Virtually everyone agrees that social media is broken. On Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok, people fear out-of-control algorithms, fake news, state actor censorship, and propaganda. Google and Meta collect vast troves of…
Category: Cryptocurrency
Argentina Teams Up With El Salvador To Boost Crypto Adoption
Argentine authorities are working with El Salvador, a pioneering nation in bitcoin adoption, aiming to boost cryptocurrency adoption in Argentina. High-ranking officials from Argentina’s National Securities Commission (CNV), the country’s securities regulator,…
The Illusion of Financial Privacy
You have a 15-character password, shield the ATM as you enter your PIN, close the door when you meet with your banker, and shred your financial statements. But do you truly have…
The Government Fears This Privacy Tool
The Department of Justice indicted the creators of an application that helps people spend their bitcoins anonymously. They’re accused of “conspiracy to commit money laundering.” Why “conspiracy to commit” as opposed to…
Groundhog Day for the Crypto Wars: The DOJ on Bitcoin Prowl
On April 24, the Department of Justice continued its assault on open source developers, arresting Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill on allegations of money laundering. Rodriguez and Hill, operating the well-known…
How 1990s Libertarians Laid the Groundwork for Cryptocurrency
The Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek wanted to denationalize money. David Chaum, an innovator in the field of cryptography and electronic cash, wanted to shield it from surveillance. Their goals were not the…
Review: How Ray Trapani Scammed the Crypto World and Got Away With it
Bitconned is a tale about scams, backstabbings, and a failed justice system set in the world of cryptocurrency. At the heart of the Netflix documentary is Ray Trapani, a charismatic con artist living…
Magatte Wade: The Real Reasons Why Africa Is Poor and Why It Matters
Did you know that by 2050, a quarter of the planet’s population will reside in Africa? Yet despite abundant natural resources and a young and ambitious population, the continent remains the poorest of them…
The Real Reasons Africa Is Poor—and Why It Matters
Did you know that by 2050, fully a quarter of the planet’s population will reside in Africa? Yet despite abundant natural resources and a young and ambitious population, the continent remains the…
In 2024, Teens Will Get Pregnant in Driverless Cars
In this year’s first episode of The Reason Roundtable, editors Peter Suderman and Katherine Mangu-Ward welcome special guests Elizabeth Nolan Brown and Zach Weissmueller to make predictions for 2024 and take one…