We tend to think of free expression as an inalienable right, and are often surprised when certain jurisdictions do not treat it as such. English courts are notoriously generous towards libel claims, which is why suing people in the U.K. for things they said on the internet is practically a form of tourism.
Last week, a Twitter account by the name of @CryptoDevil received a letter from Ontier LLP on behalf of Craig Wright. The letter accuses @CryptoDevil of a “campaign of libel” and references t
The U.S. Treasury continues its campaign to accelerate hyperbitcoinization. Last week, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against BitRiver AG and ten of its Russia-based subsidiaries. The sanctions are not intended to stop Russia from mining cryptocurrency, but to address Russia’s ability to “monetize its natural resources”. Bitcoin has the potential to capture the value of stranded energy in Siberia. Turns out the government understands Bitcoin
Bitcoiners spend a lot of time thinking about how a malicious actor could attack the network. We tend to assume that the adversary is attacking for monetary incentives, but what if the attacker is not economically rational? What if the attacker is not motivated by financial gain, but narcissistic tendencies and a bottomless bank account?
That’s how we end up with someone like billionaire Chris Larsen. Last month, the Ripple co-founder ponied up a fraction of a percentage of his net worth to fun
I’m old enough to remember when the Lightning Network was supposed to solve Bitcoin’s transaction limitations. Instead of being slow and traceable, Lightning payments would be quick and private. Nocoiners would finally be forced to eat their FUD. It’s been five years since its initial launch, but expectations have yet to be fulfilled, and concerned Bitcoiners are worried that the network is being held back by a single dominant implementation.
Lightning is a protocol, a network, and a company. T
After eight years of punted deadlines, the first Bitcoin ETF began trading on the New York Stock Exchange today. It was one of the most anticipated events of the year, with longtime enthusiasts pre-christening the approval date "Diaper Monday" -- the start of a bull run so intense you'll soil your pants.
The ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) is backed by CME Group's Bitcoin futures, as opposed to directly holding bitcoin. While there are extra costs associated with holding futures versus the underly
Eight months after paying an $18.5 million fine to the state of New York for misleading statements about its reserves, Tether has agreed to pay another $41 million to settle charges from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for the same thing. Additionally, Bitfinex accepted a $1.5 million penalty for not doing enough to keep U.S. retail customers off the exchange.
The main contention of the settlement is whether Tether had sufficient assets to back all the Tether tokens in circ
CoinDesk, the media outlet owned by Digital Currency Group, recently filed a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request with the State of New York, asking for documents regarding the composition of Tether's reserves. On Tuesday, an attorney for Tether and Bitfinex petitioned to block that release, claiming that the documents contain information about financial strategies and compliance measures which constitute competitive secrets. It is either a sign of industry maturity or dysfunction that regu
The International Monetary Fund is a predatory lending institution that issues dollar-denominated debts to developing countries. Recent clientele include Argentina, Ecuador, and Greece, whose economies were leveraged to the brink of collapse. What if the IMF could do that, but with a blockchain?
In a recent video, the IMF provides a puzzling explanation of cryptocurrencies that mistakes Bitcoin's features as flaws. At best, the IMF is confused. More likely, they are gaslighting the public to ga
