Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have released a study into the privacy features of Monero (XMR) and Zcash (ZEC) — arguably the two most-popular crypto assets purporting to offer users anonymity. The report finds that Monero’s introduction of strict security and anonymity requirements on its broader ecosystem has maintained the asset’s status as “effectively untraceable.” Transversely, the report concludes that the lack of utilization of Zcash’s privacy capabilities on the part of more than 99% of users undermines the privacy of the overall network despite ZEC offering “strong cryptographic features.” Zcash user behavior undermines privacy The report describes Zcash as …

Eccentric cryptocurrency advocate John McAfee admitted his anonymity-oriented project Ghost “copy-pasted” parts of its white paper from the documentation for open-source privacy coin PIVX in a series of tweets today. He nonetheless appears to intend to sue PIVX for defamation. Ghost vs. PIVX — a brief recap Earlier this week, PIVX developers claimed that the Ghost white paper was plagiarized from an outdated 2018 PIVX white paper. According to them, “At least 20 of the 26 total pages” of the Ghost whitepaper “contain material directly plagiarized from the 2018 PIVX whitepaper.” At the time, a representative for Ghost explained to …

GeoDB promises to be a decentralized peer-to-peer big data sharing ecosystem, where users are rewarded for the data they generate. This weekend saw the launch of the iOS version of its new GeoCash app, hot on the heels of the Android version which dropped last week. Big data is watching you... Big data is thought of by many as a somewhat ominous field. The practices surrounding its collation of information by shadowy intermediaries are often far from transparent, with the monetization and eventual use of such data even less so. So a platform that not only gives a user control …

John McAfee’s anonymity-oriented Ghost project has largely plagiarized its whitepaper, according to developers of privacy coin PIVX. “After a detailed investigation, it is obvious the GHOST whitepaper was plagiarized extensively from an outdated 2018 PIVX whitepaper,” PIVX tweeted on May 17. PIVX developers went on to conclude that “at least 20 of the 26 total pages” of the Ghost whitepaper “contain material directly plagiarized from the 2018 PIVX whitepaper,” attaching a number of screenshots to back their claims. “PIVX is a MIT licensed, open-source project,” a representative for the blockchain told Cointelegraph, arguing that it can be forked “as long …

Ido Sadeh Man, founder of the global stabilized digital currency, Saga, spoke with Cointelegraph in an interview on May 15. During the interview, he said that a digital currency backed by a basket of strong fiat currencies could be used as a tool to help mitigate the effects of hyperinflation on individuals' asset value. Money printing isn’t sustainable Ido believes that the hyperinflation being induced by central banks will lead to problems down the road. He said: “It is a solution that will bring very undesirable results In the long run.” However, according to Ido, a basket of currencies would …

With some countries beginning to lift lockdown restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, many are focusing attention on the technological tools that can help public authorities to comply with the World Health Organization’s guidance for COVID-19 suppression —- “test, trace, isolate.” This mantra has become all the more resonant in light of the apparent failure of multiple states to implement contact-tracing measures successfully early on in the crisis. Amid the belated scramble to develop solutions that can safely enable the resumption of some aspects of social and economic life, the debate over tech-enabled contact tracing and movement-tracking has largely been framed …

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, privacy was already at a premium. Now, we’re facing a further dive into the uncharted territory of pervasive privacy intrusions. Targeted advertising tools in your web browser already track your favorite websites, purchases and habits, and browser privacy is a foregone relic. That data is then centralized under the auspices of a big technology firm’s servers and sold to the highest bidder or leveraged to glean a competitive edge. Governments maintain wide-ranging surveillance on internet communications, and financial privacy is virtually nonexistent for any bank-related activities — encompassing the vast majority of financial transactions. Most people …

In a rare instance of cooperation, Google and Apple, two pillars of the global tech industry, announced a joint effort to create a COVID-19 exposure tracing application for mobile phones in conjunction with world governments. The app, which is set to be available on both Android and iOS phones, relies on Bluetooth technology to warn against potential exposure to a person infected with COVID-19. Due to its participating organizations, all three of which have shoddy track-records on privacy, the application immediately raised the suspicions of privacy proponents. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a staunch supporter of digital privacy, posed questions to …

While thousands of companies and entities look to grab people's data for various reasons, the commonly stated idea that folks don't care about privacy is untrue, according to the Electric Coin Company, the entity behind privacy-focused crypto asset Zcash. Citing inconvenience and other excuses, some people claim they do not care about privacy, Electric Coin Company Product marketing staff Elena Giralt said in a presentation at CoinDesk's digital Consensus 2020 conference. She added, however: If you take a step back, it's helpful to understand that billions and billions of dollars go into developing technology platforms and systems to harvest data …

Video conferencing app Zoom, the undisputed titan in an era of social distancing, has acquired end-to-end encryption start-up Keybase. The acquisition, announced May 7, follows multiple privacy and security-related scandals — including the rise of video conference gatecrashing (“zoombombing”), controversial data sharing with Facebook, false claims that video calls were encrypted, and revelations that nefarious actors were peddling half a million Zoom accounts on the darknet. Under the terms of the new deal, Keybase will become a subsidiary of Zoom and its team will lead security engineering work to develop an end-to-end encryption feature available for paying customers. Founded in …

CoinLinked, a social media network and marketplace platform founded by Wall Street veteran Jenny Q. Ta, launched on May 7. The platform will feature a utility token that rewards users for activity on the platform, and can also be redeemed for discounts on CoinLinked’s marketplace. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Ta described CoinLinked as the “first-ever blockchain-based social network and crypto-commerce platform,” likening it to a hybrid decentralized/centralized amalgamation of Twitter, Instagram and Amazon. “With global e-commerce steadily expanding each year and sales projections indicating that the multi-billion-dollar industry will reach new highs in 2021, there’s a clear need for a more …

Personal data breaches on social media platforms are nothing new. Global giants like Facebook are known for their privacy issues. While global Internet users continue to rely on classic social media like Facebook and YouTube, industry players keep building privacy-focused alternatives based on blockchains like IOTA. Society2 is a new decentralized social media, or DeSM, project that aims to let users regain control of their data and enable IOTA node owners to run their own social media sites or apps. Officially announcing the initiative on May 5, Society2 outlined that there has been no mainstream adoption of decentralized social media …