In our digital world, data has now become as valuable as gold or oil. In order to achieve success, companies must adapt to handling their data much like a commodity, by trading and earning a profit off of it. Data is especially valuable when it comes to artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms due to its ability to provide value that enables new AI use cases. In order for a marketplace to be successful, it is essential to take into account scalability, quality and price of data. This is where blockchain technology comes in, where it will able to provide …

Major Canadian universities have submitted new research to the Bank of Canada centered around the development of a central bank digital currency, or CBDC, underscoring the innovation underway in this space. The research began last year after the BoC engaged four institutions around potential designs for a national cryptocurrency. A total of three proposals were published simultaneously on Thursday. Notably, each proposal was based on the application of blockchain technology. The submission from the University of Calgary leverages “a mix of distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) and electronic cash (“e-cash”) schemes with advanced cryptographic primitives.” The submission focuses extensively on promoting …

To better understand user behavior and sentiment regarding transactions and privacy on the blockchain, Manta Network ran a survey in December 2020 studying user trust regarding privacy on the blockchain, as well as centralized and decentralized exchanges. The 2021 Privacy & Trust on Cryptocurrency Exchanges report examines the drivers behind user trust and activity surrounding blockchain transactions and exchanges. Download the full report here. The 404 participants in the survey all demonstrated some level of activity in the blockchain space. The majority of respondents identified as researchers and investors, and leaned toward crypto-maximalist views. Despite their positive outlook on the …

The Monero community has posted a proposal to add XMR as a payment option on the Tesla website. Shortly after Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors hinted that they may start accepting Bitcoin (BTC) payments its electric cars, the Monero community suggested that XMR could also be a good payment option. After posting a CCS proposal on Feb. 9, the Monero community has raised 890 XMR ($155,000) in a move to add Monero as a payment option for a new Tesla alongside Bitcoin. As part of the proposal, the community will strive to get Musk’s attention during a 21-day period starting on …

The decentralized finance (DeFi) “stimulus checks” keep coming as Tornado.Cash joins Uniswap, Badger DAO, StakeDAO, and others in “airdropping” a now-tradable TORN governance token to early protocol participants. Tornado Cash, which is an Ethereum “tumbling” service that obscures transactional history in order to preserve user privacy (as well as allow scammers and hackers a method to launder their funds), first announced the launch of a governance token in December. A snapshot for the airdrop was taken for Ethereum block 11400000, which was mined on December 6th, and addresses which had interacted with the protocol prior to that point were entitled …

Dash, a cryptocurrency analog for electronic cash, recorded impressive growth in 2020 as average daily trade volumes, users and retail payments grew considerably. During its fourth-quarter livestream on Thursday, Dash Core Group reported that average trade volumes jumped 282% year-over-year, from $9.8 million to $37.4 million. On a quarterly basis, average trade volumes increased by 48%. The total volume of payments hit $916 million, up 80% from the previous year. Commercial payment values rose 37.3% year-over-year, exceeding 22,000 transactions per day, which is reportedly higher than Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) The quarterly report indicated that DASH is currently …

Robinhood’s decision to halt the trading of several stocks, including GameStop and AMC, underscores a “huge flaw” in the way the internet exists today, according to Anne Fauvre-Willis, COO of the privacy-focused Oasis Labs. Control is at the crux of the issue, Fauvre-Willis tells Cointelegraph, referring to the way Web 2.0 interfaces require that users relinquish command of their assets. She explains: “At the end of the day, users of Web 2.0 are never in control – they don’t own their assets, they don't control their data, they’re simply renting space until whatever centralized service they use decides otherwise.” “For …

Brave, the privacy-centric web browser built on Basic Attention Token (BAT), more than doubled the size of its user base over the course of 2020. The browser’s monthly active users increased from 11.6 million to 25.4 million, according to a recent press release. Brave blocks ads and stops websites from tracking users’ movements around the internet while rewarding them with BAT tokens for the attention they do choose to give to advertisers. These tokens can be used to reward content creators and publishers via the browser’s in-built wallet or can be exchanged for other cryptocurrencies. The browser’s daily active user …

Decentralized identity is a function of blockchain technology that delivers real-world benefits to users quickly and easily, allowing them to benefit from things such as easier logins, faster credit checks and an overall smoother online experience. The proliferation of websites, e-commerce hubs and social media platforms means we can all have a huge database of logins, passwords and usernames to remember. As these increase, the use of password managers has become commonplace (as has the use of one-time passwords and two-factor authentication) to effectively allow websites and services to double-check our identity. The result is that the end-user now faces …

Signal is reportedly under attack from Iranian authorities as interest is surging amid speculation the government already has access to users’ information on other popular messaging apps. According to Al Jazeera, many users of the privacy-focused messaging app in Iran have reported being unable to connect since Signal took the top position at the Google Play Store in the country this month. The app has already been removed from Iranian app stores Cafe Bazaar and Myket. In a tweet, Signal claimed it was “#1 on the Iranian government's block list” and working to get around the country’s attempts at censorship. …

Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer at the Human Rights Foundation, is warning Americans about the narrative coming from media outlets reporting on crypto and other privacy tools. In an article for Time Magazine published today, Gladstein said that many news outlets covering stories about privacy-focused messaging app Signal or Bitcoin (BTC) tended to associate them with terrorists or criminal organizations. The Human Rights Foundation exec pushed back on narratives which paint privacy and self-sovereignty in a negative light, saying the next fight would be moving into money — in this case, cryptocurrencies. “Authorities will blame extremism not just on Signal …

If you’re an Apple App Store user, then you’re probably aware of the recent legal drama surrounding the updates to the App Store guidelines. It’s a reasonably open secret that the App Store is designed to be at its core, more difficult for app developers to deploy their apps on than competitors' offerings, pushing for a “quality over quantity” environment to protect its user base. With this push by Apple, we have just witnessed with the hammer coming down on the conservative social media app Parler following in the footsteps of Twitter and Facebook permanently banning former-U.S. President Donald Trump …