Tag: Blockchains

Immunity Passports May Be Blockchain’s Killer-App, Says Overstock CEO

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Overstock CEO Jonathan Johnson has claimed that private, consumer-controlled immunity passports may be the killer-app that propels blockchain technology into the mainstream. In an interview with PYMNTS, he said that the company’s investment arm has turned to two startups creating blockchain-based apps allowing consumers to download and control their health records. Making people feel safe again… Johnson suggests that we must consider what will make an average consumer feel safe to use air travel, restaurants or even stores again after the coronavirus pandemic subsides. Ultimately, he believes this hinges on…

Hackers Target Enterprise Blockchains

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When blockchain technology was first brought to the public’s attention, it was lauded on many fronts as “unhackable.” While there are many benefits to blockchain worth noting already, we probably still haven’t seen what its ultimate potential will be. One thing is certain though: It is not unhackable. That reality has been illustrated with increasing clarity to the tune of around $2 billion in cryptocurrency stolen by hackers since 2017. Recent attacks have seen a shift in focus from public networks, such as the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains, to private…

Blockchains and Antitrust Laws Share the Same Objective, Says Vitalik Buterin

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In a recently published paper, Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin along with Harvard faculty Thibault Schrepel argued that blockchain is positioned to help antitrust laws in areas where regulations are difficult to apply and enforce. The paper, dubbed Blockchain Code as Antitrust, explains that blockchains can aid antitrust laws by increasing decentralization and preventing the creation of monopolies. However, they said, blockchains can only do so if regulations support the technology. “Law and technology should be thought of as allies – not enemies – as they feature complementary strengths and defects,”…

Open Blockchains Aren’t Secure Enough for Enterprises, Says Salesforce Exec

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Salesforce’s SVP for emerging technology, Adam Caplan, says that is difficult for enterprises to place trust in public blockchains as they do not offer any access and governance controls. During the online Consensus: Distributed conference, Caplan said that it’s crucial for enterprises to be able to exercise some control in a blockchain system, which is only possible in permissioned blockchains.  He added that, while business may want to bring value to their end consumers through blockchain, security concerns may be enough to dissuade them from adopting the technology. An open…

Riot Blockchain’s Bitcoin Mining Revenues in Q1 Rise 70% Year-on-Year

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Biotech firm-turned-Bitcoin miner Riot Blockchain disclosed strong results for Q1 2020 in its latest quarterly report filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Published May 8, the report revealed the firm’s cryptocurrency mining revenue for the three months ending March 31, 2020 (Q1 2020) had hit $2.4 million — up from $1.4 million for Q1 in 2019. This represents a 70% increase in year-on-year revenue. Riot revealed that it had not, however, mined more cryptocurrency, stating that “Bitcoins produced in 2020 totaled 280 as compared to 330…

Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet

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“Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet” is filmmaker Torsten Hoffmann’s follow up to his award-winning 2015 documentary “Bitcoin: The End of Money As We Know It.” His first film looked at the history (and failings) of money and the financial system, and how Bitcoin was poised to revolutionize and solve many of its problems. Now, Cryptopia brings us up to date with the current state of play in the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain. The documentary is split into three acts. Act I – Bitcoin First we…

US Court Dismisses Lawsuit Over Riot Blockchain’s Crypto Pivot

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A New Jersey judge ruled last week that Riot Blockchain’s decision to change its name was not, by itself, tantamount to securities fraud. U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson of the District Court of New Jersey dismissed a lawsuit Thursday which tried to argue that the Colorado-based firm had changed its name to “Riot Blockchain” in an effort to boost its share price. Riot Blockchain changed its name from Bioptix in October 2017, after announcing a move from biotechnology into bitcoin mining. The share price soon rocketed up from $8 to…

US Court Dismisses Lawsuit Over Riot Blockchain’s Crypto Pivot

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A New Jersey judge ruled last week that Riot Blockchain’s decision to change its name was not, by itself, tantamount to securities fraud. U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson of the District Court of New Jersey dismissed a lawsuit Thursday which tried to argue that the Colorado-based firm had changed its name to “Riot Blockchain” in an effort to boost its share price. Riot Blockchain changed its name from Bioptix in October 2017, after announcing a move from biotechnology into bitcoin mining. The share price soon rocketed up from $8 to…

Blockchain’s Need for Speed Brings New Tools to the Crypto Industry

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Another day, another mainnet launch. Or at least, that’s sometimes how it can feel in the blockchain space, as every project seems to be scrambling to be the latest and greatest in balancing the trade-offs between speed, scalability and security. Unfortunately, many of them end up languishing with little development activity and precious few users. Therefore, when a new project comes along that appears to be stirring up genuine excitement among established players and investors in the space, it’s worth taking a second look. Despite being new on the scene…

Blockchains Still Lack Interoperability for Enterprise Use, WEF Says

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Over the past few years, Blockchain technology integration has increased within a wide number of industries. As such, there are now hundreds of diverse blockchain networks in operation all over the world. For the most part, however, most of these Blockchains are not able to communicate with each other in a way that provides efficient use for enterprise solutions. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the current level of blockchain interoperability is still too low for such implementations. On April 9, the WEF published a white paper on blockchain…