The Unchained Web #186

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Monero Wallet Address:

42EkgN23XZoLJXrgMJjrRM7jYpmirk1WvWUWc2SDF6kZAXVzHMGy5XB8JM8Vce3iHGKh9H8ACWF9J6ErrfKCP48mL2yeWcw

Bitcoin Wallet Address: bc1q4283c60tv2p7exfeu2ql7dk2n7utswgl43n2fk

ETH & ERC-20 Address: 0xD16429e3F253f50CfF306B2bE8966ce935332116

BNB & BRC-20 Address: 0xD16429e3F253f50CfF306B2bE8966ce935332116

Reclaim (some) Privacy Webinar Series: Intro to SearXNG & other privacy engines

In April, I am planning my first webinar in a series focused on privacy. The specific webinar will be focused on why Google may not be the best search engine to use and the SearXNG meta search engine and how it can be used to enhance privacy when using a search engine to research or find something to one's interest.

If you are interested in the topic, feel free to click "attend" on the link to the event below: https://www.dhirubhai.net/events/7167975601373458433/about/

Ireland’s Elections Watchdog Says His Department Has Been Given “Safe Channels” to Big Tech Companies

More fear mongering related to elections (right now in Europe) – and yet another attempt to force more censorship on the strength of that fear. This time, in Ireland, where the head of the country’s electoral commission, Art O’Leary, had a meeting with Big Tech to discuss how they are handling whatever gets branded as misinformation or disinformation. O’Leary expressed satisfaction, even happiness, with the outcome, claiming that tech giants like Google, Meta, TikTok, etc., have assured him of resetting algorithms to tackle misinformation. This predictably implies that posts will either be hidden or deranked, making them practically unreadable. O’Leary's statements, while sometimes clownish, hold an undertone of threat, suggesting that his commission might resort to legal action if social media companies don't comply, echoing a subtle message of coercion. Click here for more.

X Commits To Abiding by Ireland’s Online “Hate Speech” Censorship Law

In a recent private meeting with the Irish Oireachtas Media Committee, X indicated its willingness to comply with Ireland’s upcoming hate speech legislation, despite previous expressions of opposition by its owner, Elon Musk. The company’s representatives affirmed their commitment to the proposed Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022, which aims to update hate speech laws focusing on gender identity and disability. However, some committee members expressed dissatisfaction with X’s approach to content censorship, highlighting concerns about its effectiveness in addressing disinformation and severe forms of hate speech. Click here for more.

Will EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority Scare Crypto Companies Away?

The European Parliament and the European Council have agreed to set up a new Anti-Money Laundering Authority in Frankfurt. The decision came following a 2023 EU decision to supervise crypto firms and financial services providers that operate internationally. The AMLA will require credit and financial institutions and crypto asset service providers to conduct customer due diligence. A case in point was Binance, which French authorities investigated for money laundering. However, a 2023 journal article in Oxford Academic said that while cryptocurrency can be attractive to terrorists, groups cannot often convert it to main currencies Click here for more.

Brave Browser Taps Solana for BAT Rewards Despite Blockchain Outages

Brave Browser has announced the rollout of self-custody Basic Attention Token (BAT) payouts, choosing the Solana blockchain for this initiative. Despite Solana’s recent struggles with network outages, Brave has opted for this platform, highlighting Solana’s high transaction speed and low fees as key factors in its decision. The rollout allows a select group of users to receive BAT earned from Brave Rewards directly to a self-custody wallet address on Solana. This feature is expected to extend globally, revolutionizing how users interact with web browsers and digital assets. Click here for more.

Thai SEC proposes to revoke license of troubled exchange Zipmex

The Securities and Exchange Commission Board of Thailand (SEC) has forwarded a recommendation to the Finance Ministry to revoke crypto exchange Zipmex’s digital asset business license, it announced on Feb. 23. This is the latest in a series of setbacks in Thailand for the exchange. At a meeting on Feb. 21, the SEC also resolved that Zipmex’s business suspension, imposed on Feb. 1, would continue and clients could request the return of their assets on the exchange through March 11. Click here for more.

EU crypto AML authority to establish HQ in Frankfurt

The European Union’s new Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) will be headquartered in Frankfurt, the financial capital of Germany. The oversight body will start its work by mid-2025. The AMLA will have the authority to supervise “high-risk and cross-border financial entities” — including crypto firms — if they operate across borders or are considered high-risk. It will coordinate its oversight activities with financial intelligence units and regulators in other EU countries. Click here for more.

Newly released Satoshi emails reveal a treasure trove of early Bitcoin lore

A litany of insights into the early days of cryptocurrency were recently revealed when Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto’s earliest collaborator, Martti Malmi, published 120 pages of email correspondences between the two on GitHub on Feb. 23. The true identity of Nakamoto remains a point of conjecture throughout the greater cryptocurrency and blockchain community. However, the emails recently published on GitHub by Malmi were initially introduced as evidence in a London court case brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance against Craig Wright, who has claimed to be Nakamoto. Click here for more.

Axie Infinity co-founder loses $9.7M in 3,248-ETH wallet hack

Two crypto wallet addresses belonging to Jeff “Jihoz” Zirlin, one of the five co-founders of Axie Infinity and Ronin Network, were hacked, and roughly $9.7 million worth of Ether was stolen and siphoned across Tornado Cash. Blockchain investigator PeckShield alerted about a “whale wallet” compromise over the Ronin Bridge, reporting that the hacker made away with 3,248 ETH. Aleksander Larsen, co-founder of Ronin Network, immediately responded that “the (Ronin) bridge itself has top security” and suspected a wallet hack instead. Click here for more.

Luxury brand blockchain platform Arianee aims to scale, launches L2 on Polygon

Luxury brand blockchain infrastructure provider Arianee has developed a new layer 2 built on Polygon to scale its digital product passport platform used by various luxury brands and companies. Arianee has been developing the optimized layer 2 since early 2023, using Polygon’s zero-knowledge proof (ZK-proof)-powered Chain Development Kit (CDK). Arianee co-founder and CEO Pierre-Nicolas Hurstel spoke to Cointelegraph about its reengineered infrastructure, allowing brands and developers to design highly customizable, cost-effective and performant digital passports and tokens linked to real-world products and assets. Click here for more.

If you enjoy and find value in the newsletter, please feel free to donate for its upkeep and independent nature as much as you think is fair:

Monero Wallet Address:

42EkgN23XZoLJXrgMJjrRM7jYpmirk1WvWUWc2SDF6kZAXVzHMGy5XB8JM8Vce3iHGKh9H8ACWF9J6ErrfKCP48mL2yeWcw

Bitcoin Wallet Address: bc1q4283c60tv2p7exfeu2ql7dk2n7utswgl43n2fk

ETH & ERC-20 Address: 0xD16429e3F253f50CfF306B2bE8966ce935332116

BNB & BRC-20 Address: 0xD16429e3F253f50CfF306B2bE8966ce935332116

Reclaim (some) Privacy Webinar Series: Intro to SearXNG & other privacy engines

In April, I am planning my first webinar in a series focused on privacy. The specific webinar will be focused on why Google may not be the best search engine to use and the SearXNG meta search engine and how it can be used to enhance privacy when using a search engine to research or find something to one's interest.

If you are interested in the topic, feel free to click "attend" on the link to the event below: https://www.dhirubhai.net/events/7167975601373458433/about/

Brought to you by Alexandros Dolgov CBA? (Study/Bitcoin)