Cryptocurrencies are not immune to the feverish climate in 2020 — a year in which the line between mainstream politics and an online morass of conspiratorial theories is becoming ever more blurred. Former CIA counterintelligence and staff investigator Kevin Shipp, who has close to 150,000 followers on Twitter, has now dragged a recent Microsoft cryptocurrency patent into the quagmire. On Sept. 10, Shipp linked Microsoft’s recent cryptocurrency patent, which would enable users to mine crypto using their body activity data, to a short-lived Microsoft ad that had featured the Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic. The ad, which promoted a new …

Two crypto enthusiasts just made a $10,000 Bitcoin bet on the next US president using a smart contract. According to a Sept. 8 post from podcaster Marty Bent, the Bitcoin (BTC) mainnet has seen its first ever discreet log contract (DLC), which he calls "a very important moment in Bitcoin history". Fitting in with the general theme of 2020, the smart contract is highly political. Nicolas Dorier, a man who claimed to have made BitPay obsolete as a developer of BTCPay, made a bet using a DLC about the next winner of the 2020 Presidential Election in the United States: …

It has been a bad couple of weeks for pro-Bitcoin / anti-Putin activists in Russia. First, on August 20, opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned, and then on August 31, a prominent blogger Yegor Zhukov was beaten near his home by unknown assailants. Not only are they two of the nation’s most ardent critics of president Putin, but they have also accepted Bitcoin (BTC) donations in the past — though their support of cryptocurrency is probably not the inciting factor behind these attacks. More likely, they are being silenced because they are political activists who oppose the Russian government, and …

Wyoming State Representative and long-time crypto champion Tyler Lindholm has been unseated in the Republican state primaries by a candidate representing the far-right of the party. So far it is unclear how this may affect the state’s blockchain friendly legislation, although, following his defeat, Lindholm said he was “100% confident the [blockchain] laws are safe and secure,” according to a report by Forbes. The upset came as part of a determined push by right-wing donors, conservative advocacy groups and factions within the Wyoming Republican Party, which netted a number of key victories over incumbents. As many of the Republican candidates …

Major encrypted messaging app provider Telegram has expressed support for the mass protests in Belarus against sitting President Alexander Lukashenko. On Aug. 25, the Telegram app introduced a new animated emoji to replace the national flag of Belarus with the white-red-white flag. Opposed to the official red and green flag of Belarus, the white-red-white flag is used as a symbol of the opposition to Lukashenko's regime. With the new feature, the emoji of Belarus’ national flag automatically turns to the animated opposition flag when a single symbol is typed in a message. Telegram’s latest gesture of support for the opposition …

The United States Postal Service, or USPS, recently filed a patent for a mail-in voting system that utilizes Blockchain and other technologies for verification. Responding to an inquiry from Cointelegraph, U.S. Representative for Florida's 9th district, Darren Soto, voiced his excitement about this prospective development. “I think it’s a great idea," Soto told Cointelegraph. "I’m real excited that the post office is working on this issue," he explained. "It’s something that was a pleasant surprise for many in congress," the congressman added, noting the necessity of patent filing in line with governmental technological advancements. Currently a hotly debated topic, mail-in …

Sen. Kamala Harris, who was recently chosen to be U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate, may not be crypto savvy yet, but Tim Draper believes she can learn. Harris is a native Californian whose political career has largely focused on her home state. She served as San Francisco's District Attorney, and currently represents the state in the Senate. Draper comes from a political family; his grandfather served as the first U.S. ambassador to NATO. Draper himself has been active politically as well. In 2014, he filed a petition to split California into six smaller states. Cointelegraph asked Draper about …

Known in the crypto industry for his comments on the burgeoning asset class, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang's name does not appear on the DNC's latest speaker list, according to an article from USA Today. Released on Aug. 10, the current DNC speaker list includes Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg, among others, USA Today said. "I’ve got to be honest I kind of expected to speak," Yang said in an Aug. 11 tweet. "Maybe I endorsed against one too many incumbents," he added in a following Twitter post. Congressman Ted Lieu followed up on the social media platform, expressing his …

Under president Obama, Anurag Lal served as the director of the National Broadband Task Force. Currently he is the CEO of NetSfere, a company that provides secure messaging for enterprises. Lal believes that bills like the EARN IT Act and The Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act essentially call for a ban of end-to-end encryption, and would do more harm than good. Anti-encryption laws bad for the economy & security Critics of these legislations say that it would be both bad for the U.S. economy and would make America less secure — a sentiment that Lal agrees with. He stated: …

Major international banks like Credit Suisse and HSBC are reportedly scrutinizing their Hong Kong clients amid the ongoing protests over China-backed national security law. According to a July 19 report by Reuters, global banks including Credit Suisse, HSBC, Julius Baer, and UBS are now screening their clients in Hong Kong on potential ties to the city’s pro-democracy movement. Social media spies Citing a group of anonymous people familiar with the matter, the report says that the banks are scanning clients’ records for political and government ties in order to impose additional diligence requirements. The records include comments made by clients …

The Human Rights Foundation, or HRF, a major global organization promoting democracy and freedom, continues to explore the use of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) as a way to protect human rights around the world. The HRF recently partnered with crypto custody startup Casa to help global activists effectively protect crypto funds used to fight human rights abuses and challenge authoritarianism. Casa to share Bitcoin expertise to support human rights As part of the new collaboration, Casa will be working with the HRF to educate non-profit organizations, or NGOs, and activists about Bitcoin. Announcing the news on July 15, Casa said …

Crypto venture capitalist Brock Pierce has revealed his campaign to become the next U.S. president will focus on creating a country where technological innovation is allowed to flourish. Pierce spoke at a Unitize conference fireside chat on July 7. He alluded to the fact that while he’s unlikely to win, the campaign will be a way to highlight the benefits of blockchain. A key theme will be building a better environment for innovators — particularly Millennials and those in Generation Z. “The United States historically has been the capital of innovation, on the front lines of technologies like blockchain. I …