Litecoin (LTC) has relaunched its MimbleWimble testnet — a protocol designed to enhance privacy and obfuscate the traceability of distributed ledger transactions. MimbleWimble is a modified implementation of the proof-of-work algorithm underpinning Bitcoin (BTC) in which blocks appear as a single large transaction, preventing the individual inputs and outputs relating to the transactions from being identified. David Burkett, the lead developer of the MimbleWimble protocol for Litecoin, will now focus making it easier for “non-technical Litecoin users” to begin testing to functionality, in addition to ironing out aspects of the code that are “fragile.” Burkett is targeting full activation of …

To navigate well in a digital world, we must be able to easily and securely establish our digital identity. Traditionally, a username, password and some trivial arcana like our first pet’s name have been key pieces of information held by institutions to establish our digital identity. Unfortunately, this system has come at a high cost. Trusting third parties to securely hold our personal data is a risky — and often losing — proposition. The number of hacks that have resulted in stolen personal data is staggering. In the top 15 data breaches, the personal data of 3.5 billion people have …

China’s first blockchain-powered hospital is set to launch sometime in 2021, but some government officials voiced concerns over data security. According to Cn-Healthcare, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University will launch a pilot program by January 2021 as blockchain integration is still incomplete. The hospital will use the blockchain to store patient and treatment information. The operators also said that such a blockchain-powered platform will allow patients to access the so-called “internet hospital” services via a WeChat applet, whose blockchain network stores consultation and treatment data by aiming to maximize contactless solutions due to the pandemic. However, officials …

Once viewed as one of the crypto industry's top privacy-focused assets, Dash (DASH) no longer operates under that classification, according to the Dash Core Group, the body overseeing the asset and its development. When asked if Dash should remain under the category of a privacy asset, Fernando Gutierrez, CMO for the Dash Core Group, told Cointelegraph: "No, Dash is a payments cryptocurrency, with a strong focus on usability, which includes speed, cost, ease of use, and user protection through optional privacy." Dash launched as a fork of Bitcoin in 2014. Originally called XCoin, before changing its name to Darkcoin, and …

On Wednesday, the IRS awarded two $625,000 contracts looking for tracing tools for privacy token Monero and Layer 2 protocols. The winners were blockchain analytics firms Chainalysis and Integra FEC. The IRS initially publicized its quest for a privacy-busting analytics solution at the beginning of the month. An IRS representative told Cointelegraph that the agency had selected the two winning firms out of a field of 22 proposals received, though the only rationale the representative gave for the agency’s decision was “comparative analysis was used.” Chainalysis is among the leading firms in crypto analytics and routinely wins such contracts with …

Gemini, a cryptocurrency exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, aims to improve user privacy with a major privacy token, Zcash (ZEC). Starting Sept. 29, Gemini will support shielded withdrawals of ZEC, which allows users to hide their transaction data. Gemini representatives said that the new feature is the “first time shielded ZEC withdrawals are available on a regulated exchange.” The new option comes in line with Gemini’s mission to strengthen financial privacy and “empower the individual through crypto,” Gemini executives said. Launched in 2016, Zcash is a major privacy-focused cryptocurrency, enabling two user privacy levels through two types of addresses …

With the South Korean government preparing to implement know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance processes, there is confusion among legal experts as to whether the requirements contradict other laws. According to Digital Today, the new requirements would contravene the existing Personal Information Protection Act, which stipulates that local companies cannot legally request social security numbers. The measure also cover financial institutions, however they can request it under exceptional circumstances, such as for major banking transactions. The Enforcement Decree of the Special Payment Act is expected to come into force in March 2021 and will require "virtual asset services providers" …

Smart speakers have become part of our daily lives. With a single word, we are able to command a device to answer our inquiries and shopping desires. The simple act of ordering diapers or asking for a weather report is now banished to the corner of the brain that houses what you had for breakfast that morning; you can recall it, sure, but not without considerable effort. Our devices, though, don’t forget. And neither do the companies that make them and own all the data collected through our interactions. Data — as the analogy goes — is the new oil. …

Decentralized VPN Orchid is adding a Chainlink oracle that, like a “secret shopper,” samples bandwidth pricing from all the providers in the network. Orchid co-founder Steven Waterhouse explained the importance of this feature, stating, “The basic idea is in decentralized services like Orchid, where we have a decentralized VPN, there's no way of really knowing exactly [how much a provider might charge]. A provider might say they’re charging a certain amount, we don't really know until you try it. So we wrote some code that in a decentralized fashion, shops for bandwidth on the network.” He said that in the …

Retail central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, do not require the use of blockchain technology, according to executives at major European central banks. Thomas Moser, an alternate member of the governing board at Swiss National Bank, and Deutsche Bundesbank’s Martin Diehl discussed the state of CBDCs at the European Blockchain Convention Virtual 2020 conference on Monday. During the online panel discussion, both Diehl and Moser seemed to agree that global retail CBDC projects do not need blockchain, citing a number of reasons. Moser said that the primary use cases for blockchain intend to provide trust when a project has no …

By way of disclaimer, today’s Law Decoded is going to be especially America-centric. Writing to you from the ghastly swamp that is Washington, D.C., I generally try to keep these newsletters more globally minded, displeased as I am with how often the news cycle acts like this town is the center of the solar system. Thematically, however, the relationship between the capital and the rest of the country is central to this week’s news. U.S. federalism is a critical feature of this remarkably frustrating country. The back-and-forth between federal and state power is one of the defining tensions of these …

The United States Internal Revenue Service has better ways to spend taxpayer dollars than offering bounties to break Monero’s (XMR) privacy, a Monero working group says. After the IRS announced it is offering up to $625,000 to anyone who can break Monero, a major Monero-focused workgroup expressed their take on the matter. A spokesperson for Monero Outreach — an independent workgroup focused on XMR awareness and education — told Cointelegraph that the IRS should learn how Monero actually works instead. Monero Outreach’s representative emphasized that the crypto’s features in fact provide users with a certain level of transparency, stating: “$625,000 …