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Cryptocurrency
cross-posted from: https://infosec.pub/post/17011376 Decentralized governance starts now for Cardano. # The first-ever fully decentralized governance system for use in upgrades and hard forks. THIS IS HUGE and it will only evolve in a community-controlled decentralized manner from here on out.
Of course it is a privacy threat! Bitcoin offers zero [#privacy](https://zeal.center/tags/privacy) , it is a design flaw that even its creator admitted needed to be fixed. Cryptocurrency without privacy is just mass surveillance. [https://decrypt.co/242754/bitcoin-privacy-threat-government-cbdc](https://decrypt.co/242754/bitcoin-privacy-threat-government-cbdc) [@cryptocurrency](https://lemmy.ml/c/cryptocurrency)
Elizabeth Warren continues to push Chokepoint 2.0 Great podcast with Caitlin Long, describing how the backroom pressure from Warren-ites keeps the federal regulators against the [#crypto](https://zeal.center/tags/crypto) industry. The hypocrisy of Warren pontificating against big banks while defending their hegemony behind close doors is appalling. [https://unchainedcrypto.com/caitlin-long-on-why-the-feds-rejections-of-custodia-bank-seem-politically-motivated/](https://unchainedcrypto.com/caitlin-long-on-why-the-feds-rejections-of-custodia-bank-seem-politically-motivated/) [@cryptocurrency](https://lemmy.ml/c/cryptocurrency)
Zcash on Forbes The mainstream media keeps showing how rotten it is, writing a hit-piece on [#Zcash](https://zeal.center/tags/Zcash) and taking shots at other projects too. It is very interesting to see the comments from the people the author used as sources on the forum and how the author cherry-picked to slant the entire narrative. [https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/zcash-in-forbes-august-8-2024/48496](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/zcash-in-forbes-august-8-2024/48496) [@cryptocurrency](https://lemmy.ml/c/cryptocurrency)
Privacy Dilemmas [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKd4Y2HNxUE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKd4Y2HNxUE) [\#Zcash](https://zeal.center/tags/Zcash) [#Privacy](https://zeal.center/tags/Privacy) [@cryptocurrency@lemmy.ml](https://lemmy.ml/c/cryptocurrency) [@cryptocurrency@lemmy.world](https://lemmy.world/c/cryptocurrency)
hrf.org
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/18395888 > Preview snippet: > > "Across the world this week, authoritarian regimes predictably continue leveraging centralized technologies and top-down policies to tighten their grip on power. In Russia, Vladimir Putin pushes for harsh regulations on Bitcoin mining, citing fears of potential power outages. These measures would grant the regime unilateral control over where Bitcoin can be mined and who can mine it. While cracking down on access to an open network, he is simultaneously advocating for an expansion of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). This would inevitably grant his regime unprecedented control over individual financial transactions."
proton.me
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/18390499 > For those of you using Proton services to protect your privacy, a new feature is being rolled out which is a self-custody Bitcoin wallet. If you have a proton e-mail address, you can now send and receive Bitcoin automatically. This is in tradition with their long-standing policy of accepting Bitcoin payments for their services. > > A few key points to know: > - You and only you have access to the Bitcoin, it is a self-custody wallet. You are not dependent on proton's cooperation to access your funds and they do not hold onto the funds for you. > - Proton automatically translates e-mail addresses to Bitcoin addresses. This means you can send/receive BTC to/from any Proton user by just knowing their e-mail address > - Proton does *not* support Bitcoin lightning. This means transactions will take an average of 10 minutes for an average fee of 75c. Hopefully they will add lightning in the future so that can drop to under a second for pennies in fees. Lightning would also enhance privacy > - Note that using Bitcoin is pseudonymous. Using it privately and anonymously [requires some effort](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Privacy). > - Proton has also put together a good primer on Bitcoin [here](https://proton.me/wallet/bitcoin-guide-for-newcomers). > > from their blog post: > > *Early in our journey, we experienced first-hand what it’s like being cut off from the financial system and at the mercy of large banks and institutions — an ordeal that affects millions of people across the globe. In the summer of 2014, as the original Proton Mail crowdfunding campaign was in progress, **Proton had a near-death experience when PayPal froze our funds**, questioned whether encryption was legal, and whether Proton had government approval to encrypt emails.* > > *Fortunately, in that instance PayPal returned the blocked funds, and Proton was able to start the journey that we’ve been on for the past decade. However, that dangerous moment has always stayed in our minds, and we still keep a proportion of Proton’s financial reserves in Bitcoin.* > > *Having experienced firsthand the unreliability of the traditional financial sector, building Proton Wallet is an important strategic move to make Proton more resilient and independent in the future. By enabling us and the entire Proton community to more easily adopt means of payment that deliver on the promise of financial freedom for all, we better insulate Proton from the risks posed by traditional finance.*
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/18347232 > cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/11683880 > > > cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/11683421 > > > > > The EU has quietly imposed cash limits EU-wide: > > > * €3k [limit](http://web.archive.org/web/20240205005538/https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/01/18/anti-money-laundering-council-and-parliament-strike-deal-on-stricter-rules/) on anonymous payments > > > * €10k limit regardless ([link](https://www.evz.de/en/shopping-internet/cash-payment-limitations.html) which also lists state-by-state limits). > > > > > > From the jailed¹ article: > > > > > > > An EU-wide maximum limit of €10 000 is set for cash payments, which will make it harder for criminals to launder dirty money. > > > > > > It will also strip dignity and autonomy from non-criminal adults, you nannying assholes! > > > > > > > In addition, according to the provisional agreement, obliged entities will need to identify and verify the identity of a person who carries out an occasional transaction in cash between €3 000 and €10 000. > > > > > > The hunt for “money launderers” and “terrorists” is not likely meaningfully facilitated by depriving the privacy of people involved in small €3k transactions. It’s a bogus excuse for empowering a police surveillance state. It’s a shame how quietly this apparently happened. No news or chatter about it. > > > > > > ¹ the EU’s own website is an exclusive privacy-abusing Cloudflare site inaccessible several demographics of people. Sad that we need to rely on the website of a US library to get equitable access to official EU communication. > > > > > > update > > > --- > > > The Pirate party’s [reaction](https://european-pirateparty.eu/pirates-against-eu-cash-cap-and-ban-on-anonymous-crypto-payments/) is spot on. They also point out that cryptocurrency is affected. Which in the end amounts to forced banking. > > > > > > #warOnCash
mBTC/Day are often 0.6 or 0.7 which is not bad per day. Not sure they'll ever be moved to a real BTC wallet. If yes, a full tutorial will follow 
www.iftheyhadheldbitcoin.com
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/18184500 > A fun website to track the "what if"
I'm genuinely curious. Do we accept this as truth or does anyone think this can actually be solved?
bolt12.org
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/17900388 > The City of Santa Monica is making history by [opening an official Bitcoin office](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/the-city-of-santa-monica-is-opening-a-bitcoin-office). The city council unanimously voted to pilot the office in partnership with the nonprofit Proof of Workforce at no cost to the city.|
podcasts.apple.com
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/17823823 > cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/17823614 > > > In this episode we discusses the political landscape of Bitcoin, focusing on Trump's recent Bitcoin-friendly stance and its implications. We explore the need for a Democratic Bitcoin strategy, the importance of grassroots education, and how Bitcoin aligns with progressive values, emphasizing its potential for global financial inclusion and environmental benefits. In a crucial election year, these issues, and bitcoin education for everyone, including progressives and democrats, is more important than ever. > > > > My guest today is Jason Maier. Jason is a high school math teacher, educator, and author of “A Progressive’s Case for Bitcoin.”
cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/315507 > cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/315504 > > > [Archived link](https://web.archive.org/web/20240628151005/https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoiner-donates-500k-assange-freedom) > > > > WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange is free after a 14-year battle against extradition to the United States. In a final effort to secure his freedom, an anonymous Bitcoiner donated over 8 Bitcoin, worth around $500,000, to help Assange’s family pay off the debt incurred by his travel and settlement expenses. > > [...] > > The donation link was posted by Stella Assange on June 25, and within 10 hours, an anonymous Bitcoiner paid over 8 Bitcoin (BTC) to the fund, almost clearing the goal of $520,000. He has also received over 300,000 British pounds ($380,000) in fiat donations so far. > > > > The single Bitcoin donation was the largest donation to the fund, more than all other donations in all currencies combined. As a result, Assange will arrive in Australia debt free.
www.youtube.com
music.youtube.com
www.theblock.co
In a new [blog post](https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2024/05/17/decentralization.html), Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has shared his thoughts on three issues core to Ethereum's decentralization: MEV, liquid staking, and the hardware requirements of nodes. The Block reports: > In his post, published on May 17, Buterin first addresses the issue of MEV, or the financial gain that sophisticated node operators can capture by reordering the transactions within a block. Buterin characterizes the two approaches to MEV as "minimization" (reducing MEV through smart protocol design, such as CowSwap) and "quarantining" (attempting to reduce or eliminate MEV altogether through in-protocol techniques). While MEV quarantining seems like an alluring option, Buterin notes that the prospect comes with some centralization risks. "If builders have the power to exclude transactions from a block entirely, there are attacks that can quite easily arise," Buterin noted. However, Buterin championed the builders working on MEV quarantining through concepts like transaction inclusion lists, which "take away the builder's ability to push transactions out of the block entirely." "I think ideas in this direction - really pushing the quarantine box to be as small as possible - are really interesting, and I'm in favor of going in that direction," Buterin concluded. > Buterin also addressed the relatively low number of solo Ethereum stakers, as most stakers choose to stake with a staking provider, either a centralized offering like Coinbase or a decentralized offering like Lido or RocketPool, given the complexity, hardware requirement, and 32 eth minimum needed to operate an Ethereum node solo. While Buterin acknowledges the progress being made to reduce the cost and complexity around running a solo node, he also noted "once again there is more that we could do," perhaps through reducing the time to withdraw staked ether or reducing the 32 eth minimum requirement to become a solo staker. "Incorrect answers could lead Ethereum down a path of centralization and 're-creating the traditional financial system with extra steps'; correct answers could create a shining example of a successful ecosystem with a wide and diverse set of solo stakers and highly decentralized staking pools," Buterin wrote. [...] > Buterin finished his post by imploring the Ethereum ecosystem to tackle the hard questions rather than shy away from them. "...We should have deep respect for the properties that make Ethereum unique, and continue to work to maintain and improve on those properties as Ethereum scales," Buterin wrote. Buterin added today, in a post on X, that he was pleased to see civil debate among community members. "I'm really proud that ethereum does not have any culture of trying to prevent people from speaking their minds, even when they have very negative feelings toward major things in the protocol or ecosystem. Some wave the ideal of 'open discourse' as a flag, some take it seriously," Buterin wrote. Abstract credit: https://slashdot.org/story/428637