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silk-road-dread-pirate-roberts
A play based on the story of notorious online black market Silk Road will debut at the Edinburgh Festival in August. Like its online namesake, the production will be funded by bitcoin.The play, entitled ‘Silk Road‘, transfers the Dread Pirate Roberts’ (DPR) story to the north of England, and is reportedly based on writer Alex Oates’ interviews with real-life website vendors.It’s a one-man play told through the eyes of the still-not-definitely-identified DPR as he encounters both new online and economic realities, and the more traditional characters inhabiting them.FundingProducers are inviting bitcoin donations, but ‘Silk Road’ has also reportedly received funding from the Kevin Spacey Foundation, a charitable organisation started by the Hollywood actor that funds development of creative projects and provides scholarships to talented creatives in the UK and US.‘Silk Road’ the play invites audiences to:“Take an adrenaline-fuelled ride into Whitley Bay’s underworld. A tale of a struggling young Geordie tech-head, Bruce Blakemore, who gets caught up in a World Wide Web of new age pirates, local gangsters & innovative postal methods.” A message on the official site says the production aims to raise 40 BTC through donations, by appealing to bitcoin users:“Writing the play, Alex was struck by the generous and highly intelligent nature of bitcoin owners and Silk Road users.This play talks about issues of personal freedom and libertarian ideals that are close to the heart of many TOR and bitcoin users and in no way criticizes the use of such marketplaces.”In realityThe ‘real’ Silk Road was an online marketplace accessible to users of the Tor network, which sold a collection of legal and illegal items and used bitcoin as its primary currency.Shut down by the FBI in October, it has been both praised for demonstrating the advantages of bitcoin use and condemned for damaging the technology’s reputation.The man accused of being the mastermind behind Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht, awaits trial after his indictment for conspiracy to traffic narcotics, computer hacking and money laundering. His defense team has questioned whether any evidence exists to convict him, or whether it is even possible to launder a payment token that is not officially money.Directed by Dominic Shaw and starring UK TV actor James Baxter in the lead and only role, ‘Silk Road’ will appear at the Assembly in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival. There will also be a preview in London at the New Diorama Theatre on 27th July.Image via strelka / ShutterstockRoss UlbrichtSilk Road
Original author: Jon Southurst

 

Bitcoin2014 Conference was held in Amsterdam this past weekend. With more than 1,100 attendees present at the Amsterdam Passenger Terminal, the conference was a prime learning, networking and brainstorming opportunity for bitcoin enthusiasts from around the world.

Day One

The conference kicked off on Friday 16th May, with a welcome note from Jon Matonis, executive director of Bitcoin Foundation followed by a keynote address from Overstock CEO, Patrick Byrne.

The Chief Scientist of the Bitcoin Foundation, Gavin Andresen also delivered his annual ‘State of Bitcoin’ address on the Friday. He warned that transactions fees could “rise and rise to the point where only rich people can transact” if block sizes aren’t increased.

The lighthearted Blockchain Awards – or the ‘Blockies’ – wrapped up the busy first day at the conference. Unsurprisingly, Satoshi Nakamoto won the top honour for visionary academic paper. Surprisingly, he was there to collect it.

Day Two

The second day kicked off with a presentation from Bobby Lee, CEO of BTC China, on the troubles the digital currency has faced in China.

Along the same themes was another discussion of the technical challenges bitcoin is set to face in the near future.

There was also a panel of seasoned bitcoin investors moderated by The New York Times’ Nathaniel Popper. During the discussion, angel investor Roger Ver said that he was not actively looking to make any new investments, and was instead focusing on the ones already underway.

bitcoin

However, during both the days, the primary focus for most attendees was networking. With bitcoin enthusiasts from more than 50 countries present in one room, everyone was keen to meet others in the bitcoin space.

The organizers announced that Bitcoin2015 is set to take place in Asia next year.

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Original author: Roop Gill

The price of bitcoin on the CoinDesk USD Bitcoin Price Index (BPI) rose more than 10% today at its peak to a high of $494.16, up from the day’s open of $444.31.The price increase brought the value of bitcoin to its highest total since late April, nearly one month ago.coindesk-bpi-chart (4)The price of bitcoin on the CoinDesk CNY BPI saw a similar spike, rising to a high of ¥3041.89, up from its opening at ¥2769.04.At press time, prices on both the USD BPI and CNY BPI had cooled somewhat, with the price of bitcoin observed at $483.54 and ¥3010.13, a rise of roughly 8% on each index.The first significant market movement in some time, the day’s activity could be seen as yet another sign the price of bitcoin may be poised for a bull run, as some analysts have speculated.Narrative reversalThe news follows a steady stream of positive press for the industry, including the successful Bitcoin2014 conference in Amsterdam.That even saw major speakers such as Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire and Bitcoin Foundation chief scientist Gavin Andresen give high-profile talks that may have helped refocus the community on the larger implications of bitcoin and its potential impact on the global finance space.Additionally, it comes on the heels of a string of major announcements — such as Circle’s product debut, BitPay’s $30m Series A funding round and positive comments from US government agencies.China worries fadeA main driver of the decline in the price of bitcoin had been negative news from China, once one of the digital currency’s largest markets.However, in recent weeks, announcements from the country have been more positive, or at the very lease, less negative.For example, Beijing’s Global Bitcoin Summit took place as scheduled, despite the absence of major exchanges, with the event ultimately serving to introduce the wider bitcoin community to the wide range of startups that have entered the market.Image via CoinDeskBitcoin2014BitPayChinaCircleprices
Original author: Pete Rizzo

jailbtc
A 28-year old Arkansas man is invoicing the US government, payable in bitcoin.Andrew Auernheimer of Fayetteville, Arkansas — known by his online handle “weev”, was convicted of computer fraud in 2012, although he has been set free on appeal.The invoice is for compensation for an alleged case of wrongful imprisonment.In a letter, described as ‘an invoice for services rendered’, Auernheimer writes:“I am owed 28,296 bitcoins. I do not accept United States dollars, as it is the preferred currency of criminal organizations such as the FBI, DOJ, ATF and Federal Reserve and I do not assist criminal racketeering enterprises.”The exact figure of 28,296 BTC, Auernheimer says, is compensation for his time in captivity at 1 BTC per hour.At a recent bitcoin price valuation, that would be worth over $13.7m.AT&T hacking caseAuernheimer has been accused, along with a coconspirator, of exploiting a flaw in AT&T’s servers exposing more than 114,000 iPad user email addresses.The vulnerability was then publicized by Gawker, causing a public relations issue for Apple.In 2011, Auernheimer was arrested in Arkansas, and he was then taken to New Jersey where he awaited trial. After his conviction on computer fraud charges, he spent 13 months at Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex in Pennsylvania.The case against Auernheimer was turned over on appeal earlier this year, due to jurisdiction. Exposing the AT&T flaw, judges in the case ruled, was done by Auernheimer not in New Jersey, but in his home state of Arkansas.He was set free 11th April.This is my invoice to the feds. Just sent it their way, bcc’d a few hundred journalists. http://t.co/CsC3Xi9Vsw pic.twitter.com/Er9bNRktiT— Andrew Auernheimer (@rabite) May 20, 2014Forthcoming lawsuitAuernheimer’s invoicing of the federal government in BTC is a creative way to publicize his plight, and there are indications that there will also be a civil lawsuit filed as well.Even so, the US Attorney in New Jersey has made it known he may appeal the data breach case Auernheimer was involved in, reportedly to the Supreme Court.In comments made to RT, Auernheimer expresses his view the government treated him unfairly:“I want history to record that I made an honest and public attempt to get restitution for the violence the government committed against me.Whatever I do next, I want people to know that I tried civil and peaceful resolution first.”Notably, the US government does own enough bitcoin to pay the invoice, having seized it via criminal cases.In January, a judge signed off on a forfeiture order for 29,655 bitcoins that were confiscated from the defunct online marketplace Silk Road.Jail image via ShutterstockAndrew AuernheimerAppleAT&Tcrimehackingnewspricesweev
Original author: Daniel Cawrey

Regulatory attitudes toward digital currencies around the world are shifting. Hardly a day goes by without a central bank issuing a warning on the digital currency or new tax guidelines. However, it’s not all bad news – as some authorities are taking a far more positive approach. In CoinDesk’s regulation roundup, Certified Public Accountant and ACFE Certified Fraud Examiner Jason Tyra examines the most significant digital currency news from the world’s regulators and law courts over the past two weeks.LawChinaAuthorities’ bitcoin squeeze continuesChinese banks appear to have suspended relationships with all bitcoin-related businesses in the country, following “repeated directives” from the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank.In response, at least five bitcoin exchanges located in China withdrew from the Global Bitcoin Summit in Beijing: OKCoin, Huobi, BTC China, BtcTrade and CHBTC.  Notably, BTC China CEO Bobby Lee recently won election to the Bitcoin Foundation’s Board of Directors as an industry representative.Curiously, a report by the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (an advisory body to the US Congress) cited Chinese regulatory action as a threat to bitcoin’s continued proliferation.Though the attitude of the US government could be described, at best, as ambivalent, the report pointed out what most bitcoiners already knew: a friendly Chinese government may not be essential to bitcoin’s success, but a hostile Chinese government is far from helpful.JapanJapanese regulators announce increased oversight of bitcoinJapan seems to have finally caught up with other developed nations with its announcement this week that it will crack down on unlawful commerce using bitcoin and other virtual currencies.Furthermore, the Japanese government will classify bitcoin transactions as being similar to those generated by credit cards and will not seek to apply capital gains taxes to bitcoin transactions.Japanese economic policy under Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, colloquially referred to as ‘Abenomics’, seeks to stimulate and grow the economy by, among other things, engineering a decline in the price of the yen relative to other currencies through massive quantitative easing (ie: inflation).Japanese bitcoiners who intend to use bitcoin as a refuge from inflation may find solace in the Japanese government’s less-than-hostile treatment.SwitzerlandBitcoin salaries may violate Swiss lawA study commissioned by the Swiss Federal Council has suggested that paying Swiss workers wholly or partially in bitcoin may be unlawful if such payment shifts exchange rate risk from the payer to the payee.Speaking in response to the study, a representative of Bitcoin Association Switzerland stated that “startups will continue to do what makes sense to them”.Bitcoin-related companies located in Switzerland, like others around the world, have considered paying wages and bonuses in bitcoin as a way to expand the bitcoin economy and conserve fiat currency reserves.Although commissioned by the Federal Council, the study is not a legal finding in itself. Swiss law explicitly permits both payments in foreign currency and payment in kind.United StatesPolitical contributions in bitcoin get the green lightThe US Federal Election Commission (FEC), the independent regulator that governs federal election policy and adjudicates electoral ethics issues, voted unanimously on 6th May to permit bitcoin donations to candidates in federal elections of up to $100 per donor, per election cycle. Candidates are currently limited to $2,600 in total donations per election.Many US states incorporate FEC policy decisions by reference into their own bodies of election law. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott previously announced that he would accept bitcoin donations in his bid for governor, as has US Representative Steve Stockman (Texas).However, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board forced a candidate to return a bitcoin donation as recently as 5th May. Whether that decision was reversed subsequent to the FEC ruling was unknown at press time.Bitcoin industry reps detail banking setbacks at US hearingBitPay’s Bryan Krohn, Xapo’s Karsten Behrend, CoinX’s Megan Burton, and SecondMarket’s Annemarie Tierney spoke before the Conference of State Bank Supervisors’ Emerging Payments Task Force on 16th May.During a roughly two-hour hearing, the bitcoin industry representatives suggested that without clearer and more supportive regulatory standards, bitcoin companies will continue to struggle to build relationships with the banks and be held back in the broader consumer marketplace.The task force, sponsored by a private organization of state-level banking officials, is considering whether and how digital currencies and other technological innovations in the financial sector will be impacted by current laws and whether recommendations for new laws or administrative regulations are necessary.Image via ShutterstockBitcoin Regulation RoundupChinaJapanlawregulationSwitzerlandUS
Original author: Jason Tyra

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In the midst of the Bitcoin2014 conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, a local artist sold a painting for €10,000 in BTC.The artwork, “Collaboration” by Reinier van den Bezemer Schoonderwoerd, was purchased at a gallery in Amsterdam by a group of unnamed visitors during the annual bitcoin conference held last week, according to regional broadcaster Omroep West.Van den Bezemer Schoonderwoerd told the media outlet that bitcoin is an alternative to the traditional banking system, which he says isn’t as trustworthy as a system built on digital currencies.He remarked:“Banks are in fact not to be trusted.”In the interview, Van den Bezemer Schoonderwoerd compared the process of mining bitcoin to gold, and cited the decentralized nature of the technology as a strength compared to fiat currencies like the euro.About the artistAccording to art dealer and gallery operator AaartNL, Van den Bezemer Schoonderwoerd is known in Dutch art circles for both his painted and sculpted works.Born in 1949, the artist is a member of the Leiden Center for Visual Art and has taken part in numerous artistic endeavors in and around the Netherlands during the past 20 years. His works show an interest in animals, nature and human interaction.In the case of “Collaboration”, the piece focuses on the relationship between people and finance.Art, luxury and bitcoin meetThe sale of “Collaboration” represents another step for the budding presence of bitcoin in the art world. In the past year, the digital currency has come to play a small but noticeable role in the purchase and sale of creative works.In February, WeCoin88 announced that it would be cut prices for art transactions made in bitcoin. At the time, the company said that it believed bitcoin would come to play an important role for its quick and anonymous transaction capabilities.Bitcoin’s place in the art world isn’t limited to high-end purchases, however.Last year, royalty-free artwork website VectorToons announced that it would begin accepting bitcoin payments. Owner Brad Gosse told CoinDesk that bitcoin is a “secure, legitimate currency”.Image via Reinier-Art.NLAmsterdamBitcoin2014Painting
Original author: Stan Higgins

johannesburg, south africa
Johannesburg, South Africa, will reportedly become the first city on the continent to host a permanent bitcoin ATM this May.The start-up behind the plan, ZaBitcoinATM, says it ordered a Lamassu machine in February, and that it expects to receive the unit within days.ZaBitcoinATM revealed more details about the forthcoming launch in a Bitcoin Talk forum post, explaining:“We are in discussions with several restaurants/coffee shops and will be coming to a conclusion as to the final location once we have shown the interested parties the device.”If all goes according to plan, Africa’s first bitcoin ATM will be in service by the end of the month.Community feedback wantedJohannesburg may seem like an obvious choice for the country’s first bitcoin ATM given its position as financial center, however, it may not have the only unit for long.A second bitcoin ATM is reportedly on the way, and it’s coming to Cape Town.ZaBitcoinATM has invited Cape Town’s bitcoiners to help choose the right spot for the unit via its Twitter account.Our next Bitcoin ATM will land in Cape Town, soon. We are open to suggestions as to the most convenient place for our users?— 1st African BTC ATM (@ZABitcoinATM) May 20, 2014The deployment is a sign of increasing bitcoin interest in Africa, as a number of charities and companies are looking at potential applications for bitcoin in the region.Additionally, many view the remittance market as the biggest opportunity in Africa.In a recent interview with CoinDesk, Kipochi co-founder Pelle Braendgaard explained why he believes bitcoin could make inroads into developing countries. Further, the work of companies like Robocoin to turn its ATM network into a global remittance service suggests a similar approach could be attempted in Africa.Africa’s hurdlesHowever, bitcoin is not the only option for tech savvy Africans.Since the continent still has a relatively low smartphone penetration rate, SMS money transfer services that can be used on practically any feature phone are quite popular.As such, some firms are expanding their operations and integrating with other money transfer services. One such hybrid service is 37Coins, which plans to offer worldwide bitcoin wallet access via feature phones, using its SMS-based wallet. 
For more details on where you can find bitcoin ATMs in your area, view our complete Bitcoin ATM map.Johannesburg skyline via Shutterstock AfricaATMsLamassuSouth AfricaZaBitcoinATM
Original author: Nermin Hajdarbegovic

computer security
A team of developers from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has launched a new encrypted email service that could put an end to government snooping – with a little help from bitcoin.The system, called ProtonMail, works by encrypting the data in the browser before it ever comes into contact with the server. So, even if someone gains complete access to the server, it won’t do them any good because ProtonMail does not store the encryption key.Group effortProtonMail was conceived by PhD student Andy Yen, who called on fellow CERN scientists to examine the problem of online privacy, or rather the lack of it, and see if they could come up with a solution.Yen took to CERN’s Facebook group and the response was overwhelming. Within days, dozens of people decided to join the effort and more than 40 individuals took part in the discussion. The team eventually came to include both CERN and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) scientists, including four PhD physicists.The core team of six started meeting at CERN’s Restaurant One and eventually they came up with ProtonMail.“We’ve basically separated the message that’s encrypted apart from the key – all the encryption takes place on your computer instead of our servers, so there’s no way for us to see the original message,” Yen told Forbes.He argues that ProtonMail differs from all other email systems, which store the key to decrypt messages.NSA blowback?Yen and his associates were prompted to develop the service following revelations made by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.The Snowden leak proved what many technologists suspected for years – that the NSA was gaining access to commonly used technology to snoop on people – but many were taken aback by the sheer scale of the operation exposed by the whistleblower.CERN scientists are not alone in their belief in the right to privacy. Many Internet users have started using encrypted communications in light of the Snowden affair.According to Canadian broadband management company Sandvine, the volume of encrypted internet traffic has skyrocketed in recent months.In its ‘Global Internet Phenomena‘ report for the first half of 2014, the firm found that the percentage of encrypted Internet traffic in Europe had quadrupled in recent months. A similar trend has been observed in other parts of the world.ProtonMail is looking to tap this relatively large pool of Internet goers who would like to keep their communications private. The system uses end-to-end encryption, but unlike many encryption tools it is designed to be intuitive and simple to use.Bitcoin acceptedProtonMail is currently in public beta and the team is working on Android and iOS apps. These should launch by the end of the summer, and if all goes according to plan, the service will move out of beta at around the same time.It is still possible to sign up for an invite to participate in the beta testing, but server capacity is limited, Yen said, due to higher than anticipated demand.Since the service is encrypted and, thus, cannot be used to serve targeted ads, such as Google AdSense, the team has decided to adopt a freemium model to make the service pay.ProtonMail is free, but additional features and storage will be available. Full pricing tiers have not yet been announced, but the basic paid account will provide 1GB of storage for $5.Since ProtonMail is all about security and privacy, it does not track its users or gather any personally identifiable information. Of course, an additional level of security and anonymity is provided by one of the payment methods – bitcoin.emailencryptionprivacyProtonMail
Original author: Nermin Hajdarbegovic
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