There is. See https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Alerts

However you need to be running a Bitcoin client that will accept and publish the alert. Since not everyone all the time is running such a client I just implemented an email relay service:

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Alerts_mailing_list

Regards,
Gary

Hi All,

In response to Monday's events, I just added the page: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Alerts_mailing_list:

The Bitcoin Protocol specification supports the broadcast of Alerts. An unofficial email relay is now provided that rebroadcasts these block chain related alerts. To subscribe via email send an email to bitcoin-unofficial-alerts+subscribe@googlegroups.com and you should receive an email asking you to verify your subscription.

Alternatively, you can browse to the Google Group for the list:


By default Google Groups does not send emails, so when you sign up you will likely want to choose to get notifications via email.

Verify alerts and obtain the latest status information

If you receive an alert you should immediately verify it is official by running "bitcoind getinfo" (but see notes below), go to bitcoin.org to obtain more details and background, or join the #bitcoin IRC channels on freenode to obtain the latest information.

Notes

• Alerts are broadcast to a specified range of bitcoin versions.
• The email relay uses a specially patched version of bitcoind that should report and therefore relay any alert broadcast for any version.
• You will therefore have to verify whether or not the alert is relevant to your particular version of bitcoin client.
• Alerts are also independent of blocks or transactions, and have a defined time-to-live.
• The email relay polls bitcoind every six minutes

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A lot less than the Bitcoin network, considering how specialised Bitcoin hardware is these days. Bitcoin is still a fiat currency, where the fiat is implicitly the Bitcoin Open Source community's consensus on the code base for signing transactions. As with any fiat currency its value is derived from belief in it as a store of value. Attack the legality and reputation of Bitcoin exchanges and you directly attack people's belief in the viability of Bitcoin.

How about a concerted effort by Central Banks to discredit, debase and destroy any competition to their monopoly on currency issue?

Gary

Thanks for the links. BitMit.net auction site looks great. Escrow is available for buyer and seller secruity. I'm already selling stuff there!

Gary

Where is the business model? You're going to still have to pay electricity and hosting costs for lifetime accounts. Google gives you stuff for free in order to place ads in front of your eyeballs.

I own gold. I own Bitcoins. Whether Bitcoins will be the defacto currency of the Internet remains to be seen. I plan to hedge my bets and invest in any peer-to-peer currency that seems to have potential.

So far the only candidate is Bitcoin. Silk Road is a demonstration of the potential of the currency. Thank you Satoshi.

Concept by me, execution by someone else: