When new crypto or digital currency projects are announced it doesn’t take long for scams to follow. It appears that Telegram’s supposedly incoming TON token is the latest to be exploited by opportunistic scammers. According to Russian news outlet Kommersant, fraudsters are using the face of Telegram founder Pavel Durov … [Read More...]
The New York Times wants to fight fake news using blockchain – good luck to it
Combating fake news, deepfakes, and misinformation is one of modern journalism’s biggest challenges. There have been numerous attempts to help readers recognize when a source shouldn’t be trusted. One of the latest ideas comes thanks to news media mainstay The New York Times and blockchain technology. In what it’s calling … [Read More...]
New York financial regulator sets up new division to police cryptocurrency businesses
The New York State Department of Financial Services has announced the launch of a new division which will absorb the regulator’s current department that oversees cryptocurrency businesses in the state. In a statement released yesterday, financial services superintendent Linda Lacewell announced the regulator’s new research and innovation division. The new … [Read More...]
Bitcoin’s price surge pushes cryptocurrency-related stocks into the green
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies weren’t the only investments to benefit from the leading coin‘s recent price jump. The cryptocurrency made headlines earlier this week for a price rally thought to have been ushered in by one mystery buyer. Over a matter of hours, Bitcoin‘s trading price jumped 20 percent and broke … [Read More...]
Tech companies still care more about AI and IoT than blockchain
Blockchain might be the hot buzzword of the moment, but according to new research, it’s being bested by the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). A recent survey conducted by identity management cloud software provider, Okta, found that digital firms are investing in AI and Internet-of-Things … [Read More...]
PayPal makes its first blockchain startup investment
PayPal is getting in on the blockchain craze. The payments giant has invested in Cambridge Blockchain, a budding startup developing digital identity management software for financial institutions. In an announcement on its website, Cambridge Blockchain said the investment will help the two companies explore potential collaborations powered by blockchain tech. … [Read More...]
This Canadian town is letting residents pay taxes in Bitcoin
A small town in Canada, just north of Toronto, is joining Ohio in providing its citizens with an option to pay some taxes in cryptocurrency – Bitcoin, to be exact. The town of Innisfil will begin accepting Bitcoin as payment for property taxes in April, local news outlet Simcoe. According … [Read More...]
You can now play scratchcards with Bitcoin, thanks to the Lightning Network
The Lightning Network is where all the weird and wonderful use cases of Bitcoin micro-payments come to life. You can order a Coke, feed chickens, dispense candy, and even play roulette or Pokémon, all courtesy of the Bitcoin sidechain. But thanks to one enterprising dev, the Lightning Network now … [Read More...]
Moonday Mornings: Banks hate Malta, crypto CEO crashes Lambo
It’s Monday, which means it’s time for a roundup of the weekend’s cryptocurrency and blockchain news. Here’s Moonday Mornings. 1. Japan’s Financial Services Agency is reporting a 36 percent drop in the number of cryptocurrency related inquiries in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to the previous quarter, Brave New Coin reports. This … [Read More...]
5 things you should know about STOs
Last weekend Hard Fork flew Seattle to attend NEO’s second ever developer conference. Besides getting to see and hear from NEO itself, we got to meet a host of developers that are trying to use the NEO platform to bring their dapps to life. While there, I moderated a panel … [Read More...]
Cryptocurrency exchange botches airdrop, gives $5.3M to its users
Every week we seem to read another new story about yet another cryptocurrency exchange hack or scam in which users’ funds are stolen. But this week, a South Korean exchange has flipped the narrative on its head. In what is being called a “computer error,” CoinZest done^ goofed and … [Read More...]
Blockchain sharding made so simple your dog would understand
Welcome to Hard Fork Basics, a collection of tips, tricks, guides, and advice to keep you up to date in the cryptocurrency and blockchain world. Scaling blockchain is becoming one of the technology’s great mysteries. Does anyone know how to do it? Can it even be done? Some seem to … [Read More...]
Bitcoin ransomers arrested for kidnapping in South Africa
Police in Mpumalanga, South Africa, have arrested two suspects who demanded a Bitcoin ransom following the kidnapping of a teenage boy and the attempted kidnapping of a 13 year-old girl. The kidnappers demanded just over $100,000 (1.5 million rand) worth of Bitcoin in exchange for the safe return of the … [Read More...]
Israel shipping giant opens its blockchain after successful trial
Israel‘s largest shipping firm is opening up its blockchain to all of its clients of specific trades following a successful trial. Shipping firm Zim took the decision to roll out its blockchain for electronic bills of lading (eBLs) following a successful trial last year, TradeWinds reports. For those not in … [Read More...]
Hard Fork’s blockchain and cryptocurrency expectations for 2019
The cryptocurrency and blockchain industry has had a particularly turbulent year. In January Bitcoin prices were well over $18,000, and in December dropped below $4,000. It seems impossible to make any reasoned judgement as to what prices the market will hold next. That said, when it comes to broader trends … [Read More...]
Here’s a list of cryptocurrency terms we coined in 2018
Technology is responsible for literally thousands of new words that have been added to our daily lexicon in the last decade. Words like selfie, TL:DR, bingeable, and Bitcoin have all been added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary this year. All these words started somewhere before being included in the … [Read More...]
Abra is giving away $25 of Bitcoin this Christmas – but there’s a catch
Cryptocurrency exchange and wallet provider Abra is trying to add a little holiday cheer to the current bear market bear market by giving away Bitcoin. This morning, in an email to customers, Abra announced a promotion which would see new investors of its BIT10 “exchange traded fund” (ETF) style token … [Read More...]
Scaling blockchain: Sidechains explained in plain English
Welcome to Hard Fork Basics, a collection of tips, tricks, guides, and advice to keep you up to date in the cryptocurrency and blockchain world. Blockchains are actually quite limited in their scope. There are challenges of scalability and speed which make it challenging for some applications of the technology … [Read More...]