Opinion


Tech

Three Trends Killing Web Privacy and Decentralization

The decentralized design of the web gives it the potential to be more privacy-preserving than any other system. Yet, there are long-range threats at play.

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Markets

We Still Lack a Rational Way to Value Tokens

Tokens continue to show little correlation between usage and value, confounding efforts to build better valuation methods.

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Markets

Forget Ethereum, DeFi Is Being Built on Bitcoin

Edan Yago looks to reclaim "decentralized finance" as Bitcoin's, not Ethereum's, turf.

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Tech

What the History of Headphones Says About the Internet's Future

What does the historical development of headphones tell us about the future of the internet?

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Policy

Ban All Ransomware Payments, in Bitcoin or Otherwise

The U.S. Treasury Department has outlawed certain ransomware payments. If it was serious, it would go further, says our columnist.

The WannaCry ransomware attack infected over 200,000 computers in 2017.

Policy

The US Risks Getting Left Behind on CBDCs

The Federal Reserve's “wait and see” approach to digital currency could deprive the U.S. of important fiscal and monetary tools as its rivals move ahead.

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Policy

CBDCs Mean Evolution, Not Revolution

Central bank digital currencies can help create a more inclusive financial system, says the innovation chief at the Bank for International Settlements.

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Markets

A Day in the Life of the Splinternet

Cypherpunk historian Finn Brunton imagines a future where there are many internets, each making demands on your attention.

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Policy

Cryptocurrency Is Just a Minor Threat to the State

States still have the armies, the police and – on a good day anyway – democratic legitimacy. All of that still matters, and will for a long time.

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Tech

Decentralized Data Storage's Only Competition Is the Public Cloud

Ben Golub, CEO of Storj, sends a complimentary note to Filecoin. Competition is good and so is countering the extreme concentration of cloud storage.

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