Dutch global banking and financial services corporation ING introduced its new cryptographic blockchain development called Bulletproofs, according to an announcement on Feb. 7 Bulletproofs represents an extended technology for ING’s previous blockchain privacy-focused developments such as zero-knowledge range proof (ZKRP) and zero-knowledge set membership (ZKSM). ING bank first launched ZKRP in November 2017, enabling market participants to maintain anonymity in a transaction while still confirming its accuracy. For instance, the tool allowed a mortgage applicant to prove their salary within a certain range without revealing the exact figure. As an improved version of ZKRP, ZKSM was released in October 2018, …

Disclaimer. This article has been updated to reflect that Magic Leap is an augmented reality startup, rather than a virtual reality startup. Augmented reality (AR) startup Magic Leap is seeking blockchain engineers according to recent listings on employment website Greenhouse. The firm is looking for a senior blockchain architect and blockchain engineers. Among the duties listed for the senior blockchain architect position, the individual will be “planning and execution of a portfolio of blockchain, smart contract, and Ricardian contract technologies in support of the implementation of our Lifestream business function.” In a recent interview with virtual reality (VR) industry publication …

A cryptocurrency exchange says it is prioritizing the privacy of its users — eliminating the “tedious” registration steps imposed by other websites. BitConvert argues that some rival platforms ask for too many personal details when they are bringing new users on board and says this can make consumers uncomfortable when they are in pursuit of absolute anonymity. The company also claims such excessive registration procedures actively undermine the purpose of coins that were designed to deliver privacy. According to BitConvert, its users have the ability to “instantly exchange coins” without being required to register an account with the website. At …

The Bitfury Group and blockchain-powered medical data marketplace Longenesis have jointly launched production of a blockchain-based consent management system for the healthcare industry. The development was announced in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on April 4. Per the release, the new product addresses issues with the management of user consent for ongoing and upcoming research endeavors, compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as well as streamlining data collection for medical research. Once collected, all data and updates to user consent are reportedly recorded on the ExonumTM blockchain with timestamping …

Offchain Labs, a blockchain startup co-founded by a professor at Princeton University, has raised $3.7 million in a seed round led by crypto hedge fund Pantera Capital, TechCrunch reports on April 3. The new funding round was also supported by Compound VC, Raphael Ouzan of Blocknation, Jake Seid, managing director at Stone Bridge Ventures and others. With the investment, Offchain aims to solve major problems associated with enterprise blockchain implementations by bringing more scalability and privacy. By deploying its own protocol, Arbitrum, Offchain developers intend to bring make smart contracts more scalable. Offchain co-founder Ed Felten said that the firm …

Leading Ethereum (ETH) browser extension Metamask reportedly broadcasts ETH addresses to all websites a user visits in its default settings, a GitHub issue submitted on March 20 states. Metamask is a browser extension featured in the Brave browser — compatible with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Opera — that enables its users to interact with Ethereum-based decentralized applications (DApps). According to the aforementioned GitHub issue, Metamask broadcasts its users’ ETH address to all the websites visited in its default settings, with the post specifying that the ETH addresses are shown in data objects contained in message broadcasts as opposed to …

The head of the Finance Committee of France’s National Assembly, Eric Woerth, is suggesting a ban on anonymous cryptocurrencies, or so-called privacy coins. Woerth expressed his position in a recent report on crypto assets and blockchain technology. In a forward to the report, Woerth considers the introduction of a ban on digital currencies that provide greater anonymity to users, stating: “It would also have been appropriate to propose a ban on the dissemination and trade in [cryptocurrencies built] to ensure complete anonymity by preventing any identification procedure by design. [...] This is the case for a certain number of [cryptocurrencies] …

New York-based blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis has published an official statement clarifying that it does not collect or sell users’ personal data when it provides its services to cryptocurrency exchanges. The statement was published in a company blog post on March 5. Chainalysis is one of the highest-profile firms in the blockchain intelligence industry, providing technology — such as its proprietary KYT (Know Your Transaction) tool — that enables firms, governments and law enforcement agencies to monitor blockchain transactions and track suspected illicit activities, such as money laundering or terrorist financing. As reported, allegations that such firms may be circulating …

Sam Palmisano — retired IBM chairman and current chairman of United States nonprofit The Center for Global Enterprise — says he doesn’t know of a solution that has been found to make public blockchain networks compatible with European data privacy laws. Palmisano made his remarks during a joint interview for Bloomberg Markets with David Kappos, partner at U.S. law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore, which was broadcast on the Bloomberg Technology channel on March 4. Palmisano and Kappos focused on the interaction between blockchain innovation and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — a landmark European Union-wide legal framework for …

Researchers from the Stanford University and Visa Research have developed a privacy mechanism for Ethereum (ETH) smart contracts. A paper describing the mechanism was published on Stanford University’s Applied Cryptography Group website on Feb. 20. According to the paper, the researchers created “a fully-decentralized, confidential payment mechanism” called “Zether” that is consistent with both Ethereum and other smart contract platforms. The developers reportedly developed a new smart contract — that can be executed either individually or by other smart contracts — that maintains the account balances encrypted and enables the deposit, transfer and withdrawal of funds through cryptographic proofs. The …

Japanese employment information services company Recruit Co., Ltd. has invested in a blockchain-focused company Beam Development Limited, according to an announcement published on Feb. 18. Per today’s press release, Recruit has invested in Israeli blockchain startup Beam Development Limited. The investment was made through Recruit’s $25 million fund called RSP Blockchain Tech Fund Pte. Ltd. The latter is focused on investing and acquiring shares in blockchain and cryptocurrency companies. Beam is a privacy-oriented crypto project that purportedly secures transactions by enabling transaction data to be verified by a specified third party. The announcement states that the Beam token prevents the …

New York-based blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis has raised $30 million in a Series B funding round led by venture capital giant Accel, the company confirmed in a post on Feb. 12. The fresh funding will reportedly be used to expand Chainalysis’ corporate operations, which include a proprietary Know Your Customer (KYC) product that allows financial institutions and digital asset trading platforms to vet and verify the identity of their clients. The firm reports that the latest funding round was led by Accel, “with participation from existing investors.” Chainalysis reports that it also plans to open an office devoted to research …