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Showing posts from January, 2018

How to cancel an unconfirmed Bitcoin transaction

Crypto Beginners Guide / Bitcoin Beginners Guide   When sending  Bitcoin , it can be easy to make a small mistake causing you to want to cancel your Bitcoin transaction. Oftentimes, funds can become stuck if the miner fee you enter isn’t high enough for any miner to confirm your transaction. Unfortunately, the steps to cancel a Bitcoin transaction are a little more complicated than just pressing an “Undo” button. In this brief guide, I’ll walk you through the process to cancel an unconfirmed  Bitcoin  transaction. Has your transaction been confirmed? The first step in canceling your Bitcoin transaction is to  check whether or not it has any confirmations . When you made your transaction, you should have gotten a  transaction ID  that looks something like this: 240615b6ab59a5adb19ba52cb969aeb16ff82d2082b7a72cb2912c5d38c297cf Take your transaction ID and enter it into a block explorer.  Blockchain.info  is a great option. On the ...

South Korea’s Second Largest Bank Supports Cryptocurrency Exchanges, Traders Relieved

Cryptocurrency  Bithumb and Korbit, two of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the South Korean market, have announced that Kookmin Bank deposits and withdrawals will be disabled by the end of January. Shinhan Bank Will Support Cryptocurrency Exchanges Kookmin Bank, the biggest financial institution in South Korea, has decided not to support cryptocurrency exchanges and provide virtual bank accounts to cryptocurrency investors. On South Korean trading platforms, each investor is provided with a virtual bank account with which they can withdraw and deposit Korean won, without having to directly move funds from and to actual bank accounts. Over the past few weeks, local investors were concerned with the abrupt decision of Kookmin Bank to close down virtual bank accounts launched on South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges. Many traders feared that other banks would follow the decision of Kookmin Bank and simply cut financial links to cryptocurrency exchanges. Earlier this...

Wallet Developers Express Security Concerns Over BitPay’s Payment Protocol Policy

Bitpay  On December 14, 2017, BitPay  announced  a first step toward enforcing the payment protocol: All orders of the  BitPay Card  will require payments from Payment Protocol-compatible wallets, such as BitPay’s own wallet and a few others. This announcement came after an initial notice in November 2017, when BitPay first  announced  that BitPay invoices would soon require payments from wallets compatible with the  Bitcoin Payment Protocol . BitPay’s move has since been met with resistance by some wallet developers that don’t support the Bitcoin Payment Protocol; some are suggesting that BitPay is abusing its leading position in the payment processing space and putting user security at risk. “We absolutely do not support BitPay in aggressively using their dominant position of market share to bully wallet providers into supporting their business plans or bully users into a system that degrades their privacy and the fungibility of bitcoin ...

What is Ripple?

Ripple What is Ripple? Technically speaking, is Ripple a cryptocurrency in the mold of Bitcoin? The short answer is probably “no,” but that doesn’t stop it from often being lumped into that same category. What is Ripple? Originally released in 2012 as a  subsequent  iteration of Ripplepay, Ripple is a real-time gross settlement system (RTGS), currency exchange and remittance network. Using a common ledger that is managed by a network of independently validating servers that constantly compare transaction records, Ripple doesn't rely on the energy and computing intensive proof-of-work used by Bitcoin. Ripple is based on a shared public database that makes use of a consensus process between those validating servers to ensure integrity. Those validating servers can belong to anyone, from individuals to banks. The Ripple protocol (token represented as XRP) is meant to enable the near instant and direct transfer of money between two parties. Any type of ...

Soaring Bitcoin Price Leads $159 Billion Crypto Market Recovery

Bitcoin  Well, somebody bought the dip. Just as critics were rushing to proclaim that the bitcoin bubble had burst, the markets staged a $159 billion recovery. The rally was headlined by the bitcoin price, which rebounded from its sub-$10,000 fling and is currently flirting with $12,000. Several other top-tier coins, meanwhile, returned single day increases in excess of 40 percent. Source: CoinMarketCap Altogether, the  cryptocurrency market cap  clawed its way back to $574 billion, representing a 38 percent recovery from Wednesday’s intraday low of $415 billion. Bitcoin Price Eyes $12,000 Wednesday served as a trial-by-fire for recent bitcoin investors, some of whom had purchased the flagship cryptocurrency for $19,000 at the height of the rally in mid-December. Bitcoin Price Chart The correction forced the  bitcoin price  below $10,000 for the first time since early December, but Thursday’s rally enabled bitcoin to regain a bit...

Bitcoin Price Roller Coaster Makes Ransomware Cybercriminals Queasy

Bitcoin  Bitcoin has done what regulators haven’t been able to accomplish — getting cybercriminals to lay off of cryptocurrencies as the ransom payment du jour in malware attacks. Bitcoin’s price swings over the past few days — from below $10,000 24 hours ago to more than $11,500 today — have stoked emotions ranging from fear of a bubble bursting to euphoria for a buying opportunity. But recent volatility has also unearthed an unlikely trend, causing cybercriminals to forego the sci-fi effect in ransomware demands and name their price in local currency rather than bitcoin. It’s not that bad actors have stopped developing malware, but due to an inability to properly value the cryptocurrency amid the wild ride between Q4 2017 and this week, they’re increasingly turning to more stable fiat money instead to protect their bottom line,  according to a Proofpoint report . The below chart reflects activity for the 90-day period leading up to mid-Dec...

Bitcoin Mining Isn’t an ‘Environmental Armageddon’ : Credit Suisse Report

script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"> Bitcoin  A Credit Suisse report downplayed fears that the growth of the bitcoin mining industry would initiate an “environmental armageddon.” Bitcoin Mining Not an ‘Environmental Armageddon’ script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"> The emergence of bitcoin as an economic force has had a correlative effect on the  bitcoin mining industry , as increased profitability has attracted more miners to the ecosystem. This increased hashpower has come at the price of increased electricity consumption, provoking consternation among environmental activists and leading some critics to warn that bitcoin could cause a global energy crisis. However, a new report from Credit Suisse Group throws shade on those apocalyptic predictions. Last Week, Morgan Stanley  predicted  that cryptocurrency miners could consume as much as 140 terawatt-hou...

Bitcoin Laundering” Study: Where Do Criminals Turn to Mask Illicit Cryptoassets?

A recent study ( PDF ) from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance and blockchain analytics company Elliptic explored the “bitcoin laundering” ecosystem. In the study, Elliptic’s forensic analysis of the Bitcoin blockchain and other publicly available data were used to track the flows of illicit funds from 2013 to 2016. “This study aimed to identify where individuals turn in order to cash out or transmit bitcoins (BTC) acquired from illicit entities and to discover typologies for criminals ‘laundering’ bitcoins,” the report says. The study describes bitcoin laundering as a special type of money laundering that exists within the Bitcoin network where a user moves some bitcoins to a new address in a manner that obscures the original source of funds. The conversion of bitcoins into fiat currency on exchanges that lack adequate anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) policies can also fall under the category ...

'Impossible’ to Shut Down Cryptocurrency Exchanges, Govt. Lacks Authority: Korea’s Fair Trade Chief

Cryptocurrency  The chairman of Korea’s Fair Trade Commission – the economic competition regulator – has blasted efforts to shutter cryptocurrency exchanges before calling on the government to regulate the industry instead. In a radio interview yesterday, FTC chairman Kim Sang-Joo plainly opined it is “not realistically possible” to shut down cryptocurrency exchanges, adding that the law does not permit authorities like the justice ministry to close cryptocurrency exchanges. In quotes reported by JoongAng, Korea’s largest media network, Kim said of the proposed ban in translated statements by  CCN : “[Shutting down cryptocurrency exchanges] is not realistically possible. Based on electronic commerce law, the government does not have the authority to close down cryptocurrency trading platforms.” The official was offering his take on the recent controversial statements by the country’s justice minister Park Sang-ki. In a press briefing a week ago...

Google just made it more difficult than ever to make money on YouTube

Google  YouTube has been in the spotlight repeatedly over the past several months, but rarely for anything encouraging. Most recently, the video sharing platform was lambasted for allowing YouTube star Logan Paul to upload a vlog prominently featuring the body of someone who had allegedly committed suicide. The Google-owned property then refrained from laying down the law on Paul  until an uproar from users forced its hand days later . But as worrisome as  the Logan Paul episode  was for frequent visitors of YouTube, the actual reason that Google has to address the root of the problem is because of advertisers. They understandably don’t want to have their wares and services attached to inappropriate or controversial content. So YouTube is making some major changes. In a post  on the  Inside AdWords  blog  this week, Google VP of engineering Paul Muret discussed three ways that YouTube is going to address its biggest issues in 2...

Trump's leaked review of the US's nukes seems to confirm Russia has an underwater nuclear doomsday weapon

Russia A leaked draft of President Donald Trump's nuclear posture review seems to confirm that Russia has been building an underwater nuclear doomsday machine. Reports of the torpedo sent a chill down the spines of experts, who say it could not only destroy a city but poison the area with radiation for years to come. Russia may have intentionally let on that it was working on the doomsday device to sow fear in the US and deter attacks. President Donald Trump's nuclear posture review,  leaked to HuffPost this month , seems to show the US believes Russia is building a dangerous new undersea nuclear weapon that critics say could cause widespread death and damage. "Russia is developing and deploying new nuclear warheads and launchers," the leaked review says, adding that these systems include "a new intercontinental, nuclear-armed, undersea autonomous torpedo." Printouts of plans for such a nuclear torpedo had been spotted in state TV footage of a meeting ...

China's aircraft carrier sails by Taiwan as tensions grow

Military  China's sole operational aircraft carrier passed through the Taiwan Strait Wednesday, the island's defence ministry said, as Beijing steps up pressure on its democratic rival. It comes weeks after Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen warned against what she called China's "military expansion" -- the increase of air and naval drills around the island since she came to power in May 2016. Beijing views the self-ruling island as part of its territory, to be reunified at some point. Cross-strait relations have become increasingly frosty as Tsai refuses to acknowledge Taiwan is part of "one China". The aircraft carrier -- a second-hand Soviet ship -- caused a stir in Taiwan when it first entered the strait in January last year, viewed as a symbolic show of strength by Beijing. The defence ministry said the Liaoning carrier and accompanying vessels entered Taiwan's air defence zone early Wednesday morning and left by noon. The fleet, which ...

IBM Unveils Joint Blockchain Company with the World’s Largest Shipper

Shipping  Early blockchain tech mover IBM and Danish shipping giant Maersk have announced a joint venture to digitize and enhance global trade efficiency and security using blockchain technology. One of the world’s oldest industries that has long been notoriously averse to adopt modern technologies is getting a blockchain revamp. In an  announcement  yesterday, IBM and A.P Moller – Maersk confirmed their intent to launch a new as-yet-unnamed company that will specifically develop blockchain technology built on open standards ‘designed for use by the entire global shipping ecosystem.’  The new company will be headquartered in New York. Supply trade chains and logistics are two particular industries ripe for disruption and are certain to instantly benefit from adopting blockchain technology. An immutable, shared ledger with multiple participants including suppliers, shippers, port operators and export/import authorities will help companies continuousl...

Kodak Gets in on the Blockchain and ICO Picture

Kodak, the  iconic photography company  first established in in the 1880s, has joined the blockchain and ICO age. Today, January 9, 2018, it announced a new blockchain-based platform with WENN Digital to empower and protect image makers, photographers and artists. The new platform, known as  KodakOne , will enable users to register their work and license it with the platform. The image rights management platform will utilize the new  KODAKCoin  cryptocurrency to provide photographers with a new revenue stream and secure platform for protecting their work. The smart contract associated with KODAKCoin will ensure that photographers receive payment immediately upon their work being licensed in addition to receiving a share of the overall platform revenue. The platform will also continually scan the web to monitor and protect the artist’s IP and assist them in dealing with illegal use of their work. “For many in the tech industry, ‘blockchain’ and ‘cryptocurre...

These Rings Are Made From Gold Salvaged From E-Waste

In a previous incarnation, the gold used to make a new line of fine jewelry may have been part of a circuit board in your last phone or laptop. The gold is mined from e-waste collected in a national recycling program, turned into gold bars, and delivered to a jewelry manufacturer. “This has never been done before,” says Nikki Reed, founder of Bayou With Love, a brand that partnered with Dell to make the limited-edition line of rings, bracelets, and other jewelry, called the Circular Collection. (Reed is also an actress known for her roles in the  Twilight  movies.) [Photo: Dell]Dell, working with Goodwill, has collected electronic waste for a decade as part of a larger sustainability plan. But it’s taken time to work with a recycler to develop a process that can sustainably harvest gold from old gadgets, without the harsh chemicals that recyclers have used in the past. The company is now using its recycled gold to create a pilot line of motherboards, and will late...