Tag: privacy

On-chain coinjoin is blended with off-chain coinswaps in this fascinating new hybrid approach.There is a new privacy tool coming to town: coinswaps on statechains. The original statechain design was proposed by Ruben Somsen at Scaling Bitcoin 2018 in Tokyo. I will summarize quickly, but Aaron van Wirdum has a very thorough explainer of the original concept...

User data is extremely valuable, and complex analytical systems can use it to determine the nature of users' social relationships, predict their characteristics and preferences. NYM wants to make data work for users and keep people safe from abusive data gathering practices. User's details have become a money-making tool for many organizations, and people generally [...] The post NYM Tech: Privacy as a...

Being one’s own bank comes with its own baggage and troubles, despite what most hardcore crypto proponents suggest one to do on social media. But asset security...

El Salvador's proprietary 'Chivo' Bitcoin wallet officially launched earlier this week, but users have already been struggling with bugs within the app's interface. And while most bugs users reported were minor errors when sending Lightning payments, a significant privacy issue was revealed within the app's code. Matt Ahlborg, the head of research at BitRefill, pointed out that the lightning...

Privacy cryptocurrency provider Firo is set to launch a new protocol called Lelantus Spark. This will be the successor of its current Lelantus platform. Firo is a decentralized digital currency with a focus on keeping transactions anonymous. It was previously known as Zcoin with the ticker XZC. The network uses zero-knowledge proofs to ensure fully anonymous transactions. It works by allowing users to...

As regulators attempt to institute KYC and AML rules at the peril of our personal data, Bitcoin and encryption offer salvation.Our world is filled with atrocious threats, crimes and violence. Human trafficking, child abuse, state- sponsored violence, terrorism and a laundry list of other heinous acts require tools to fight back and ultimately reduce their frequency to as close to zero as possible....

Whether you find it difficult to believe, funny, or feel threatened by it, the reality is that Google and Apple have been trying hard to position themselves as the crusaders of online privacy. The moves they make will have major consequences on digital marketing and advertising. Both Apple and Google have a terrible past when it comes to handling user data, and they...

No private keys, no crypto. Individuals in the crypto domain often strive to be their own bank. There is good reason for them to do so, considering the gradual rise of surveillance states and big tech companies. Because traditional finance is centralized and debt-driven, it has manifested persistent issues and shortcomings, particularly concerning financial access. Besides excluding the global unbanked population, financial institutions...

By practicing these tips, HODLers can ensure privacy in a financial data hungry world.On April 4, 1933, probably only a handful of Americans were prudent enough to hold gold coins in their homes. There seemed to be nothing wrong with keeping the gold safe in the banks, after all. All of this changed a day later when President Roosevelt announced...

Torrents are files containing metadata, which is a data set containing information on other data. Therefore, a torrent does contain the content file. Instead, it helps torrent software search for "peers" or "seeds" that share the data. The program then extracts data from those shared files, producing a finished version of the data. Think of [...] The post The Best Torrent Sites: Complete...

In a recent blog post, Casa detailed how a man was lured into a dating trap in order to acquire his private keys.It appears that not even Tinder is safe from the ever-present scams that seem to plague the Bitcoin industry. A blog post written by Casa’s Jameson Lopp, details a strange and dangerous attempt at stealing a man’s precious...

After much anticipation, the Wasabi Wallet team unveils the planned rollout for Wasabi Wallet 2.0.Wasabi Wallet 2.0, a highly anticipated update to the Bitcoin privacy wallet, is set to rollout in the next 5 to 14 weeks, according to a blog post sent to Bitcoin Magazine. The post also laid...

Recent moves by European countries have demonstrated an apparent inclination towards totalitarianism, something Bitcoin can help fight.Europe has lately been taking clear steps towards totalitarianism, showcasing a desire to take control of people's lives, from communication to private property. In the last few days, individual moves by different countries in the continent have further illustrated this trend....

The term "crypto" means "secret". However, some authoritarian governments worldwide have abused this core feature of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to their advantage. Cryptocurrency-powered finance has enjoyed increased […]

Brave, the privacy-oriented internet browser, has announced the launch of its new search engine Beta version, which will be built into its browser and available to other browser’s users via a website. The company has created a user base by offering them privacy-protection tools and a new advertising model based on blockchain technology. Now, it [...] The post Brave Launches Privacy-Focused Search Engine:...

By the time you read this, Bitcoin’s Taproot soft fork will be approved. The tendency is irreversible. The technical aspects are too complicated for most people. What you actually need to know is this: the modifications will improve the Bitcoin network’s performance, bring a little more privacy, and lighten some transaction’s data requirements. It will also provide the basis for smart contract deployment....

Security, privacy, and anonymity are some of the founding principles of the blockchain and cryptocurrency space. Privacy in the crypto space is, however, threatened due to stringent regulations put in place by several governmental agencies. Firo (formerly Zcoin) is one of the few cryptocurrencies still focused on ensuring privacy in the crypto space is upheld. In line with this, the crypto has taken...

As new smart devices provide a myriad of new attack vectors for bad actors to infiltrate your home, use these 5 systems to shield your private data and digital assets from unwanted attention. Internet-powered devices are a prevalent feature in our everyday lives. These devices are not limited to smartphones, tablets and smart TVs, but now include an ever-growing number of appliances and...