Would you freely give up information about your social media accounts to a Bitcoin exchange?

Nearly every Bitcoin exchange in the world is adhering to KYC and AML requirements, as they want to protect their own platforms from scammers, as well as abide by the legislative framework in the countries they operate in. Some people have taken offense by these detailed requirements, although some exchanges take things one step further than they need to. When someone wants to buy or sell Bitcoin, there does not seem to be an immediate need to link one’s social media account, although some platforms might require one to do so.

http://themerkle.com/coinbase-takes-kyc-to-a-new-level-by-asking-linkedin-information/

What is the reason behind this sudden hashrate increase in your opinion?

An interesting shift in mining power is taking place in the Bitcoin world for quite some time now, as various mining pools have started supporting Bitcoin Classic. However, not too many Classic blocks were mined on a daily basis, begging the question as to whether or not miners were even interested in the current block size debate. More recent Bitcoin block stats show how there are a lot of more blocks being mined as of late, with KnCMiner still leading the charge.

http://themerkle.com/bitcoin-classic-mining-hashrate-increases-by-over-50/

Doubt that part of the story is a miscommunication from the provider. Phone numbers are "taken" for 7 business days after being deactivated before they are available again.

Or that is how it is in most countries anyway

I work as a freelance writer, accepting Bitcoin payments directly without relying on payment processors

Invoices are created manually though, and funds is converted to fiat the same day (depending on what time the payment was made)

What does this news mean for Bitcoin in China, in your opinion?

Bitcoin has been gaining a lot of traction In China over the years, as the majority of trading volume is originating from that country. At the same time, the People’s Bank of China has been opposing Bitcoin for quite some time now, leaving consumers to wonder how the future of digital currency will look. Now that WaCai, a top finance and accounting app in China has listed Bitcoin as a major currency, things could get absorbing over the next few months.


http://themerkle.com/chinese-finance-app-wacai-features-bitcoin/

Which of the companies do you expect to come out on top, and why?

Although a lot of people are looking at the ongoing battle between Bitcoin and Ethereum, the underpinning technology remains an important factor as well. Some of the most prominent companies focusing on this technology are BitNation, Blockverify, and Slock.it. All of these companies are holding a pitch-off in London, England at the end of April. Among the panel of judges is Visa Europe Collab, and it will be interesting to hear their views on what these companies are bringing to the table.

http://themerkle.com/digital-catapult-pitch-off-features-blockchain-startups/

Will we see new types of Bitcoin ransomware targeting high-profile users?

Not too long ago, Verizon Enterprise Solutions suffered from a data breach as an unknown assailant managed to infiltrate their Enterprise Solutions division. Even though regular Verizon customers should not be affected by this breach, there is a particular worry regarding this data theft, as it could be used to develop new types of malware and ransomware attacks. Although those details have not been confirmed, the stolen information can be bought on the Darknet for US$100,000.

http://bitcoinist.net/verizon-enterprise-solutions-data-breach-can-lead-to-new-bitcoin-ransomware/

Will you be ordering a Digital Bitbox? Or are you sticking to your current physical Bitcoin wallet solution?

There are never enough Bitcoin hardware wallets to choose from, even though there is some fierce competition in this market segment already. Companies such as TREZOR, Ledger, and BitLox are all vying to become the market leader in physical Bitcoin wallets, and new enterprises are emerging as well. Digital Bitbox is one of these new contenders, and they focus on making their solution portable, open source, and supporting mutisignature.

http://themerkle.com/digital-bitbox-is-a-swiss-physical-multisig-bitcoin-wallet/

Your thoughts on this new strain of Bitcoin ransomware?

A new type of Bitcoin ransomware is making the rounds, albeit this version is doing something different entirely. Or to be more precise, Petya Bitcoin ransomware will block access to the entire hard drive, rather than target specific files or directories. This type of malware seems to be mainly infecting computers in the Benelux, although other parts of the world are not safe from harm either.

http://themerkle.com/petya-bitcoin-ransomware-targets-enterprises/

What does this picture mean for the future of Ledger and Bitcoin?

Ledger, one of the more popular physical Bitcoin wallet manufacturers, has been given a slight nod of approval from the French Minister of Economy. Based on the Twitter post made by the company, Emmanuel Macron is holding the Ledger Blue, which will be the company’s next generation blockchain security device. Although the picture is rather vague due to the bright screen on the device being held, this is an interesting scenario for Bitcoin and Ledger.

http://themerkle.com/ledger-blue-gets-nod-of-approval-from-french-minister-of-economy/

Do you expect to see this patent apply to Bitcoin, or will developers come up with a different solution?

Patents are not something native to the Bitcoin world,  but that isn’t keeping companies from trying to file them anyway. Bank of America has been trying to patent various blockchain-based solutions in the recent months, and now Verisign is looking to do the same. Based on a recent Medium post, we can see how Verisign wants to address the double spend scenario in the digital currency world.

http://bitcoinist.net/verisign-patent-addresses-double-spending-in-digital-currency/

Is Bitcoin the solution to online credit card fraud?

Some serious questions are waiting to be answered when it comes to dealing with online payment fraud. Most of the issues associated with credit card payments stem forth from user data being stolen, and sometimes, that is the end user’s fault.Britain’s most senior police officer feels online fraud victims should not be reimbursed by banks. Sayings like these will eventually push consumers to Bitcoin and alternative forms of finance.

http://bitcoinist.net/bitcoin-removes-the-need-for-refunding-online-fraud-victims/

Are Bitcoin and NFC payment terminals a good match in your opinion?

The concept of spending Bitcoin anywhere other types of payments are accepted is quite an interesting one, although it may be harder to accomplish than originally anticipated. Plutus is a company looking to bring Bitcoin payments wherever NFC payments are possible, and it seems like Onebit is seeking to do the same. Fierce competition in the market for making Bitcoin payments more convenient and accessible is a good thing, as it elevates the popular digital currency to a global level.

http://bitcoinist.net/onebit-hints-at-upcoming-early-access-client-for-android/

How should companies step up their Bitcoin engagement in your opinion?

Building trust in the Bitcoin world can be quite a challenge these days, as companies dealing with digital currency payments hardly have a clue what to do if something would go awry with the payment procedure. Moreover, the payment processors in question are responsible for funds arriving where it should on time, although they might run issues to do so as well. One Reddit user experienced a lot of problems when booking a hotel on Expedia and using the Coinbase checkout page.

http://themerkle.com/expedia-remains-clueless-on-how-bitcoin-payments-work/

What mystery projects could J.P. Morgan be looking for?

Some companies in the financial sector have been keeping an eye on Bitcoin and blockchain technology for quite some time now. J.P. Morgan is one of these companies, and they are starting to hire people from outside the realm of traditional financial to work on blockchain-based projects. Or to be more precise, this particular job opening is all about the Blockchain Center of Excellence, which sounds like a very attractive workplace for anyone excited about distributed ledger technology.

http://themerkle.com/coinality-lists-j-p-morgan-blockchain-job-opening/

Do you see Android Pay as a direct competitor and vice versa? Or are they in completely different leagues?

The mobile payment ecosystem has never been more competitive than it is right now, as various companies and device manufacturers are battling for supremacy all over the world. Android Pay could be a legitimate contender in this race although it remains to be seen how much traction this solution can gain all over the world. Now that Android Pay is coming to the United Kingdom, Google will face their first test in the in the mobile payments industry.

http://bitcoinist.net/android-pay-to-go-head-to-head-with-bitcoin-in-the-uk/

How do you see the future for Rootstock and smart contracts on the Bitcoin blockchain?

Smart contracts are one of the hottest trends in the world of digital currency and blockchain technology today, which is also attracting a lot of attention from startups and entrepreneurs. RSK Labs is one of these companies looking to introduce smart contracts by using the Bitcoin blockchain, and they have recently raised $1 million USD in seed funding thanks to the support of various prominent Bitcoin companies.

https://news.bitcoin.com/rsk-labs-gets-1m-boost-major-bitcoin-companies/

What are your thoughts on OXBTC as a whole, and this particular promotion?

Every time the topic of cloud mining is raised in the Bitcoin world, there is a fair amount of hesitation by community members. With all of the recent Bitcoin cloud mining scams taking place, promotional offers and cheap contracts are not necessarily greeted with a lot of enthusiasm. OXBTC released their ‘most cost-efficient cloud mining contract”, which is relatively cheap, and it will be issued on first-come-first-serve basis.

http://themerkle.com/oxbtc-launches-bitcoin-cloud-mining-promotion/

How would you tackle the centralized nature of Bitcoin Classic nodes?

The topic of Bitcoin Nodes is still a cause for many debates on Bitcoin platforms and Reddit these days, as the recent jump in Bitcoin Classic support has people asking a lot of [valid] questions. Although it is positive to see an outspoken support for either Core or Classic, trying to artificially grow the numbers will not do anyone any favors in the long run. A recent report shows how most of the Bitcoin Classic nodes are not hosted on dedicated servers, which is of particular concern.

http://bitcoinist.net/centralization-of-bitcoin-classic-nodes-needs-to-be-addressed/

Do you see a future in which we will use the blockchain for voting purposes?

Although it seems rather difficult to understand for people who have no passion for digital currency whatsoever, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about Bitcoin itself. However, for now, the largest focus is on blockchain technology and what it can do for our society. BitCongress is one of the most exciting projects in development right now, as this concept is all about voting and legislation in a decentralized and transparent manner.

http://themerkle.com/tamper-proof-decentralized-blockchain-voting-with-bitcongress/