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Blockchain, Trust and Journalism

Daniel Sieberg speaks about blockchain, cryptocurrency, trust and more specifically, what blockchain is good for when it comes to journalism.

In this talk he highlights three points:

  • Governance: Putting value, such as a vote, or a token, in the hands of individuals, as opposed to centralized entities.
  • Storage: Once a story is published on blockchain, it’s permanently available and distributed on many computers in the world.  Trying to change or hide that story would be like trying to recall all of the issues of a newspaper after it has been distributed.  In other words, it’s  immutable and transparent.
  • Licensing: Blockchain is like fingerprinted digital assets. It helps content creators get paid for their own work into the future since the source of the creator is indisputably known.
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Civil’s First Token Sale: No Go. Will Try Again.

Civil

Civil’s goal for their first token sale: Sell 34 million CVL tokens for between $8 million and $24 million.

The sale began on September 18 and concluded Monday night, October 16.

1,012 buyers purchased $1,435,491 worth of CVL tokens. Since they didn’t meet their goal, refunds will be issued to all buyers.

Civil is going to try again. The company says “a new, much simpler token sale is in the works.” Details to be shared soon.

Here’s the post from Civil: What’s Next For Civil.

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Blockchain and Data Privacy

blockchain technology

Data collection of internet users has been an issue since the dawn of the world wide web. But in recent years a larger percent of the public is becoming more sensitive about media and tech companies aggregating their user data. As a result, more users having been opting out.

Europe’s new data privacy law has established the continent as a global leader re issues surrounding data privacy. (The law requires companies to inform users what data is being collected, and it gives consumers the right to access stored data and even correct information that turns out to be inaccurate.)

Blockchain offers a different solution. A way consumers can choose what to share and when to share it, rather than handing everything over to corporations and hoping it isn’t misused or lost.

For more info, visit the following article: Opt-Out Versus Opt-In: How Blockchain Will Change The Data Collection Culture.

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Blockchain and Tech for Good

Sally Eaves is a Chief Technology Officer, Professor of Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence, Founder and Global Strategic Advisor, and a specialist in the application of emergent technologies for business and societal benefit. In this presentation she speaks about Tech for Good.

Eaves notes that trust in business, media, government and NGOs is at a 17 year low and contrasts that with the idea that blockchain can facilitate trust.

She discusses creating shared value in conjunction with making a profit, as well as doing meaningful work by creating sustainable business models that combine profit and purposes for good.

She notes that opportunities exist in the technological convergence of blockchain and AI, in partner with the Internet of Things (IoT).

She touches upon making applications of blockchain accessible and everyday.

Eaves also points out her belief in the needs for arts and tech to work hand-in-hand.

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What is Coindesk?

CoinDesk, located in NYC, bills itself as “The world leader in news, prices and information on bitcoin and other digital currencies.”

They cover news and analysis on the trends, price movements, technologies, companies and people in the bitcoin and digital currency world.

Their per-minute Bitcoin Price Index, a derived measure of bitcoin’s value based on an agreed set of criteria, also serves as a point of reference for those involved in the bitcoin industry.

CoinDesk hosts its annual Consensus summit, an annual blockchain technology gathering in New York City. It also hosts Consensus: Invest, an event designed to showcase the new crypto asset class to institutional investors across the globe.

CoinDesk publishes The State of Blockchain, and important analysis on the growth of blockchain technology.

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What is Ethereum?

Ethereum describes itself as “a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud or third-party interference.”

The term “smart contract” refers to computer code that can facilitate the exchange of money, content, property, shares, or anything of value. When running on the blockchain a smart contract becomes like a self-operating computer program that automatically executes when specific, defined conditions are met.

Ethereum was proposed in late 2013 by Vitalik Buterin, a cryptocurrency researcher and programmer and launched in 2015.

The platform is also the basis for its own virtual currency, Ether.

Ethereum is not just a platform.  It’s also a programming language, helping developers to build and publish distributed applications.

As an example for comparison and contrast, Bitcoin is also a distributed public blockchain network.  Although there are important technical differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum, Bitcoin solely exists to offer one famous application of blockchain technology: a peer to peer electronic cash system that enables and tracks online Bitcoin payments.

Conversely, the Ethereum blockchain focuses on running the programming code of any decentralized application.

In fact, Ethereum is also being used as a platform to launch other cryptocurrencies

In the Ethereum blockchain, instead of mining for bitcoin, miners work to earn Ether, a type of crypto token that fuels the network. Beyond a tradeable cryptocurrency, Ether is also used by application developers to pay for transaction fees and services on the Ethereum network.

There is a second type of token that is used to pay miners fees for including transactions in their block, it is called gas, and every smart contract execution requires a certain amount of gas to be sent along with it to entice miners to put it in the blockchain.

Visit the following link to see what types of Dapps are being built on Ethereum.

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PWC Blockchain 2018

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is a multinational professional services network headquartered in London. PwC ranks as the second largest professional services firm in the world behind Deloitte.

In PwC’s 2018 survey of 600 executives from 15 territories, 84% say their organizations have at least some involvement with blockchain technology.

Additional highlights:

  • 45% believe trust could delay adoption
  • 30% see China as a rising blockchain leader
  • 28% say interoperability of systems is a key for success

Furthermore, they outline four strategies for blockchain success:

  1. Make the blockchain business case: evolution, not revolution
    Strategic clarity will ensure that your blockchain initiative has a business purpose around which you and other participants can align.
  2. Build an industry ecosystem
    Blockchain may call for competitors to collaborate in a new way, as they come together to solve industry-wide problems.
  3. Design deliberately
    Every blockchain will require rules and standards, particularly around what various participants will be able to access and how they can engage.
  4. Navigate regulatory uncertainty
    stay agile to meet regulatory requirements as they evolve in the years to come
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What is Binance?

Binance is a crypto exchange for buying and selling cryptocurrencies. Some of the factors that have made it attractive to crypto traders include its availability in multiple languages, fast order processing and the fact that it transacts numerous digital currencies.

Binance is only for trading cryptocurrencies, and does not handle fiat currencies.

Due to evolving global regulations, Binance moved from China, where it was established, to Japan and then Taiwan and as of March 2018, relocated to Malta (Island country south of Italy).

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Coinbase to List Additional Assets

Coinbase is a U.S. crypto exchange which supports Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, and Litecoin, which of course represent a fraction of the global digital currencies available.  To become more globally competitive Coinbase will begin listing new crypto assets which are in line with local regulations. This is a significant change for Coinbase.

For more info, visit this link: Coinbase’s New Asset Listing Process.

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