The anonymity of Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies is a hot topic in the crypto space. While the transactions are open to track in a public blockchain, it is challenging to link a transaction with a real-life person in many use cases. As an identity-centric platform, Concordium takes a different direction by offering complete transparency. “The time has come for the blockchain industry to respect the general rules of society,” Concordium chairman Lars Seier Christensen said in an announcement. The launch of Concodium Blockchain marks the end of the era of anonymity, opacity, and the lack of transparency, he added. …

It’s the classic Anonymous modus operandi: a monologue worthy of a super villain, a perceived attack on an individual right or public good, some guy in a Guy Fawkes mask, and a whole lot of fizzbang-wowie video effects and voice distortion. But as the hacktivist collective takes aim at a new target in Elon Musk, the latest “expect us” threat prompts the question: who cares? Yesterday, a video purportedly from the Anonymous collective warned that there is now a joint intelligence working against him: Oh fuckhttps://t.co/f8A4baYgWU — Peter McCormack (@PeterMcCormack) June 5, 2021 The monologue was meandering, noting that “your …

A blockchain ecosystem has launched a suite of tools designed to build a more private future for the internet — delivering unparalleled security to users and developers. Oxen’s products are free to download and use, and the project says no prior knowledge of blockchain technology is required to make the most of these apps. One of the platform’s flagship apps is Session, a private messaging platform that has already amassed more than 100,000 users across multiple operating systems. A cutting-edge protocol paves the way for fully anonymous account creation, with cryptography used to minimize metadata leakage. Users can engage in …

One of the toughest puzzles in crypto is figuring out what to take seriously. On Friday, the DeFi Alliance — a decentralized finance startup incubator and accelerator — announced a list of 11 new members. Some were predictable, such as oracle provider Chainlink and venture capital stalwart Blockchain Capital, but one name stood out in particular: eGirl Capital, the social media menace and upstart VC outfit inspired by a horned-up internet subculture. The announcement prompted an industry-wide heavy sigh and rubbing of the eyes: So @egirl_capital has joined the @defialliance what timeline is this lol. https://t.co/UWbsemV94t — Qiao Wang (@QwQiao) …

In this hyperconnected world, where personal data is a precious commodity, privacy has become a hot-button topic. Now more than ever, many consumers are craving confidentiality — especially when it comes to the transactions they make and the digital trails they leave behind. And that’s what the anonymous team behind a peer-to-peer ecosystem called Utopia say they provide. The platform has been built out of “fundamental respect for, and protection of, individual freedom and liberty online” — and is designed to eliminate surveillance and censorship. Its goal is to ensure that financial transactions, user data and personal communications are kept …

Chinese authorities are willing to ensure maximum user privacy for the country’s central bank digital currency, or CBDC, according to an official at the People’s Bank of China. Mu Changchun, head of the People’s Bank of China’s digital currency research institute, spoke of China’s digital yuan privacy capabilities at the 2021 China Development Forum on Sunday, local news agency Sina Finance reported. Mu stated that a completely anonymous CBDC “is not feasible” because a national digital currency must meet requirements related to Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorist Financing and anti-tax evasion. However, that doesn’t mean that China’s digital yuan lacks user privacy, …

A French project is building “The Internet of Trust” — and says decentralized identifiers will be a crucial part of Web 3.0. XSL Labs is developing a Secure Digital Identifier (otherwise known as SDI for short) that’s designed to ensure users have full control over their private information. In time, it’s hoped this approach will diminish the power of tech giants such as Facebook and Google. SDI aims to limit the amount of data that is shared about ourselves online, without impeding access to goods and services. The project intends to ensure zero-knowledge proofs are utilized wherever possible, which add …

The Anon Powered development team has announced today the launch of Premia, the latest decentralized finance (DeFi) options platform live on Ethereum. In an interview with Cointelegraph, the group of semi-anonymous developers behind Anon Powered — who collectively requested that they be referred to as “members of the Premia Republic,” the name for Premia’s forthcoming DAO — said that out of the gate users will be able to write, sell and exercise “American-style covered calls and puts,” which can be exercised prior to the option expiration date. Premia’s launch adds to an increasingly crowded DeFi options marketplace, joining projects such …

The cryptocurrency community has been doubling down on its support to privacy-centric applications like Tor Browser in 2020, according to new data. The Tor Project, a non-profit organization behind the anonymous Tor Browser, saw a 23% increase in cryptocurrency donations in 2020. A spokesperson at the Tor Project told Cointelegraph that crypto-powered donations surged from $189,637 in 2019 to $233,019 in 2020. According to a Jan. 25 announcement by the project, crypto donations made up nearly 26% of total individual donations, which amounted to $913,110. According to a Tor Project representative, Bitcoin (BTC) was the most popular cryptocurrency for their …

The Bitcoin (BTC) network has been steadily recovering in terms of running BTC nodes after a major outage on the Tor network. According to the latest data from node monitoring resource Bitnodes, Tor-enabled Bitcoin (BTC) nodes are back to normal following almost a full-swing crash in early January 2021. As of Jan. 13, the number of reachable Tor-based BTC nodes amounted to 2,581, up from as few as 122 nodes on Jan. 9. Based on Bitnodes data, Tor-enabled Bitcoin nodes make up a significant part of the Bitcoin network, normally accounting for about 25% of totally reachable running nodes. According …

Every Friday, Law Decoded delivers analysis on the week’s critical stories in the realms of policy, regulation and law. Editor’s note Last week’s Law Decoded sounded the alarm on threats to self-custodial wallets in the U.S. in particular. While such concerns have continued to take shape, nothing concrete has emerged from the U.S. Treasury, which was at the heart of last week’s conversation. Though I don’t like to recycle themes, it seems a reasonable time to ask the question: What is a crypto wallet as far as a regulator is concerned? While many people access their crypto through custodial solutions …

French financial authorities are strengthening the country’s cryptocurrency regulations in a move to prevent illicit activities like money laundering and terrorism financing. On Dec. 9, several ministries in France jointly introduced an order aiming to prevent anonymous digital asset transactions by banning anonymous crypto accounts. The new regulatory effort is backed by French finance minister Bruno Le Maire, overseas minister Sébastien Lecornu and junior economy minister Olivier Dussopt. The order is pursuant to Article 203 of France’s PACTE law, which stands for the Action Plan for Business Growth and Transformation. In the document, the ministries have admitted that digital assets …