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A Tor-Integrated Cashfusion Build for Bitcoin Cash Is Coming

31/12/2019 by Idelto Editor

On Monday, Electron Cash developer Jonald Fyookball updated the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) community in regards to the Cashfusion protocol. Fyookball revealed that Tor integration is currently in the works. The Tor-integrated Cashfusion build is “the big piece” the development team needs to get from alpha to beta stage, Fyookball detailed.

Also read: Privacy-Enhancing BCH Tool Cashfusion Begins Working Behind the Scenes

Tor + Cashfusion

Bitcoin Cash proponents are excited to hear that developers are relentlessly working on the Cashfusion protocol. A number of BCH users already utilize the Cashshuffle protocol, which mixes Bitcoin Cash-based UTXOs in a pool with other shuffling participants. Millions of dollars worth of BCH ($41.2M) have been shuffled since the platform’s official release in March. Cashshuffle adds a greater layer of privacy but the concept can be improved. For example, if a shuffling participant mixes their BCH and eventually consolidates the UTXOs, it’s possible the transaction can leave behind some clues for blockchain analysis. “We need a method to coordinate Coinjoin transactions with multiple inputs per user,” explains the Cashfusion specifications.

In November, Electron Cash (EC) developer Jonald Fyookball told the BCH community that the privacy-enhancing BCH tool was working behind the scenes. That week Fyookball and independent software developer Mark Lundeberg shared a couple of mainnet Cashfusion transactions as examples. A month later on December 30, Fyookball revealed the “alpha software Cashfusion already works, and we do fusion transactions on mainnet on a daily basis.” “Axel Gembe is working on Tor integration [and] this is the big piece we need to get from alpha stage to beta stage,” Fyookball added. The EC programmer also shared an update from Gembe which said:

I had to abandon the idea of using tor as a dynamic library due to recent glibc changes. They basically disallowed loading pie executables with dlopen, even though it works well for some situations. Now I have the build system work done (except macOS, I’ll need likely need help with that). And the plan is to use stem to control tor using the control port — It should be finished in a few weeks.

Enhanced Bitcoin Privacy

The BCH community on social media and forums enjoyed Fyookball’s update. “Bundling Tor with EC sounds great,” one person wrote on Reddit. “Once this is fully functional this will be a game changer for BCH — I wouldn’t be surprised to see more darknet markets accepting BCH alongside BTC and monero,” another individual commented. BCH fans were pleased to hear the creator of Wasabi compliment Cashfusion after he listened to Mark Lundeberg’s recent interview with Naomi Brockwell. Then on December 27, Wasabi wallet developer @nopara73 commended Cashfusion again on Twitter. “I am not convinced if this is true, but if it is, it’s a game changer in Bitcoin privacy,” the engineer tweeted.

Overall the news of Cashfusion’s progress has BCH fans excited and a number of Cashshuffle users look forward to the advanced update. Fyookball thanked Axel for this “amazing and critical work” and told the community the developer can be tipped. “If you want to send him a tip, you can do so at ichundes#102 cashaccount,” the EC programmer concluded.

What do you think about the Cashfusion progression helping bolster BCH privacy? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Image credits: Shutterstock, Github, Acid Sploit’s Cashshuffle Stats Twitter, and Pixabay.

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Lightning Network Wiki Page Faces Removal for Lack of Notability

13/12/2019 by Idelto Editor

Lightning Network Wiki Article Faces Removal for Lack of Notability

A slew of Wikipedia editors would like to delete the Lightning Network (LN) Wiki page because the subject matter does not hold notability. Wikipedia editors use notability as a test to find out if a topic warrants its own article. The LN article debate on Wikipedia is still raging as a few editors believe the subject is “dredging for mainstream press coverage” while highlighting that the article does not have reliable third-party sources.

Also Read: Mainstream Investment Vehicles Tied to Cryptocurrencies Grow Exponentially

Lightning Network Wiki Article Questioned for Notability and Sourced Content

The controversial LN scaling solution for BTC is being discussed on Wikipedia because a group of Wiki editors would like to delete the Lightning Network article for lack of notability. The discussion among Wikipedia contributors shows there’s a disagreement about the validity of the LN article. “There is a problem with notability of the subject: the citations in the article refers to self-published texts that are not acceptable for notability,” explains the editor Ladislav Mecir. “Other sources found also do not qualify as significant coverage by sources independent on the subject,” Mecir added. A few people came to the LN article’s defense and said that they think that the LN page “is sufficiently notable for WP.” “It’s fair to say that it’s one of the most important initiatives in the Bitcoin ecosystem and seems to be the only viable path for Bitcoin,” Wiki contributor ‘Jimd’ wrote.

Another editor who wants to pull the entire subject from Wikipedia said he finds it difficult to take any press coverage of the LN project seriously. He further said that the ‘Bob and Carol’ explanation within the article is a better example but “still laughable.” “I’d prefer to get rid of the whole lot — Ultimately it looks like many people are having the wool pulled over their eyes by a few crooks who claim the impossible — There’s no reason for Wikipedia to get involved at all.”

Another contributor said that the subject may be best suited for a broader article on consensus-less decentralized payment systems. The editor further added that the LN project would be near the bottom of the list as the project is not “Bitcoin-specific but could be used with a multitude of systems.” During the LN article deletion debate, an editor named ‘Jtbobwaysf’ said that [Wikipedia] doesn’t “remove old dead subjects.” “They are useful from a historic perspective — Also think your suggestion of a broader article would be nice, maybe we can do that when there are some other similar networks on Ethereum, etc.,” Jtbobwaysf wrote. “Or maybe they will later all be referred to as Lightning if that becomes the common name.”

Greg Maxwell: ‘LN Article Has a Fringe Chance of Removal’

After this comment, Bitcoin Core and Blockstream developer Greg Maxwell stepped into the conversation. Maxwell is well known for contributing to Wikipedia but some Wiki contributors have called him an editor who “regularly makes personal attacks.” Maxwell believes the LN article should be kept and told Jtbobwaysf that “Lightning is very much not dead.”

“My only point there was that effort debating the boundary of cryptocurrency notability would be better spent on things that weren’t close to obvious keeps,” Maxwell remarked.

The debate continued with a few more editors throwing in their two cents about the LN article on Wikipedia. It seems a good portion of the contributors believe the sources used in the article were not up to standards. Throughout most of the commentary, there were issues about the validity of sourced content. Besides the source problem, an editor named ‘Kjerish’ believes that the LN subject “has enough notability as a data structure alone.” “The subject potentially applies to several chains (not just Bitcoin),” the editor added. After the news spread about Wikipedia editors discussing deleting the LN page, a few crypto influencers spoke about the subject on social media.

“Go ahead, delete it,” tweeted Casa CTO Jameson Lopp. “The Wikipedia page for Bitcoin was deleted in July of 2010 and it wasn’t a big deal — It ended up being restored 6 months later.” When someone posted about the subject on r/bitcoin, Greg Maxwell told the creator of the thread not to “spam this sort of thing” on the Reddit forum. “Wikipedia is exceptionally unlikely to remove this article, and in the fringe chance it were removed it would only be merged into some bigger article,” Maxwell stressed. Instead of discussing the subject further the Redditor said: “All right, deleted the post.”

What do you think about the Wikipedia editors who would like to see the Lightning Network article removed for lack of notability? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Image credits: Shutterstock, Twitter, Wikipedia, and Fair Use.

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Sideshift App Demonstrates a Trade Between Lightning Network BTC and Tether

13/01/2019 by Idelto Editor

Back in October news.Bitcoin.com reported on the influx of development tied to Drivechain, a project initiated by software developer Paul Sztorc. At the time we also covered the project’s extension applications coded by the programmer Andreas Brekken. One of those applications Brekken conceived allowed any Drivenet coins to be swapped between any blockchain protocol. On Friday, an application called Sideshift.ai was used to demonstrate a bitcoin core (BTC) to tether (USDT) swap using the Lightning Network.

Also Read: A Look at Some of the ‘Next Generation’ Bitcoin Mining Rigs Available Today

Introducing Sideshift

Jan. 11 saw a demonstration of Sideshift.ai, an application that allows users to swap cryptocurrencies between chains. Sideshift was first revealed last year by Andreas Brekken among the suite of applications he created for the Drivechain project. Brekken is the chief executive officer of the review site Shitcoin.com and the infamous coder who once held the most BTC ($220,000) on the Lightning Network last year. The Sideshift platform allows people to convert coins for a small fee with a processing time of under five seconds.

In the demonstration, Sideshift, processes a swap between BTC held on the Lightning Network and tether (USDT) using the Eclair mobile wallet for Android. At the moment the Sideshift application is in its very early stages, but users can experiment with the “test pilot stage.” However, in order to access the testing stage, a special code is required and Sideshift’s Twitter handle will only give codes to eager testers who have a Bitcointalk.org account that’s more than two years old.

Furthermore, the Sideshift application is not accessible to residents living in North Korea or the United States. Of course, the U.S. ban is likely due to the overreaching financial laws in the country. U.S. law enforcement agencies and regulators could potentially prosecute individuals and organizations by threatening them with criminal charges for performing financial transactions.

Cross-Chain Swapping Platforms Are Still Very Experimental

In order to view Sideshift, we changed our proxy to an EU-based server and got a glimpse of the platform that operates similarly to Shapeshift, but without involving know-your-customer (KYC) guidelines. Looking at the past transactions recorded on Sideshift’s main page, testers have been swapping very small fractions of cryptocurrencies.

The platform shows all the currencies that can be swapped, which include BCH, BTC, LTC, ZEC, USDT, XMR, DASH, ETC, ETH, DAI, and SPANK. Sideshift further lists the conversion rates for each digital asset paired against the other listed coins. At the time of publication, the last shift was seven hours ago using the Lightning Network with 0.0003 BTC for 0.008601 ETH. There’s also a swap between 0.0149022 BTC and 0.9805 ZEC that doesn’t involve the Lightning Network.

Over the last few months, after Shapeshift adopted KYC, cryptocurrency enthusiasts have been in search for platforms that offer anonymous crypto swaps. Since then a bunch of digital asset ‘shifting’ applications have popped out of the woodwork. Cross-chain atomic swaps have also been a trending topic among digital currency proponents as many veterans have little trust in third party exchanges. Even though Sideshift does provide quick cross-chain trades, testers should remember the platform is still in its infancy. So those who do obtain the access code from Sideshift administrator should probably only use small fractions of cryptocurrency.

What do you think about the Sideshift.ai application? Let us know your thoughts about this subject in the comments section below.

Disclaimer: Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the mentioned company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com and the author are not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. This editorial is for informational purposes only.

Image credits: Shutterstock, Twitter, and Sideshift.ai.

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Exchanges Round-Up: Dcex Uses XRP as Base Currency, Blocktrade Enters Beta

31/07/2018 by Idelto Editor

In recent news regarding bitcoin exchanges, Dcex has launched a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency exchange that will use XRP as its base currency, ESMA regulated exchange, Blocktrade, has opened for beta testing, and Coinfield has announced a partnership with fee-free trading app Moongo.

Also Read:Banks Don’t Really Want to Use ‘Blockchain’ for FX Settlement After All

Dcex to Launch P2P Exchange Using XRP as Base Currency

Dcex, “a cryptocurrency marketplace for retail and institutional investors” powered by Alphapoint, has announced that registration is open for its digital currency exchange.

The P2P marketplace will use XRP as its exclusive base currency, and will allow clients to trade BCH, BTC, LTC, ETH, BTG, ETC, OMG, EOS, DASH, TRX, XMR, VEN, IOTA, ZEC, TUSD, NEO, and ADA.

The company states that it chose XRP as its base currency in order to facilitate “very rapid transaction volume” between traders, claiming that its network is “designed to facilitate up to one million transactions per second.”

ESMA Regulated Bitcoin Exchange Enters Beta Testing

Blocktrade.com, a cryptocurrency exchange claiming to be the first regulated by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), has opened for beta testing. The exchange is currently open for registration and anticipates a full launch in September.

Blocktrade will support BCH, BTC, ETH, LTC, and XRP pairings, with Forbes reporting that “Crypto Traded Indices, Security Tokens, and Tokenised Assets will be gradually added later in 2018.”

Luka Gubo, the chief executive officer of Blocktrade, has predicted that the company’s regulated status may open the door for further development of permissive legislation governing the cryptocurrency sector, stating: “This is an ideal way for regulators across Europe to recognize cryptocurrencies as a new asset class and put in a regulatory framework.”

Coinfield Exchange Announces Partnership with Fee-Free Trading App Moongo

Canadian cryptocurrency exchange Coinfield has announced that it will target the global trading market through a partnership with commission-free trading app, Moongo.

Moongo allows users to convert cryptocurrencies to EUR or USD, which can then be withdrawn onto the company’s cards. The company’s plan to make their services “available to every country in the world except the US and the nations on the US/UN sanction list.” The app currently supports “Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Dash, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Gold,” and “Select ERC20 coins & non-ERC20 [tokens].”

The chief executive of Coinfield, Babak Bob Ras, stated: “Our vision is to bring the cryptocurrency to people’s lives in the most convenient and simple way, and make it available to well-qualified traders in most countries worldwide.”

Do you think the bitcoin markets are in need of more regulated exchanges? Join the discussion in the comments section below!

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Wikipedia

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An Inside Look at the Electron Cash Wallet Coming to iOS

18/06/2018 by Idelto Editor

Just recently news.Bitcoin.com reported on the unique Electron Cash wallet alongside using the Cashshuffle plugin. Two weeks ago we were granted access to the Electron Cash iOS beta testing period, and we wanted to give our readers a sneak peek at what to expect when this bitcoin cash-centric light client launches.

Also Read: How to Shuffle Your BCH Coins Like a Boss

Electron Cash Is Coming to iOS

The Electron Cash wallet is a reputable bitcoin cash (BCH) wallet that’s been around for quite some time. At the moment the client is available for Mac, Linux, Windows, and Android for mobile phones. However, the wallet’s development team and lead developer Jonald Fyookball are in the midst of building the Electron Cash application for iOS users. Fyookball has allowed news.Bitcoin.com access to the beta testing using Apple’s Testflight system so we could experiment with the wallet, and share our experience with our readers.

Experimenting With Beta Version 3.2.0 on Testflight

When opening the wallet users are greeted by a neon-blue like screen that says Electron Cash, from here the user can choose a few options when they launch the app for the first time. The choices given are the usual create new wallet, import an existing seed, or use existing public or private keys. We created a new wallet and the Electron Cash iOS interface gave us a new twelve-word mnemonic phrase to write down. After finishing writing the seed down, the wallet asks you to re-type all twelve words, but it doesn’t take too long because words are predicted and easily-tappable after a few letters are typed. You also encrypt the wallet with a password, and are given the option to name it as well. Remember your password and mnemonic phrase give you access to your funds, and keeping them a secret is a top priority.

The Electron Cash iOS app always asks you for your password whenever you open it or if you want to sign an outgoing transaction. In the wallet interface there are five main settings which include wallets, addresses, coins, contacts, and the settings section. The wallet section is basically the main page you are greeted with after entering your password. It shows the name of the wallet(s) and you can toggle to different wallets in the first field on the top of the page. The page will also show you all the transactions that have occurred for that specific wallet. On the very top, there is a blue banner with a green light indicating the client is synced up and online. If it was red this would indicate the wallet is not online and synced to the BCH network.

Moving on to the addresses page it will show a bunch of addresses both used and unused. You can toggle between funded addresses and unfunded addresses, alongside if they are receiving or change addresses as well. The Electron Cash wallet allows users to create contacts by utilizing an individual or organizations’ address so you can easily send funds to any recurring contact. The coins area shows BCH transactions that have been sent or received but are not yet confirmed.

The Electron Cash Wallet Has Numerous Adjustable Settings

The wallet’s settings section is where you can make a bunch of changes to the wallet, like change your password, and view your mnemonic phrase if you needed to see it again. In the settings, the Electron Cash iOS client has an address converter so a person can change a legacy address into the Cashaddr format. This section also offers a variety of features like the ability to change the fee to max static or the user can choose a custom fee. Below that where it says transactions, you can choose to utilize change addresses, multiple change addresses, and whether or not the wallet will spend only confirmed coins. Following this section, you can change the appearance, choose what block explorer you want to use. From here users can also set the fiat settings so you can view the value of coins in USD, EUR, and many other monetary units.

The wallet works very well for being in its beta (3.2.0) testing phase and Electron Cash users will be sure to enjoy this wallet. There were a few occasions where it was difficult to remove the keyboard and view the lower fields on the screen in the earlier versions we tried prior to the 3.2.0 upgrade released just the other day. Since then we’ve found the app works like a charm, and haven’t found any difficulties using it. The Electron Cash developers have also been looking for testers on the subreddit /r/BTC over the past few weeks in order to get feedback.

What do you think about the Electron Cash wallet for iOS? Let us know your thoughts on this subject in the comment section below.

Images via Shutterstock, Electron Cash, and Jamie Redman.

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