The launch of a cryptocurrency developed by Donald Trump supporters last week has been marred by a website data breach. According to The Guardian, user information including IP addresses, email addresses and passwords were accessed via a poor security configuration on the project’s website. The crypto is dubbed MAGACOIN after former President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. The project’s website claims that MAGACOIN was “created by America First Conservatives out of frustration with “Losing the Election” (the site has it in quotes) and “a desire to fight back by supporting MAGA candidates in 2022 and beyond” with profits from …

Three ex-Sony executives are using blockchain technology to create a global ecosystem that will link Internet of Things devices while allowing consumers to take back control of their personal data. Founded by Kunitake Ando, Jasmy’s purpose is to build an infrastructure for the interconnected devices — “IoT anytime, anywhere” — that are beginning to power the fourth industrial revolution. “While Jasmy's platform protects the convenience of the Internet and the value of the data that individuals have, the concept that we are aiming for is for everyone to feel safe, to use their own data, and to protect users’ rights,” …

In the 19th century, the barons of American industries rose to prominence by leveraging their hold on tangible resources like oil and steel. Today, corporate titans seek to attain even greater heights of wealth by gathering consumer data. But now, like then, the benefits of accumulating such resources come paired with a significant business risk: spillage. Like oil spills, data leaks — regardless of whether they occur accidentally or as a result of hacker interference — can cause companies and consumers significant financial, legal and political harm. Consider the fallout at Facebook earlier this year. In April, the phone numbers, …

In this article, I intend to discuss the importance of market data, decentralized finance (DeFi) econometrics and applied DeFi research on crypto (and digital) assets as a corollary to financial econometrics and applied research. I will also attempt to draw upon the perspective and findings from Eugene Fama’s seminal papers based on his interest in measuring the statistical properties of stock prices and resolving the debate between technical analysis (the use of geometric patterns in price and volume charts to forecast future price movements of a security) and fundamental analysis (the use of accounting and economic data to determine a …

You might have heard the term “smart city” before — a futuristic, utopian idea that we might see implemented in the foreseeable future. Indeed, some metropolises — like Singapore, Seoul, Amsterdam, Oslo and Tokyo — are already on their way to becoming “smart.” So, what makes a city smart? That label is still quite abstract and might entail different meanings, but if you go the boring route and actually Google it, you’ll come across this unified definition: an interconnected urban area that utilizes various sensors and other methods to collect data and use it to improve its operations. In other …

Estonian technology conglomerate Burfa is turning to Bitmain to supply key cryptocurrency mining infrastructure to its Narva-based data center, offering a glimpse into the arms race underway for high-performance computing resources. The $26-million agreement will allow Burfa to double its data center capacity and secure a steady supply of processing equipment over the coming months. The industrial sector is facing an acute shortage of specialized GPUs and SSDs as more of these resources get gobbled up by crypto-intensive firms that have ramped up Bitcoin (BTC) mining during the bull market. Burfa will start receiving the new equipment as early as …

Artificial intelligence research lab Fetch.ai has partnered with blockchain network Iota to enable a “controlled data sharing environment” for connected devices, setting the stage for a broad leap in Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities. The partnership, which was announced Wednesday, will allow sectors such as mobility, supply chain logistics, finance, healthcare, energy and others to utilize automated data sharing across IoT networks. Iota’s native Tangle technology will help facilitate secure payments and communications between devices. “While there are numerous partnerships focusing on data privacy, this one adds the layer of economic benefit for stakeholders via autonomous economic agents without compromising …

DeepDAO, a website aggregating data on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), has raised $3 million for future expansion in a round led by venture capital firms Hypersphere and DFG. An announcement asserts the “overwhelming demand for DeepDAO’s seed round shows strong interest in data products for the DAO space and the belief the DAO ecosystem will grow.” DeepDAO v1 currently provides data for more than 100 DAOs, aggregating data on organizations' treasuries, membership, and governance. According to the site, DAOs currently represent more than 66,000 members and $587 million in assets under management (AUM) — although the AUM has fallen 46% …

Artificial intelligence and blockchain are both touted as technologies that will lead our future. But here’s the problem: They’re like oil and water. While innovative in their own right, there’s a noticeable lack of interconnectedness — projects that tightly combine AI and blockchain, unleashing the full potential of both emerging technologies. Technical hurdles have been largely to blame for this. Integrating AI into the smart contracts that exist today is practically impossible. The two often rely on entirely different programming paradigms — and while smart contracts use data sparingly to reduce transaction fees, many AI models process vast amounts of …

Major Turkish crypto exchange BtcTurk came forward about a data breach from mid-2018 that leaked sensitive information of over 500,000 users. According to the official announcement, the stolen data set contains BtcTurk users’ names, citizen ID numbers, emails, addresses, birthdates and mobile phone numbers. The stolen data set first appeared on an online forum for sale on Friday, with sample information as proof. The seller claimed that the information also contains user selfies with ID, a common approval requirement for crypto exchanges. Over the weekend, users who came across their personal information in the sample data used Crypto Twitter to …

An oracle system has launched on Binance Smart Chain — enabling developers to create DApps and decentralized autonomous organizations that are fueled by real-world data. Bridge Oracle, which first made its debut on Tron, says the expansion of its easy-to-use infrastructure is a significant milestone. Now, a diverse range of data sources can be integrated into smart contracts — boosting their utility immeasurably. Data can be fetched using HTTP and HTTPS requests, or through the computational knowledge of WolframAlpha. Oracles can be used to generate random numbers, and this infrastructure also paves the way for enterprises to integrate blockchain technology …

Smartphone maker Nokia has announced the launch Nokia Data Marketplace — the company’s enterprise-grade blockchain-based data marketplace infrastructure service. In a release issued on Wednesday, Nokia revealed that its new blockchain service reportedly offers data transaction and analysis within the framework of a secure private, permissioned blockchain infrastructure. As part of the announcement, Nokia declared that clients across diverse industries can participate in the blockchain network, leveraging the benefits of decentralized technology for trusted data transfer. An excerpt from the release reads: “This [the Nokia Data Marketplace] enables a wide range of vertical use cases, including electric vehicle charging, environmental …