Tag: Cryptocurrency

EU and US Crypto Regulations Show a Stark Contrast

EU and US Crypto Regulations Show a Stark Contrast

Facebook's decision to enter into the realm of financial services spurred lawmakers around the world into action, necessitating a discussion of EU and US crypto regulations, which are very different from each other.

                              

Following the announcement by social media giant Facebook

that it plans to launch its own cryptocurrency by 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump felt compelled to voice his feelings regarding Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.

In a recent tweet, the president said he is "not a fan of Bitcoin" and that its value is "based on thin air". Continuing, he stated that if big tech companies like Facebook wish to launch cryptocurrencies they must first follow proper regulations to "become a bank." Initially, the cryptocurrency market was not negatively affected by the news but further comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell resulted in a 10 percent loss on the markets. The comments and ensuing furor within the cryptocurrency community highlight the stark differences between cryptocurrency regulations in the European Union and the United States.

Different methods of interpreting the law

The main difference stems from the legislation that is already in place in the two markets. The EU's relatively new and far more complex system requires a decision process that encompasses several sovereign nation-states, whereas the U.S. benefits from pre-ordained legislation going back centuries that clearly defines the process between state and federal decision making.

Due to the U.S. operating on a 'common law' system, cases are dealt with independently and often rely heavily on a final ruling from a single judge. For this reason, many small crypto-related projects have received penalties from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the years for not properly following regulatory measures. In the EU, no such fines have been imposed as the process of developing a regulatory framework must be established first – and that could take years. In the meantime, rather than simply issue fines, the EU is providing constructive advice to banks and financial institutions on how best to

deal with cryptocurrencies.

“The European Commission and European parliament have set up the EU blockchain observatory and Forum to map the blockchain initiatives going on in Europe and to gather inputs for the European Commission on regulatory issues like smart contracts, ICOs, and secondary markets", said Peteris Zilgalvis, head of startups and innovation at the European Commission, in an interview with Forbes magazine last year.

EU Regulations Viewed More Favorably

Alex Alexandrov is the CEO of Coinpayments, one of the largest and most diverse crypto payment platforms available today, and founder of the Velas AI-enhanced blockchain network. He believes the EU provides a better regulatory environment

for cryptocurrencies.

“EU, in my opinion, is farther ahead in crypto laws and has created a much better environment for banking and regulations. USA tends to focus more on punishment vs guidelines, while the EU is working toward allowing businesses to feel they are wanted and working with new industries in a much clearer way," he says.

Most recently, the EU nation of France has begun to improve its regulatory environment with the approval of several crypto-related projects by its financial watchdog the Financial Markets Authority. “We are in talks with three or four candidates for initial coin offerings”, said FMA executive director of legal affairs Anne Marechal, speaking to Reuters. “We will have a legal, tax and regulatory framework.” The move aligns it more closely with other crypto-positive European nations like Switzerland and Malta, both of which have been key in helping to promoting blockchain technology in the EU. These benefits prompted Alexandrov to base his new blockchain venture, Velas, in the Swiss canton of Zug –

often referred to as 'Crypto Valley'.

"This is one of the reasons why my newest venture Velas or Virtual Expanding Learning Autonomous System, is based in Zug, Switzerland," he said, although he admits that the U.S. does lead the sector in technological development. “USA still harbors tremendous talent and is generally on the cutting edge when it comes to innovation in the tech space.”

Conclusion

While a positive attitude towards growing and developing the industry is necessary, proper regulations are also required in order to ensure the safety of customers. Currently, blockchain companies can operate largely without restriction in the EU and elsewhere, often putting consumers at significant financial risk. Facebook's decision to launch a cryptocurrency attracted understandable concern due to the company’s prior bad record in securing customer data. With a user base of its size, systemic failures could result in drastic knock-on effects for the global economy. As the crypto space grows and develops, government agencies need to work alongside blockchain firms in order to establish a safe working environment for all.

Article Produced By
Aubrey Hansen

Aubrey is a Freelance cryptocurrency & blockchain Journalist as she says:

I'm a freelance journalist from Denmark, spending my time traveling between Denmark and the UK. For years writing has been my passion, and since 2015 I've been interested in the crypto and blockchain space. Over the past few years I've contributed opinions on the markets, the future of the industry and analysis to publications such as:

The Australian National Review, Irish Tech News, Crowdfund Insider, Banking Technology, Blockchain News, Cryptocurrency News, CryptoDaily

I'm always open to hearing from the innovators who are behind the next up & coming company looking to disrupt their respective industry, so feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you're up to!

https://cryptovest.com/features/eu-and-us-crypto-regulations-show-a-stark-contrast/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Justin Sun Rubbishes Claims by Media House That TRON is Involved in Illegal Fundraising

Justin Sun Rubbishes Claims by Media House That TRON is Involved in Illegal Fundraising

                                 

TRON and its founder, Justin Sun, have landed in fresh controversy

after a business media outlet based out of China accused the latter of illegally raising funds why the crypto project. Accusations have come just a few hours after Tron Foundation announced the postponement of the much-awaited high profile lunch with billionaire investor Warren Buffett which was scheduled on 25th July, after a Sun had to be admitted in an emergency for kidney stones.

The business media house has accused that Sun carried out illegal gambling services for Chinese residents using TRON and also alleged that he was currently in China itself. The media also accused that Sun’s previous creation Peiwo, a social media app reminiscent of Snapchat, was engaged in the pornography business.

Sun wasted no time in rubbishing the claim and took to Weibo, the Chinese microblogging website, to respond. He stated that the claims of illegal fundraising via gambling on TRON are false, as the network retired the gambling dapps in China on September 20, 2017, soon after the regulatory bodies in the country issued stricter regulations for online gambling. Regarding the accusations against Peiwo App, he stated that it was based on the decentralized Wave protocol, which is open to all.

He further added,

The Wave foundation acts as the initiator of the agreement and resolutely opposes the use of the Internet open-source agreement to engage in illegal activities. At the same time, it also calls on application developers to comply with the laws and regulations of various countries.

However, Sun did not decline the claim that he was in mainland China and did not even address it. If he is indeed in China, the fact that he responded so quickly, despite being in “kidney stone pain,” will definitely raise some eyebrows, though.

Article Produced By
Trevor Holman

Trevor Holman follows crypto industry since 2011. He joined CryptoNewsZ as a news writer and he provides technical analysis pieces and current market data. He is also an avid trader. In his free time, he loves to explore unexplored places.

https://www.cryptonewsz.com/justin-sun-rubbishes-claims-by-media-house-that-tron-is-involved-in-illegal-fundraising/32886/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Get Off The Hampster Wheel And Ride The Wave With The New Age Of Cryptocosm

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Get Off The Hampster Wheel And Ride The Wave With The New Age Of Cryptocosm.

Are Governments Still In The Industrial Age? 

Companies in the private sector are implementing cutting-edge technology while governments are still grappling with large-scale information technology projects. The disparity between the two is in all likelihood going to get wider as Blockchain technology becomes more prevalent.  

The crisis facing governments is the trust factor. Increasingly we are less inclined to trust the workings of a government and see it as flawed and controlling. There is a growing negative view among Society that government officials and regulators are not credible.   

As our governments remain in the industrial age they are becoming less relevant and it is probably going to accelerate. The structure and processes of most governments date back to pre-1950’s. Why is this? Apathy? Or could it be they fear a loss of control? 

 

The Information Age Of The Internet

On a global scale, governments were trying to gain control of the internet when it realized the danger of losing power. These efforts have proven to be in vain. So now Governments and the tech giants are colluding with both having similar end goals. Governments want to regulate the tech monopolies because that’s what they intrinsically do, plus for monetary gains. The tech giants want to be ruled by governments because regulation makes it more difficult and expensive for free enterprise or new competitors entering the market. 

What once was the global information superhighway deemed to be free and privacy was not an issue, is now being shattered by tech monopolies and governments. Some would argue they are killing the internet, us as a society and the future. I beg to differ. They’re forgetting about efflorescence of creativity and human intelligence that has emerged in the private sector.

 

Now We Have The Cryptocosm Age 

The Futurist and Author of Life After Google, George Gilder says,

“This very lack of concern with security will be google’s undoing. For every other player on the net, the lack of security is the most relevant threat to its current business model, This problem will be solved… So fundamental will security be to this new system that its very name will be derived from it. It will be the CRYPTOCOSM”

The cryptocosm is the amazing, providential development of creativity which has erupted all over the world which supplies a new architecture for the internet. This will also indeed be a new architecture for the entire world economy. This is at a very crucial time as the system of the central banks with its 5.1 trillion a day currency trading that fails to arrive at significant currency values and the architecture of the internet today which requires us to jumps through hoops and bare all with the present authentication methods is bankrupt. Some think that this is a viable system but the fact is it is failing every day. This will be replaced by the cryptocosm, the Blockchain.

As George Gilder states,

“Security is not a procedure or mechanism, it is an architecture. The Cryptocosm will start by defining the ground state, the foundation.  It is the ultimate non-random reality. The ground state is you.”

Blockchain Technology – As Undecryptable As Our DNA

What this means is Blockchain technology will permit us all to have private keys which are as individual as us and undecryptable as our DNA. Fundamentally Blockchain is the new architecture for the internet that allows you to keep your information to yourself. It’s a distributed ledger of human intelligence and information in global networks. It’s not conglomerated in one centralized database owned and controlled by government agencies or the tech giants of today. 

The Blockchain did originate as a form of money, Bitcoin, however, over the last decade it has since been discovered that any and all companies can utilize Blockchain technology making all information, transactions, and behavior immutable and unimpeachable. This protects us as individuals and as a society. So not only does this eliminate privacy issues, it documents all data immutably, and can be proven in the case of attestation which is an important advance that the Blockchain offers, whether it be in third world countries, eastern or the western world. 

The tech giants have a business plan and a technological solution that is inappropriate to a world full of human individual minds. The individual is the resource and Blockchain will empower the individual and conditions of economic and political liberties. 

The Blockchain and related cryptographic technologies breaking through with a creative insurgency is the answer to the problem we are afflicted with the monopolies. It provides a distribution of intelligence, privacy, and personal rights and points of view that has been lost. The Blockchain is part of the public world where great human adventures are conducted, where great new companies are launched and the continued dynamics of human creativity is expressed. This is just the beginning. We will not be subject to being consumed or held to ransom and governed by tech giants and governments in a centralized fashion. 

 

We are watching this tsunami obliterate the banks, polices and centralized government control. This MEME just about sums it up.

Markethive – A Central Hub In A Decentralized Environment

Markethive is a decentralized, autonomous, fluid environment which includes manifestations of intellectual achievements, social habits, innovation, music, literature, technology, commerce, and the arts. A central “hub” built using blockchain technology, is designed to encourage “reciprocal interchange” of ideas, knowledge or skills as well as providing for exchange, sales or purchases of goods, services, and commodities. 

With a history of over 20 years in Inbound Marketing, including SaaS, CRM, and CMS, Markethive does have the edge and is on track to bring proven products and services to a much needy market, including digital news and social media. It is essentially the process of attracting prospects via content creation, creating brand awareness and integrity leading to healthy relationships built on collaboration and sovereignty. 

This futuristic model is here now and fully prepared for the future, truly representing a prime example of the next generation; The Market Network. Markethive has the road map and is the blueprint of where things are headed. 

 

Markethive Bringing Sovereignty To All 

Look out for the obliteration of these outdated centralized agencies and the big tech with the technology of the last decade as we move into the next generation where privacy, free speech, autonomy and the right to be individuals and Entrepreneurs in a free enterprise system comes to fruition with Markethive. The only system that rewards, creating universal income and gives the power back to all who engage on the platform. Markethive doesn’t diminish your capacity or turn you into an endorphin seeking zombie. It empowers and lifts us up to be the creative individual we all aspire to be. 

Markethive is a digital virtual surfboard. We are preparing for the greatest revolution second only to Jesus Christ, and it is Cryptocosm, the Blockchain. Crypto is unstoppable, even though governments and the elites will do everything they can to destroy it. Technology will destroy them. The Rise of the Entrepreneur is gaining momentum. Markethive is the ecosystem for Entrepreneurs. Are you ready to ride the great wave?

 

ecosystem for entrepreneurs

 

 

 

 

David Ogden Entrepreneur@Markethive
Telegram  @davidogden
 

FOLLOWS Markethive ON…

Website: https://markethive.com 

Token Site: http://markethive.io/ 

Telegram: https://t.me/markethive_support

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markethive/

Github: https://github.com/markethive /  

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/markethive/  

Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/markethive

Medium: https://www.medium.com/@markethive

Bitcointalk: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3309067.msg34535452#msg34535452 

Telegram News: t.me/Markethive

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/Markethive

Facebook: https://facebook.com/MarketHive

Youtube: https://youtube.com/Markethive

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

The Differences Between Trading Forex and Trading Cryptocurrency

The Differences Between Trading Forex and Trading Cryptocurrency

 

                                

Trading forex and trading cryptocurrency isn’t en either/or option.

Many traders like to do both simultaneously or switch back and forth as market conditions make one or the other more conducive to the kind of trading they enjoy. At the same time, there are those who would argue that the differences between cryptocurrencies and those traded on the foreign exchange markets are so great that you might as well compare trading in gold and buying and selling stocks and shares in tech companies.

The simple truth of the matter, however, is that forex and crypto trading are frequently conflated in the minds of traders, particularly those who don’t have as much experience of the markets. Success in one may lead a trader to dabble in the other, and any misunderstanding of the differences (as well as the similarities) between the two could lead to a disastrous trading strategy. The fact that both markets offer options such as leverage, CFDs, short term trading opportunities, longer term investment plans and arbitrage means that there is a good deal of overlap between the two, but they each offer opportunities and challenges which are completely unique.

Forex and Crypto

The most obvious difference between the two is that foreign currencies have been exchanged since as long ago as the 19th century, when the broad adoption of the gold standard set a yardstick against which the strength and weakness of a currency could be measured.  In the early days of forex trades of this kind involved physical currency, but since the late 20th and early 21st century the forex market place has been fully digital in nature, something which played a huge part in opening it up to a global army of retail investors. 

The biggest leap forward in the exchange of currencies following the creation of the digital market place came in 2009, with the launch of bitcoin, the first of the cryptocurrencies. A cryptocurrency is a form of digital money. It facilitates extremely fast, seamless transactions between parties, with no third party being involved. Because of this, the control stays completely in the hands of the person using the cryptocurrency, and they maintain complete privacy. It also means that there is no central bank, provider or government able to assert (or try to assert) control over the value of the cryptocurrency, something which makes them prone to more volatility than traditional currencies.  

This volatility is one of the clearest differences between trading forex and crypto, since it makes trading crypto more appealing in some ways but riskier in others. A huge single day shift in the value of bitcoin, for example, could earn a trader a massive amount of profit, or it could wipe out everything they have invested. The shifts in traditional currencies, on the other hand, tend to be smaller, which is why higher leverage plays such an important part in forex trading. Many of the differences between the two can be traced back to the huge disparity in the size of the respective market places. Put simply, the forex market is the biggest in the world, handling an average of more than $5 trillion in trades every single day.   The cryptocurrency market, on the other hand, is predicted to reach an overall full market value of $1.40 billion by 2024. What the size of the forex market means is that it offers a degree of liquidity, depth and security which is pretty much unmatched anywhere else.

Accessibility

Both markets can be accessed via a wide range of platforms, and any trader is strongly advised to carry out in-depth research into the platform they wish to use before actually investing any of their money. Once the right platform has been chosen, however, access is extremely quick and simple and cryptocurrency is actually slightly more accessible than forex. Forex can be accessed 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, with access limited or non-existent on the weekends. Crypto exchanges, on the other hand, can be accessed on a round the clock basis.  

Leverage

Leverage is a means via which the trader can multiply the amount they invest in a currency by, in effect, borrowing capital from the broker. A leverage of 50:1, for example, means that a trader can invest £50 and, on the strength of that investment, take up positions worth £2,500. This greatly increases the size of the profit that can be made, although it has a similar effect on the risk of any losses. Leverage as high as 500:1 can be available for forex trades, whereas the same is not true of the vast majority of cryptocurrency trades. Following the introduction of new rules by ESMA (the European Securities Markets Authority), the maximum leverage which can be offered on cryptocurrency CFDs, for example, is now 2:1 throughout Europe, with national regulators taking it in turns to follow suit.  

Risk

The risk factor inherent in both forms of trading is linked directly to the volatility of the respective markets. The fact that cryptocurrencies aren’t linked to a central provider makes them more volatile than traditional currencies. On one day in 2019, for example, the value of bitcoin slumped by 13.25%, and this was only the second biggest drop of the year. You simply don’t see this kind of dramatic movement in the forex markets. Having said that, the liquidity of the forex markets makes it easier to quickly get your hands on any profit you may have made, without the issue of having to decide whether to turn a crypto currency into a standard currency, and waiting for that to be facilitated.

Complexity

New digital currencies are constantly being launched to compete with the existing big names like bitcoin and Ethereum. Predicting which will be successful, and therefore worth trading in, is incredibly difficult, and makes any investment a long term and potentially stressful process. Forex markets, on the other hand, are based around stable and established currencies, and the art of predicting how these currencies will shift can be based on a combination of historical precedent and an analysis of the current economic and geo-political situation. Choosing whether to trade in cryptocurrencies or forex will depend upon the amount of capital you wish to invest, your appetite for risk and the type of strategy you wish to pursue. For many investors, the answer is to split their activity between the two, spreading the risk and doubling the opportunities for success.   

Article Produced By
Torsten Hartmann

Torsten has been an editor in the CaptainAltcoin team since August 2017. He holds a degree in politics and economics. He gained professional experience as a PR for a local political party before moving to journalism. Since 2017, he has pivoted his career towards blockchain technology, with principal interest in applications of blockchain technology in politics, business and society.

https://captainaltcoin.com/the-differences-between-trading-forex-and-trading-cryptocurrency/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Tips to Maximize Returns from Cryptocurrency Investments

Tips to Maximize Returns from Cryptocurrency Investments

Check out a number of things you can do to mitigate the risks and increase your profits from cryptocurrency investments     

  Are you looking to get started in the crypto investment space?

Then, you’re at the right place. Investment in cryptocurrencies is generally not recommended for conservative investors because the market is too volatile and risk involved is relatively higher than other markets.

Investment Strategy

Almost every investment professional or trader you would ask will advise you to build an investment strategy with a diversified portfolio. While portfolio diversification works in almost all types of investments, it is particularly profiting in the crypto market because of the high risk involved. This is the secret we are going to talk about today.

How to Diversify Your Crypto Investment Portfolio?

10% to 30% – Top (trending) Coins

Invest a quarter of your funds in the top coins such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Litecoin, etc. You can find the complete list here. These are market shifter currencies whose price change very frequently. So, limit your investment in these coins to not more than 30%.

40-50% – Popular Altcoins

Altcoins are the currencies that are created as an alternative to bitcoin. Some of the popular ones include NEO, Titan coin (TTN), etc. Experts strongly believe that altcoins are most likely to outperform bitcoin and other established coins. This is because they have a strong foundation along with great growth potential, profit structure, utility mechanism, etc. There are many other similar altcoins with great potential. The risk with these coins is minimal while the return potential is high in the long term. So, most of your investment should go here.

ICOs and New Coins

There are roughly 50+ new cryptocurrencies launched every month. You can invest a part of your funds in these new currencies or ICOs. Again, rather than investing all the amount in a single coin or ICO, you should spread it across multiple projects to substantially increase the possibility of high returns.

Day Trading

Day trading is usually recommended for those who are looking for high returns in the short term. The catch is that you invest in a cryptocurrency and then sell it as soon as the price goes high. Cryptocurrencies that are highly volatile are perfect for this kind of trading. If you are going to day trade, make sure not to invest more than 10-15% of your entire portfolio, because the risk is very high in this market.

Other Tips to Maximize Your Crypto Investment Returns

  • Keep updating your portfolio on a frequent basis, usually in a month or so.
  • Invest in projects that can produce returns in the short to medium term.
  • If you trust an altcoin, don’t hesitate to hold your funds for a longer period.
  • Focus on big winnings.
  • Take profits wherever you can.

The ultimate strategy for crypto investments is to be wise in the project selection. The crypto market is still very uncertain, and there are far more bad projects than the good ones. Analyze a coin (project) thoroughly before you invest in it.

Article Produced By
Amit Gupta

Gupta is the CEO and founder at SAG IPL, an India-based technology firm providing a range of service/software solutions in the web development, design, app development, and SEO industries.

https://www.coinspeaker.com/cryptocurrency-investment-return/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Nouriel Roubini Opens Fire on Cryptocurrency Exchange BitMex and Arthur Hayes

Nouriel Roubini Opens Fire on Cryptocurrency Exchange BitMex and Arthur Hayes
                            

After a scathing attack on Arthur Hayes at the Asia Blockchain Summit,

Roubini has once again hit out at BitMex in a blog post that covers his opinion on the cryptocurrency market, as reported by Bloomberg. Arthur Hayes was unfazed by Roubini’s personal attacks and even gave it back to him with the same ferocity, much to the crypto community’s delight, June 17, 2019.

Crypto’s Biggest Bear

Nouriel Roubini is a well-known economist, but a lot of his recent fame can be accrued to his outspoken views on the cryptocurrency market. As someone who grew up and lived in the traditional financial system, Nouriel believes it is the best way to get things done efficiently with minimum damage caused to the minnows.

In his latest blog post, Nouriel once again launches a searing attack on cryptocurrencies for their lack of regulation and adherence to know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML). In reality, most exchanges require customers to undergo KYC and exchanges like Coinbase go as far as checking a user’s address history to look for illegal activity. While speaking about how cryptocurrency regularly operates outside of government oversight, he takes a particular disdain for BitMex by saying they are involved in systematic illegality and known fraud.

His view is that by giving retail investors a platform to trade 100x leverage with no KYC and just an email ID, Arthur Hayes and BitMex are knowingly deteriorating the wealth of retail investors. He further accused them of trading against their customers and making large chunks of their revenue during times of mass liquidation. Hayes hit back at these claims in Taipei by saying that BitMex doesn’t counter trade clients and doesn’t make money on liquidations other than fees. To be fair, every Forex broker counter trades their client so Roubini’s argument is null from the get-go.

Speculation Versus Use Cases

A lot of the hate for cryptocurrencies from legacy finance players comes from the fact that they are mostly used as speculative assets. The ability to pay for goods and services with bitcoin is limited, but the parabolic price gains manage to keep investors locked in while drawing in new ones. HODL over spending has also been criticized as speculation over actual use case, but most Bitcoiners beg to differ. They consider HODL-ing a hedge to the failures of traditional finance and a means of storing value that cannot be confiscated from a government.

Article Produced By
Ashwath Balakrishnan

Ashwath is a financial market and technology junkie. He is a cryptocurrency investor, trader, and enthusiast. He has expertise in market psychology and explaining complex technology in a simple way. He aims to battle misinformation in the cryptocurrency space.

https://btcmanager.com/roubini-cryptocurrency-exchange-bitmex-arthur-hayes/?q=/roubini-cryptocurrency-exchange-bitmex-arthur-hayes/&q=/roubini-cryptocurrency-exchange-bitmex-arthur-hayes/&utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=push%notification

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Security News this Week: Palantir Manual Shows How Law Enforcement Tracks Families

Security News this Week: Palantir Manual Shows How Law Enforcement Tracks Families

                                

On Zoom conference calls across the US this week,

brows furrowed as the news broke that the video conference company had a flaw in its backend that could give hackers access to people’s webcams. Worse, Zoom seemed at first unwilling to fix the problem. Thankfully, hours after the initial reports, Zoom backtracked and issued a fix to solve underlying vulnerability. You can go back to Zooming your brilliant brainstorms in peace, everyone.

According to a new report this week, a Magecart hacking group has been breaking into misconfigured Amazon Web Services buckets, scanning the contents of 17,000 domains, and stealing any goodies—like credit card numbers used on some ecommerce sites. In other Amazon news, are you ready for Amazon Prime Day on Monday? Phishing scammers sure are. In the last few weeks scammers have pushed a whole phishing toolkit targeting Amazon customers. Beware.

Also this week, we explained how to keep your kids’ data safe online and took a closer look at the scourge of credential dumping. We also reported that the window to rein in the risks of facial recognition is closing, so something needs to be done fast. Oh, and we brought you the story of teens taking to TikTok to make fun of the surveillance app that's ruining their summers. But that’s not all. Every Saturday we round up the security and privacy stories that we didn’t break or report on in depth but which we think you should know about nonetheless. Click on the headlines to read them, and stay safe out there.

Secret Palantir User Manual Sheds Light on How ICE and Law Enforcement Track Families

Few Silicon Valley companies are more secretive than surveillance software provider Palantir, cofounded by Peter Thiel. Exactly what the company does, how it makes so much much money, and what it’s working on next is often shrouded in mystery. What is known is that Palantir’s surveillance software has become a backbone of US law enforcement, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which since 2014 has reportedly had contracts ranging from $41 million to $51 million per year with Palantir for access to the company’s tracking database and management software. Now, through a Freedom of Information Act request,

Vice has gotten its hands on one of Palantir’s secret user manuals for law enforcement. The manual shows that with just the name of a person, law enforcement can use Palantir’s software to map that target's family relationships, get their Social Security number, address, phone number, height, weight, and eye color. Add a license plate number, and Palantir’s system can often allow law enforcement to track where people have been during any period of time. Though much of this kind of information is available to law enforcement via separate means, Vice reports that Palantir’s system “aggregates and synthesizes” it in such a way as to give “law enforcement nearly omniscient knowledge over any suspect they decide to surveil.” As ICE prepares massive raids of immigrant families this weekend, the revealed Palantir system sheds light on how the government tracks and finds people to arrest and deport.

Totally Unnecessary Bluetooth Hair Straightener Is—Shocker!—Easy to Hack

No one has ever actively wanted a hair straightening iron that connects to the internet of things, but that didn’t stop UK-based company Glamoriser from making one. If you happened to buy the company's Blue Smart hair straightener—perhaps not even realizing it had Bluetooth capability, because why would it?—then TechCrunch is sorry to report but hackers could totally seize your device, and well, change the temperature of the hot iron remotely, if they wanted to. Would they want to? Probably not. But then again, why would you ever want to control the temperature of the straightener from your phone, rather than the device itself? Who knows! It’s a mystery!

The Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie App Allowed iPhone Eavesdropping

Apple announced this week that it was disabling the push-to-talk Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie app after the company learned it let people eavesdrop on other people’s phones without permission. The tip came in through Apple’s bug-reporting portal, and Apple says it has no evidence that anyone actually took advantage of the vulnerability. Apple apologized for the bug and promised to “quickly fix the issue,” according to a statement reported by TechCrunch.

Trump’s 4th of July Parade Bankrupted DC’s Special Security Fund

The Washington Post reports that DC's local government paid $1.7 million to secure Donald Trump’s Fourth of July military parade and fireworks display. That amount, DC mayor Muriel E. Bowser said, has left the district’s special security fund empty. That account is intended for security measures for events, rallies, and to protect against terrorism. In 2017, Trump’s inauguration reportedly cost the district $7.3 million in security expenses, which were also drawn from that same fund and never reimbursed. The mayor is requesting the White House refill the District’s security coffers, arguing that it’s unprecedented and unfair for the DC to pay for federal security with local tax money meant to protect residents of the District of Columbia.

Article Produced By
Emily Dreyfuss

Emily Dreyfuss is a senior writer at WIRED, covering technology’s impact on society. She was a 2018 Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellow in Journalism Innovation at Harvard University, and previously worked at CNET as a senior editor. She cut her teeth in newspapers in Connecticut after graduating from Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in English. She lives in San Francisco.

https://www.wired.com/story/palantir-surveillance-apple-watch-security-roundup/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Crypto Exchange Huobi Burns 14 Million Native Tokens Citing ‘Improved Market Conditions’

Crypto Exchange Huobi Burns 14 Million Native Tokens, Citing 'Improved Market Conditions'

                                

Huobi, a leading Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange,

recently conducted a quarterly burning event, which reduced the overall supply of the Huobi Token (HT), the trading platform’s native cryptoasset.

Significantly More Tokens Burned this Quarter Due to “Improved Market Conditions”

According to Huobi’s management, the digital asset exchange has removed 14,011,700 tokens from the total circulating supply of 310,318,300 Huobi Tokens. Notably, Huobi’s most recent burn event has destroyed tokens at a rate that is 116% higher than the previous quarter. Explaining how the company was able to afford burning considerably more tokens, Huobi’s representatives noted that crypto “market conditions” had improved and that the company’s revenue has increased as well.

Huobi Token’s Price May Stabilize After Burning Event

Huobi Token’s price may stabilize after the token burning event, as the process helps reduce inflation by effectively removing a considerable amount of the cryptocurrency’s supply from the digital asset market. After launching the Huobi Token in early 2018, Huobi’s management has been spending 20% of its revenue each quarter to buy back the tokens from the crypto market. Because its revenue is not consistent from quarter to quarter, the exchange operator does not destroy the same number of tokens during each (quarterly) burning event.

Eight Burning Events Conducted Since April

Due to a significant growth in sales and revenue in recent months, Huobi has been able to burn more tokens each quarter. In fact, the firm’s revenues directed toward its token burning event has increased by 232% quarter-over-quarter. Since mid-April 2019, the Huobi team has conducted eight different token burning events, and has destroyed a total of 21,356,800 HTs. Notably, this amount is considerably greater than the 6,474,800 HTs the exchange bought back during Q1 2019. Huobi’s repurchased tokens are deposited at an Ether (ETH) address that is visible (shared with) to everyone. The deposit address is referred to as the Huobi “Investor Protection Fund”, as it serves as the exchange’s reserve fund. Commenting on Huobi’s quarterly token burn process, Leon Li, the Founder and CEO of

Huobi Group remarked:

There are two big trends reflecting the size of this quarter’s buyback. The first is a rapidly strengthening market for digital assets and the other is the increasing popularity of our entire product line.

Huobi’s management also revealed that many new investors had joined Huobi Prime (the exchange’s token launch program) and Huobi FastTrack . Moreover, Huobi’s derivatives markets (DM) trading desk has recorded $504 billion in trading volume during the spring (March, April, May 2019).

“Last Time Destroying Tokens Using Traditional Buyback Method”

In the coming months, updates will be made to Huobi’s Finance Chain, a public, decentralized blockchain for conducting peer-to-peer (P2P) monetary transactions. In another blog post, the Huobi team noted that the most recent token burn event “will be the last time HT tokens will be destroyed using the traditional buyback method.” Huobi’s management is also planning to use the funds generated in the HT Tiered Fee deduction program, which will allow the company to directly burn the tokens.

Huobi May Conduct Monthly or Daily Token Burns

Approximately two-thirds of Huobi’s holdings (as a company) may also be used in future token burn events, and the remaining one-third of HTs may come from the open market. Currently, Huobi is considering the possibility of performing monthly of even daily token burns – instead of quarterly. The current supply of the ERC-20 compliant Huobi Token stands at 478,643,200. The HTs may serve as deposits for customers of the exchange’s over-the-counter (OTC) desk, or to obtain access to “premium coins” via Huobi Prime. Huobi exchange users may also cast votes using the HT tokens.

Article Produced By
Omar Faridi

I enjoy writing about all topics related to Bitcoin, Blockchain, and other cryptocurrencies. The topics that interest me most are crypto regulations, quantum resistant blockchains, Ethereum and Bitcoin Core development, and scams orchestrated under the guise of ICOs. My academic background includes an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I also possess a Master of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. While completing my coursework, I engaged in independent study programs focused on public-key cryptography and quantum computing. My professional work experience includes working as an application developer for the University of Houston, data storage specialist at Dell EMC, and as Teacher of Mathematics in the United States, China, Kuwait, and Pakistan.

https://www.cryptoglobe.com/latest/2019/07/crypto-exchange-huobi-burns-14-million-native-tokens-citing-improved-market-conditions/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

SimpleFX adds Monero and Ethereum Classic accounts

SimpleFX adds Monero and Ethereum Classic accounts

                                  

The award-winning global mobile-friendly trading platform

now offers accounts in 22 different currencies (including seven cryptocurrencies). SimpleFX has just released Monero and Ethereum Classic transfers. Just like other crypto accounts, they are available free of charge. Now SimpleFX traders can deposit and withdraw money using seven different cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, and Monero.

Broker for the new generation of traders

SimpleFX was one of the first CFD brokers that offered cryptocurrency accounts and has been supporting cryptocurrency projects for years. SimpleFX

wrote in a statement,

“Our mission is to make the most of the cryptocurrency and blockchain opportunities. We believe in the community and want to give the users a broad choice of transfer services. This is the cryptocurrency spirit we have always believed in.”

The fast-growing broker with over 200,000 active traders worldwide aims at being the go-to app for the new generation of mobile-first traders. SimpleFX launched a completely new version of the WebTrader application and since then has introduced several groundbreaking features focusing on social trading, financial education and services for their affiliate marketing partners.

Profitable trades for everyone

SimpleFX demo accounts are fully functional and the live accounts can be funded with any amount as there are no minimum deposits. Thanks to easy and secure payments that can be performed in both fiat money and cryptocurrencies, everyone can access and benefit from trading with low spreads. SimpleFX offers an attractive 1:500 leverage, which opens profit opportunities to the less affluent traders. At the same time, easy stop-loss feature and negative balance protection make SimpleFX a secure tool for both experienced and novice traders.

The Best Trading App 2019

SimpleFX WebTrader won the competition for the best trading app during the Finance World Expo Summit 2019 that took place in Switzerland. The experts appreciated SimpleFX WebTrader for:

  • Great usability on mobile devices
  • Remarkable speed and reliability
  • Responding to the user needs with new features
  • The strong and growing community of users.

SimpleFX growth accelerated at the end of 2018 despite the downtrend in cryptocurrency markets thanks to the enthusiastic reception of the SimpleFX WebTrader 2.0 and the partnership with Unilink.io affiliate marketing software.

Article Produced By
Investinblockchain
Editorial Staff

https://www.investinblockchain.com/simplefx-adds-monero-and-ethereum-classic-accounts/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

A Complete System Within A Markethive Group – Very Powerful

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A Complete System Within A Markethive Group – Very Powerful

What makes Markethive Groups So Unique? 

Markethive Groups are somewhat similar to Facebook groups but can also be considered a self-replication system for capture pages, customized PDFs, video exchanges, training, autoresponder options, survey sites and capture forms customized exclusively for every member of the group. This is extremely powerful. 

Integrated into Markethive Groups are the Capture Pages, Autoresponders with 98% deliverability, Blogcasting and a Blogging Platform where Blogs and Articles are easier to produce and more effective, integrated with Markethive SNAP Plugins creating incredible reach to potentially billions across the social media and blogging platforms achieving real SEO results. Also, Co-Op Marketing, and URL Rotators. This creates traction thereby yielding better results.


 

 

Let’s Start With Capture Pages…

Capture pages also known as funnel pages is an industry all to itself and there are literally 1000s of Capture page gurus and 100s of companies selling their capture page systems to you. But in all this, I see a glaring problem and that is the human nature to complicate a simple solution.

The solution is the simplicity of the system and the simplicity of the message. Markethive gives you very simple responsive capture pages. Our capture widgets gather all the data for your signups via Oauth which means they choose one of their current social networks and click on it and the signup process is completed. One-click. Done!

We also offer calendar-based capture pages, video embedded options, default videos or your selection. Our Thumbnails are Markethive’s simplest one-page capture page and our Capture pages do allow you to build complex websites, although we do not recommend you do, many of our subscribers appreciate the option.

We even build capture pages for other opportunity companies and are constantly adding new designs into the system. The entire capture page system is included in the free platform and other capture page services out there charge up to $200 per month for similar systems.

 

Co-Op Marketing

You can facilitate large scale Cooperative Advertising. Manage sophisticated marketing campaigns funded by group contributions to Ad Co-ops. Cooperative marketing by teams of people allows your group to engage in advertising at a level that far exceeds what individual team members can do on their own. There is a natural limit to what any one person can do alone, but by working together with a larger group larger advertising opportunities come into reach.

The concept of Ad Co-op's is simple. A group of people gets together to fund an advertising campaign and each contributes a certain amount to fund it. Some may have more money to invest than others. Once the funding goal is met and advertising is launched, the business it generates is then equitably distributed back to each person based on the amount they contributed.

This tool allows you to track the contributions by your group to the Advertising Co-op's you are managing as well as the advertising costs that offset them. Once you have funded a co-op and are ready to launch it, the system will automatically calculate the appropriate number of shares each member should be assigned and will apply that to the Lead Capture Page of your choice or else a Website Rotator which you can use with your own domain or websites.

Remember, this service is available to free members. Or you can share in Markethive’s million-dollar Ad Campaigns with an Entrepreneur Upgrade of $100/mth inclusive. 

 

ecosystem for entrepreneurs

 

The URL Rotator Feature

This is Traffic flow management through website rotation. You can control the distribution of traffic, customers, and leads to multiple destinations. The Website Rotator tool allows you to configure a unique URL that will then rotate and display a list of other websites you define. You can use it to transfer traffic from one of your sites to several others. Or if you work with a team of people, the entire Group can promote a single URL which will then automatically distribute the traffic to each member's individual website.

You can add an unlimited number of websites to each rotator. There are 2 different rotation types. Circular will simply rotate through each website, one by one. Shared Ratio allows you to weight certain URLs so they receive a certain number of visits before the rotation continues. So you have a URL Rotator,  able to Customize Campaigns and designate to Groups. This is totally unlimited and can be tracked through Markethive’s Tracking Reports.

 

Tiny URL Converter – BONUS! 

Convert long URLs in to short ones, for simplified posting, emailing, tweeting, etc. The Tiny URL tool lets you convert a long URL into a nice short URL, making it much easier to use in social posts, email, as well as take up fewer characters in your tweets when using Twitter. But beyond creating a friendlier URL, the system will also track visitor statistics for you – making it the perfect tool to evaluate your promotional results, better understand what your target audience is interested in, and optimize your social, email, and other marketing campaigns.

You can even use the Tiny URL tool in combination with the Website Rotator tool to result in a tidy little URL that automatically rotates to the websites you define. Very powerful, particularly for teams working together to promote a single URL.

 

The Next Level In The Works 

As we are developing Markethive’s Super Groups that are next level, this is your Unfair Advantage in marketing.  You can use the Markethive tools, to build an exclusive secure suite of tools available to your organization only.  Customized and duplicating capture pages, an Integrated duplicated signup application plugged into your MLM company, customized and personalized PDF documents, coop ad campaigns, targeted lead distributions, live event systems, and membership activity management, also award assignments, enhanced by the monetization with the necessary API’s and all included in the interface of the landing page. 

Stay tuned for updates on the development of the different facets of the Super Group and implementation. Your team will expand with lightning speed due to the intuitive duplicative power and viral nature of this system.

 

WE ARE ALL ENTREPRENEURS 

Reid Hoffman is quoted saying 

“An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off a cliff, and builds a plane on his way down.” I get it, do you?

All the features mentioned above have huge benefits and a small but integral part of Markethive’s Ecosystem for free members. There will be so much more as we roll out our official launch. A major benefit is that it is incorporated into a transparent blockchain system, the platform is completely decentralized delivering on Markethive’s principles of privacy, transparency, and free speech.

Markethive does not spy on you; shadowban you, or terminate your account, for any reason

We are all entrepreneurs, and we know the future can have the greatest potential for those who take command of their dreams.

Markethive is Not Just About IDEAS. It’s About Making Ideas HAPPEN!

 

 

ecosystem for entrepreneurs

David Ogden

Entrepreneur at Markeyhive

Telegram @davidogden

 

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden