick. She has practiced at several global law firms including Sidley Austin and Venable. She is an advocate for the use of data and internet-enabled technologies to improve equity and amplify marginalized voices.

For too long, Americans’ digital privacy has varied widely, depending on the technologies and services we use, the companies that provide those services, and our capacity to navigate confusing notices and settings.

“Americans deserve comprehensive protections for personal information – protections that can’t be signed, or check-boxed, away.”

We are burdened with trying to make informed choices that align with our personal privacy preferences on hundreds of devices and thousands of apps, and reading and parsing as many different policies and settings. No individual has the time nor capacity to manage their privacy in this way, nor is it a good use of time in our increasingly busy lives. These notices and choices and checkboxes have become privacy theater, but not privacy reality.

In 2019, the legal landscape for data privacy is changing, and so is the public perception of how companies handle data. As more information comes to light about the effects of companies’ data practices and myriad stewardship missteps, Americans are surprised and shocked about what they’re learning. They’re increasingly paying attention, and questioning why they are still overburdened and unprotected. And with intensifying scrutiny by the media, as well as state and local lawmakers, companies are recognizing the need for a clear and nationally consistent set of rules.

Personal privacy is the cornerstone of the digital future people want. Americans deserve comprehensive protections for personal information – protections that can’t be signed, or check-boxed, away. The Center for Democracy & Technology wants to help craft those legal principles to solidify Americans’ digital privacy rights for the first time.


Chris Baker

Chris Baker is Senior Vice President and General Manager of EMEA at Box.

Last year saw data privacy hit the headlines as businesses and consumers alike were forced to navigate the implementation of GDPR. But it’s far from over.

“…customers will have trust in a business when they are given more control over how their data is used and processed”

2019 will be the year that the rest of the world catches up to the legislative example set by Europe, as similar data regulations come to the forefront. Organizations must ensure they are compliant with regional data privacy regulations, and more GDPR-like policies will start to have an impact. This can present a headache when it comes to data management, especially if you’re operating internationally. However, customers will have trust in a business when they are given more control over how their data is used and processed, and customers can rest assured knowing that no matter where they are in the world, businesses must meet the highest bar possible when it comes to data security.

Starting with the U.S., 2019 will see larger corporations opt-in to GDPR to support global business practices. At the same time, local data regulators will lift large sections of the EU legislative framework and implement these rules in their own countries. 2018 was the year of GDPR in Europe, and 2019 be the year of GDPR globally.


Christopher Wolf

Christopher Wolf is the Founder and Chair of the Future of Privacy Forum think tank, and is senior counsel at Hogan Lovells focusing on internet law, privacy and data protection policy.

With the EU GDPR in effect since last May (setting a standard other nations are emulating),

“Regardless of the outcome of the debate over a new federal privacy law, the issue of the privacy and protection of personal data is unlikely to recede.”

with the adoption of a highly-regulatory and broadly-applicable state privacy law in California last Summer (and similar laws adopted or proposed in other states), and with intense focus on the data collection and sharing practices of large tech companies, the time may have come where Congress will adopt a comprehensive federal privacy law. Complicating the adoption of a federal law will be the issue of preemption of state laws and what to do with the highly-developed sectoral laws like HIPPA and Gramm-Leach-Bliley. Also to be determined is the expansion of FTC regulatory powers. Regardless of the outcome of the debate over a new federal privacy law, the issue of the privacy and protection of personal data is unlikely to recede.

from Startups – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2MDE9ws

#Blockchain Double Down Your Bitcoin Security by Utilizing 2FA Services

After obtaining your first bitcoins on an exchange, you’ll want to keep them safe, even if the funds are only sitting there temporarily. One way to keep your crypto secure online is by using two-factor authentication (2FA). Security is of utmost importance when it comes to storing cryptocurrency in an online wallet and 2FA adds another layer of protection over and above a strong password.

Also read: Regulations Have Ruined the Physical Bitcoin Industry

2FA Is Essential

The cryptocurrency community is all about advocating proper security techniques, and two-factor authentication (2FA) is one method that’s taught first and foremost to newcomers. 2FA is a subset of multi-factor authentication (MFA), a system that requires the use of two different factors to unlock a combination. For example, if 2FA is applied to a cryptocurrency exchange account you would need to log in with your username and password, but you will also need to enter a 2FA authentication PIN. The authenticator is usually on a secondary device like a mobile phone or a USB key.

Double Down Your Bitcoin Security By Utilizing 2FA Services
Even if you don’t own cryptocurrencies, using 2FA to secure your online life is good practice.

Typically when you sign up for an exchange, you should add 2FA to the account right away for extra security. A great majority of exchanges nowadays also enforce the use of 2FA. However, what’s not usually taught is the fact that nearly every account you own, from social media services to email, should ideally be locked with 2FA, even if you don’t own cryptocurrencies.

There are many examples of why you should add 2FA to not just your exchange account, but to your email and other online accounts as well. Mainly because it is possible for hackers to gain access to the exchange account through the email you signed up with. After all, what point is there in locking the front door if you’ve left the back door open? Hackers could gain access to your email account if it is not secured with 2FA and when they gain possession of your email they could change the exchange account password among other malicious acts.

Double Down Your Bitcoin Security By Utilizing 2FA Services
Two-factor authentication requires people to use a secondary factor like a phone code plus login credentials as well.

A hacker can also change your mobile number to a different phone or a voice over internet protocol (VOIP) line and gain access to your exchange account if you are using SMS style 2FA (a PIN sent by text). When people leave back doors open to social media accounts, hackers can gain access to private information and through social engineering breach cryptocurrency accounts online. Of course, people who hold their private keys or seed phrase offline will be safe, but securing your online life with multi-factor authentication techniques should be a priority. Hackers want your information and are known to scan emails and social media accounts for financial information and details of bitcoin holdings.

The following is a list of 2FA services that provide a free secondary form of authentication for people who want to keep their online accounts secure. Most of the well-known cryptocurrency exchanges support the use of the popular 2FA services mentioned and a majority of email providers and social media accounts support these specific authenticators as well.

Google Authenticator

The application Google Authenticator is a reputable service that’s simple to use. The free platform is available for iOS and Android and you can use the service with online accounts such as Dropbox, Facebook, Gmail and a wide variety of cryptocurrency exchanges. A user can add as many codes as they like by either entering it manually or by using the QR reader. However, Google Authenticator requires you to back up the account’s recovery code. Otherwise, if you lose your phone, you risk being locked out of your account.

Double Down Your Bitcoin Security By Utilizing 2FA Services

Microsoft Authenticator

Software corporation Microsoft offers its own free authenticator app for its Windows line of phones, iOS, and Android devices. Similarly to Google’s version, it will allow you to manually enter or scan QR codes tethered to online account keys. Microsoft’s version offers 2FA for many of the same services but also has a one-tap push notification that can be used in place of PINs. Backups need to be saved and secured with Microsoft’s 2FA application. If the mobile device is damaged, lost or stolen the codes can be re-applied to a freshly installed app on a new device.

Double Down Your Bitcoin Security By Utilizing 2FA Services

Authy

Authy is another popular 2FA application that can be applied to multiple devices. You can add as many accounts as you want and the application also has a master backup. For instance, if Authy is used for 10 accounts and the mobile device is damaged then the owner can simply use the master backup to restore all 10 account 2FA codes. Even with the master it’s still a good idea to save the backup codes in order to restore 2FA account settings individually. Authy works for both iOS and Android devices and the application is free.

Double Down Your Bitcoin Security By Utilizing 2FA Services

Yubikey and a Few Select Hardware Wallets

With some online accounts like Gmail and Dropbox, a hardware-based 2FA solution can be utilized. For instance, the Yubikey is a small USB device that fits into your computer and the user verifies authentication with the press of a button. Certain cryptocurrency hardware wallets like Ledger and Trezor can also act as a 2FA device in a similar manner. Hardware-based 2FA solutions use the FIDO U2F standard which some find superior to other authenticators. Yubikeys and hardware wallets that offer 2FA need to be carried around however and some people find it more convenient to use their phone.

Double Down Your Bitcoin Security By Utilizing 2FA Services

2FA Is Easy to Use and Adds a Layer of Security to Your Online Life

Installing a 2FA service like Authy or Google Authenticator on a phone is straightforward. Basically, you install the 2FA software on your mobile and go to your online account’s security section to retrieve a 2FA code. From there the service should provide you with a QR or alphanumeric code so you can add it to the authenticator service. Make sure you back up this code just in case you need to restore the 2FA service at a later date. Usually, you need to enter the PIN in order to turn the online account’s 2FA on or off. After doing it for the first time, it will activate and you will be required to use the 2FA’s PIN and login credentials every time you log in.

In practice, the 2FA method is a great security measure that you can use for free to protect your online data by adding an additional layer of security. It is far more difficult for a hacker to obtain access to an account if they have to compromise not only the password, but also breach something you have with you at all times like a mobile phone or U2F key. These days, with hackers and malicious actors trying to take our data and steal our funds on a regular basis, 2FA has cemented itself as vital online tool.

Do you use two-factor authentication? What services do you recommend? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments in the below.

Disclaimer: Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the mentioned companies or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com and the author are not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Neither Bitcoin.com nor the author is responsible for any losses, mistakes, skipped steps or security measures not taken, as the ultimate decision-making process to do any of these things is solely the reader’s responsibility. 


Image credits: Shutterstock, Yubikey, Google, Microsoft, Authy, Bitcoin.com, Pixabay.


Have you seen our widget service? It allows anyone to embed informative Bitcoin.com widgets on their website. They’re pretty cool, and you can customize by size and color. The widgets include price-only, price and graph, price and news, and forum threads. There’s also a widget dedicated to our mining pool, displaying our hash power.

 

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#USA Startups Weekly: Is Munchery the Fyre Festival of startups?

//

It was a tough week. Journalists around the U.S. were hit hard by layoffs, from HuffPost to BuzzFeed News to Verizon Media Group, which owns this very site. The government entered day 35 of the shutdown before President Donald Trump agreed to a short-term deal to reopen it for three weeks. And in the startup world, a once high-flying, venture-subsidized food delivery startup crashed and burned, leaving a cluster of small businesses in its wreckage.

Some good things happened too — we’ll get to those.

  1. Munchery fails to pay its debts

In an email to customers on Monday, Munchery announced it would cease operations, effective immediately. It, however, failed to notify any of its vendors, small businesses in San Francisco that had supplied baked goods to the startup for years. I talked to several of those business owners about what they’re owed and what the sudden disappearance of Munchery means for them.

  1. #Theranos #Content

If you haven’t read John Carreyrou’s “Bad Blood,” stop reading this newsletter right now and go get yourself a copy. If you love to read, watch and listen to the Theranos saga as much as I do, you’ll be glad to hear there’s some fresh Theranos content released to the world this week. Called “The Dropout,” a new ABC documentary and an accompanying podcast about Theranos features never-before-aired depositions. Plus, TechCrunch’s Josh Constine reviews the Theranos documentary, “The Inventor,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this week.

  1. Deal of the week

Confluent, the developer of a streaming data technology that processes massive amounts of information in real time, announced a $125 million Series D round on an enormous $2.5 billion valuation (up 5x from its Series C valuation). The round was led by existing investor Sequoia Capital, with participation from other top-tier VCs Index Ventures and Benchmark.

  1. Wag founders ditch dogs for bikes

Jonathan and Joshua Viner, the founders of the SoftBank-backed dog walking startup Wag, launched Wheels this week, an electric bike-share startup with a $37 million funding from Tenaya Capital, Bullpen Capital, Naval Ravikant and others.

  1. Go-Jek makes progress on a $2B round

Indonesia-headquartered Go-Jek has closed an initial chunk of what it hopes will be a $2 billion round after a collection of existing investors, including Google, Tencent and JD.com, agreed to put around $920 million toward it, according to TechCrunch’s Southeast Asia reporter Jon Russell. The deal, which we understand could be announced as soon as next week, will value Go-Jek’s business at around $9.5 billion.

  1. Knowledge center

There’s been a lot of chatter around direct listings since Spotify opted to go public via the untraditional route in 2018, but what exactly is a direct listing… We asked a panel of six experts: “What are the implications of direct listing tech IPOs for financial services, regulation, venture capital and capital markets activity?” 

Here’s your weekly reminder to send me tips, suggestions and more to kate.clark@techcrunch.com or @KateClarkTweets

  1. Contraceptive deserts

Through telemedicine and direct-to-consumer sales platforms, startups are streamlining the historically arduous process of accessing contraception. The latest effort to secure a significant financing round is The Pill Club, an online birth control prescription and delivery service. This week, the consumer-focused investor VMG Partners led its $51 million Series B. 

  1. More startup cash
  1. Fundraising activity

Sunil Nagaraj spent years investing in startups at Bessemer Venture Partners, but he was itching to meet with younger companies and strike out on his own. So in the summer of 2017, he did, and now, Nagaraj said he’s closed Ubiquity Ventures’ debut fund with $30 million. March Capital Partners, the Los Angeles-based venture capital firm, raised $300 million for its latest fund. Plus, Zynga founder Mark Pincus is reportedly raising up to $700 million for a new investment fund, called Reinvent Capital, that will focus on publicly traded tech companies in need of strategic restructuring.

  1. Finally, meet the startups in Alchemist’s 20th cohort

A mental health startup, a construction tech business and a fintech company, among others. Take a quick look at the startups that just completed Alchemist’s six-month accelerator program.

  1. Listen to me talk

If you enjoy this newsletter, be sure to check out TechCrunch’s venture-focused podcast, Equity. In this week’s episode, available here, Crunchbase editor-in-chief Alex Wilhelm, TechCrunch’s Silicon Valley editor Connie Loizos and I chatted about Munchery’s downfall, The Pill Club’s mission to make birth control more accessible and the VC slowdown in China.

 

from Startups – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2B22fMA

#Blockchain Bitcoin History Part 9: Mt. Gox Is Born

Bitcoin History Part 9: Mt. Gox Is Born

“Hi everyone, I just put up a new bitcoin exchange. Please let me know what you think.” With those innocuous words, one of the most notorious sagas in Bitcoin’s early history began. The name of the exchange was Mt. Gox and it was to play a pivotal role in Bitcoin’s rise – for a while, at least.

Also read: Bitcoin History Part 8: When 1,500 BTC Cost Less Than $1

Magic and Mayhem

Bitcoin History Part 9: Mt. Gox Is Born
Jed McCaleb

Mt. Gox wasn’t the first bitcoin exchange to launch, yet it actually predates Bitcoin. Jed McCaleb registered the mtgox.com domain in 2007 and ran it as “Magic: The Gathering Online eXchange” for years until reading about Bitcoin in 2010. The programmer was shrewd enough to recognize that a bitcoin exchange would be a better use for his domain, which by that point had lain dormant for years, after its original business proved to be a flop.

When McCaleb announced his newly repurposed platform on the Bitcointalk forum on July 18, 2010, initial reaction was muted. Many forum users who tried the site were unimpressed, and wondered why they might want to use Mt. Gox when they already had Bitcoinmarket.com, the first exchange of its kind. McCaleb had a simple answer to this: Gox was “always online, automated, the site is faster and on dedicated hosting and I think the interface is nicer.” He was to be proven right.

‘Can’t Wait to See Bitcoin Hit $10’

In its early days, Mt. Gox ran into the same problem that had affected Bitcoinmarket.com – Paypal. As one of the few fiat onramps that could be easily integrated, Paypal was a necessary evil for early Bitcoin-based platforms, but it soon began to cause more problems than it solved. “I’m really hoping bitcoin makes a huge dent in [Paypal],” fumed McCaleb. “It annoys me so much that they get 5.9% for running one UPDATE statement in their database.”

As McCaleb refined the site, its liquidity grew and traders warmed to Mt. Gox. “I love your exchange. Best I have seen yet,” enthused one. In August 2010, however, one forum user posed a potential problem to McCaleb: “What happens if someone hacks the website and finds a way to send themselves everyone’s BTC balances?” McCaleb laughed the question off at the time, replying: “Not sure. If it is a bug in bitcoin you will probably have to take it up with satoshi :).”

After running the exchange for eight months, McCaleb posted an announcement on March 6, 2011, titled “Mtgox is changing owners.” It read: “I created mtgox on a lark after reading about bitcoins last summer. It has been interesting and fun to do. I’m still very confident that bitcoins have a bright future. But to really make mtgox what it has the potential to be would require more time than I have right now. So I’ve decided to pass the torch to someone better able to take the site to the next level.” It continued:

MagicalTux has already contributed a lot to the bitcoin community and in many ways he will be better at running the site than I was …. Thanks to everyone that has supported mtgox so far. Can’t wait to see BTC hit $10!

At that, McCaleb was gone, off to focus on a cryptocurrency named ripple. In his place came the new steward of Mt. Gox, Magical Tux. Or as he is better known today, Mark Karpeles.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock.


Bitcoin History is a multipart series from news.Bitcoin.com charting pivotal moments in the evolution of the world’s first and finest cryptocurrency. Read part eight here.

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from Bitcoin News http://bit.ly/2SfsysJ Bitcoin History Part 9: Mt. Gox Is Born

#Blockchain The Daily: Bakkt Shares BTC Futures Details, Kucoin Adds Grin Trading Pairs

The Daily: Kucoin Adds Pairs With Grin, Bakkt Shares Details About BTC Futures

In the first weekend edition of The Daily, crypto exchange Kucoin lists Mimblewimble coin Grin, giving it several trading pairs, and Bakkt releases product details about its upcoming futures contracts. Also, a Chinese investor sues a famous Israeli crypto entrepreneur for alleged fraud, while Malta issues a warning about a get-rich-quick “Bitcoin Revolution” scam.

Also read: Market Cap Metric Attracts Flak, Trust Wallet Does Desktop

Kucoin Lists Trading Pairs With Privacy-Centric Grin

Cryptocurrency exchange Kucoin has announced the listing of grin, the recently launched, privacy-focused cryptocurrency which is based on the Mimblewimble protocol. “Grin is now on Kucoin, you can deposit now,” the Singapore-headquartered digital asset platform tweeted, adding that the coin will be tradable with several pairs – bitcoin core (BTC), ethereum (ETH), and the stablecoin tether (USDT). The exchange also said that withdrawals will open at 18:00 (UTC+8) on Saturday, Jan. 26.

Grin is the second Mimblewimble digital currency launched since the beginning of the year, with Beam being the first. Mimblewimble was originally developed in 2016 to improve the scalability of the Bitcoin network and provide enhanced privacy for its users.

Since its launch, the price of grin has seen considerable volatility and a significant decline following the rapid increase in its supply due to its inflationary design and high issuance curve. According to Coingecko, the coin is trading at $8.27 at the time of writing, after doubling in price in a matter of days. Beam’s start was not an easy one either. Its developers found a critical vulnerability in their wallet soon after the launch of the Beam mainnet, and UTXO bug later caused its blockchain to temporarily grind to a halt.

Bakkt Publishes Bitcoin Futures Specifications

Crypto platform Bakkt, a subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), has released new details about its upcoming Bitcoin futures product. According to the specifications published on ICE’s website, the trading screen product name of the contracts will be “Bakkt BTC (USD) Daily Future” and each contract will be 1 BTC in size. Bakkt will offer one-day, physically delivered futures.

There will be no daily price limit and prices will be quoted in U.S. dollars. The minimum price fluctuation will be $2.50 per coin (contract), which can go down $0.01 per 1 BTC for block trades with a minimum of 10 lots. A position limit of 100,000 lots in any contract date will be applied. A $0.50 combined exchange and clearing fee per side will be charged.

The Daily: Bakkt Shares BTC Futures Details, Kucoin Adds Grin Trading Pairs

Bakkt futures were initially expected on Jan. 24, but at the end of December, ICE published a notice stating that the launch date “will be amended pursuant to the CFTC’s process and timeline.” The platform is still waiting for regulatory approval from the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission.

Last month Bakkt raised $182.5 million in funding. In mid-January the company announced an agreement to acquire assets from the futures merchant Rosenthal Collins Group. It also recently posted eight vacancies looking to hire blockchain developers among other specialists and executives.

Investor Sues Israeli Crypto Entrepreneur Moshe Hogeg

A cryptocurrency investor from China has filed a lawsuit in Tel Aviv against the well-known Israeli crypto entrepreneur Moshe Hogeg. Zhewen Hu alleges Hogeg misappropriated millions of dollars invested in his company STX Technologies Ltd (Stox).

The Chinese citizen, who invested about $3.8 million worth of ethereum in the prediction market platform, is suing Hogeg and Stox for $4.6 million, saying the company’s promises and commitments never materialized.

Stox raised a total of $34 million during its initial coin offering in August 2017 but the lawsuit claims Hogeg invested only $5 million of the ICO funds in the company, The Times of Israel reported. He is accused of using the rest of the money to invest in other ICO projects including Telegram’s token sale.

Malta Warns About Crypto Platform ‘Bitcoin Revolution’

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has issued an alert about a crypto investment platform called Bitcoin Revolution. According to the regulator, the entity promotes itself by publishing ads on a number of associated sites and posts on social media using the names of prominent personalities without their consent and announcing profits they supposedly made.

The Daily: Bakkt Shares BTC Futures Details, Kucoin Adds Grin Trading Pairs

“Bitcoin Revolution is NOT a Maltese registered company NOR licensed or otherwise authorised by the MFSA to provide any investment or other financial services which are required to be licenced or otherwise authorised under Maltese law,” MFSA stated in the alert notice quoted by The Times of Malta. The financial watchdog describes the platform as an international “get-rich-quick” cryptocurrency scam.

What are your thoughts on today’s news tidbits? Tell us in the comments section.


Images courtesy of Shutterstock.


At Bitcoin.com there’s a bunch of free helpful services. For instance, have you seen our Tools page? You can even lookup the exchange rate for a transaction in the past. Or calculate the value of your current holdings. Or create a paper wallet. And much more.

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from Bitcoin News http://bit.ly/2HwYQLx The Daily: Bakkt Shares BTC Futures Details, Kucoin Adds Grin Trading Pairs