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Tech NewsNews
Chinese Police Confiscate 600 Bitcoin Mining Rigs in ‘Largest Power Theft Case’ in Years
Earlier this year, the Chinese government reportedly outlined plans to limit energy use by cryptocurrency miners and encourage their “orderly” exit from the industry. In the wake of intensified crackdown efforts, some of China’s largest miners opened operations abroad, but it seems at least one mining group tried to operate underground instead. On Tuesday, police … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Coinbase Reportedly Shuts Down Wikileaks Store, Assange Calls for Boycott in Response
Wikileaks, the whistle-blowing organization which is now almost solely run by founder and fugitive Julian Assange from a small room in the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he is claiming asylum from the police, claims that one of its official stores has been taken down by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. The Coinbase store sold Wikileaks-branded merchandise … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsNews
Just About Everyone With Bitcoin Is Lying to the IRS
Bitcoin may have peaked in terms of value and public interest in 2017, but the cryptocurrency has been far less popular this tax season. According to a recent report, fewer than 100 people have reported bitcoin holdings so far. The figure, reported by CNBC, comes from Credit Karma, a popular financial app through which people … Continued
By AJ Dellinger -
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
At Least Two Flaws in Monero Could Make Some Transactions Partially Traceable
A flaw in ostensibly untraceable cryptocurrency Monero, which has picked up steam as market leader Bitcoin has stumbled in value, may make it possible to trace transactions—and since the entire history of Monero is encoded in its blockchain in what is now known to be a semi-vulnerable method, transactions that happened years ago could potentially … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsNews
Artist Hides Secret Code to $10,000 Worth of Cryptocurrencies in Lego Artworks
It has no inherent value and causes observers to rotate between feelings of fascination and anger. We’re talking about cryptocurrency, but also art. In a new series, artist Andy Bauch is bringing the two subjects together with works that use abstract patterns constructed in Lego bricks. Each piece visually represents the private key to a … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
EartherConservation
Cryptocurrency Companies Are Rushing to Gobble up Canada’s Cheap Electricity
Canada has always been defined by the vastness of its territory and its wealth of natural resources, especially in comparison to the small population. But today, the nation is in the first stages of a scramble for a new kind of digital resource. Drawn by Canada’s low electricity prices, cryptocurrency miners are rushing to set … Continued
Corin Faife -
Tech NewsNews
Child Pornography That Researchers Found in the Blockchain Could Threaten Bitcoin’s Very Existence
While the practical and financial viability of the Bitcoin blockchain is still an open question, new research shows that the whole thing could already be illegal in most countries. Researchers in Germany discovered that the ledger system that provides the backbone for Bitcoin contains hundreds of links to child pornography and at least one image … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Donald Trump Orders Nationwide Ban on Purchase or Use of Venezuela’s Cryptocurrency
President Donald Trump’s administration issued an executive order on Monday that essentially bans “any transactions within the United States involving any digital currency issued by, for, or on behalf of the Government of Venezuela,” effectively making it illegal to purchase or use the oil-backed Petro cryptocurrency or any others launched by the Venezuelan government after … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsNews
Twitter May Soon Be the Latest Tech Giant to Ban Many Cryptocurrency Ads
Those looking to run advertisements for cryptocurrencies and related products may soon have to steer clear of Twitter, which Sky News reported on Sunday is “preparing to prohibit a range of cryptocurrency advertisements amid looming regulatory intervention in the sector.” Sky News wrote it had learned that prohibitions on ads for “initial coin offerings (ICOs), … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsGoogle
Google Bans Cryptocurrency Advertising, and Bitcoin Continues to Drop
More bad news rattled the cryptocurrency markets on Wednesday. Google has announced that it will no longer allow cryptocurrency-related ads on its platforms. Prices fell as the news spread and a message from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pushing for a global regulatory crackdown isn’t helping anything. Google and Facebook control somewhere between 60 and … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsNews
Monument to Bitcoin Erected in Center of Slovenian Roundabout
Kranj, a self-described “picturesque old town in the center of Slovenian Alps,” unveiled a monument to Bitcoin this week. To many regulators around the world, cryptocurrency is increasingly viewed as a perplexing nuisance. Accordingly, the three-ton monument resides in the center of a three-road intersection. Touted as the world’s first cryptocurrency landmark, the intentionally rusty, … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech News
Bitcoin Cash Has Its Own Rap Song Now, and We’re All the Poorer for It
The upstart virtual currency associated with Infowars guest Roger Ver now has an anthem, and it seems we have Canada to thank for it. After Japan’s foray into blockchain-inspired music with a cryptocurrency-themed pop idol group, it was only a matter of time “Bitcoin Ca$h” comes to us by way of Lil Windex, an inscrutable … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech News
Why Cryptocurrencies Are in for a Very Bad Day
Judge Jack B. Weinstein, who has served in New York’s Eastern District since 1967, filed a 79-page preliminary injunction against a cryptocurrency trading advice firm that stands accused of fraud. The company in question was hardly a major player, but the ramifications of the order have the potential to impact the entire virtual currency market. … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech NewsNews
Thieves Steal 600 Bitcoin Mining Rigs in Iceland
Every day seems to bring fresh news of a cryptocurrency exchange robbed by hackers. But thieves in Iceland have reportedly taken it up a notch, stealing around 600 computers that are used to mine bitcoin and its crypto-cousins. Eleven people have been taken into custody in connection with what authorities claim to be “the biggest series … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Bill Gates Thinks Cryptocurrency Is Killing People ‘In a Fairly Direct Way’
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, whose recent takes have included that Apple should just build a backdoor into the iPhone because the government might demand it anyway, is now warning that cryptocurrency is killing people. As noted by CNBC, during a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session on Tuesday, Gates explained that he thinks cryptocurrency is really … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsNews
50 Cent No Longer Bragging About a Bitcoin Fortune Now That the US Government Is Interested
It’s been a month since 50 Cent was part of the best feel-good story of the cryptocurrency boom. Following reports that the hip-hop star had earned about $7.8 million worth of bitcoin from sales of an otherwise forgotten album, he seemed to confirm the news on Instagram. But when pressed in bankruptcy court, Fiddy acknowledged … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsNews
Wow, Who Could Have Predicted 59 Percent of 2017’s ICOs Are Already Dead or Doomed
Hey, remember initial coin offerings, the almost totally unregulated form of investment vehicle in which investors trade real cash or assets in exchange for virtual “tokens” in cryptocurrency-backed startups? You know, that hot new crypto market that the Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, warned everyone was rife with scams? Those very ICOs that the Securities … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsNews
Glitch on Bitcoin Exchange Drops Prices to Zero Dollars, User Tries to Make Off With Trillions
A cryptocurrency exchange in Japan reportedly experienced a temporary glitch last week that suddenly offered investors their pick of coins for the low, low price of zero dollars. Several customers took advantage of the opportunity, but one really ran with it. According to Reuters, it was possible to buy cryptocurrencies for free on the Zaif … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech News
Steven Seagal Endorses Shady ICO for ‘Bitcoiin’ Because We Live in Hellworld [Updated]
Former action movie star and current alleged rapist Steven Seagal has endorsed a suspicious cryptocurrency venture known as Bitcoiin (yes, with two “i”s) 2Gen. What could go wrong. What is Bitcoiin 2Gen? It’s hard to say, since the coin itself is currently undergoing its Initial Coin Offering (ICO) crowdsale and does not yet exist. Still, … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Report: Some Crypto Enthusiasts Are Increasingly Worried About Getting Robbed in Person
Despite periodic crashes in the cryptocurrency markets, digital currency keeps on moving out of its formerly niche space and affecting the real world in unpredictable ways. Bitcoin-mining operations are now set to gobble more electricity than domestic residential consumption in Iceland, major credit card providers are banning crypto purchases, rumored scams as well as proven … Continued
By Tom McKay