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Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Convergence Powering the Robotics Capability – EnterpriseTalk

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

Enterprises are using multiple applications powered by the convergence of blockchain and artificial intelligence, to increase efficiency and effectiveness of RPA.

It is common knowledge that Robotics is powered by artificial intelligence delivering excellence and efficiency in well-known areas- cryptocurrencies, chatbots, or voice-assisted technologies.

Blockchain In the Times of AI

The field of robotics is immensely challenging, and to grow in this segment, companies need to offer reliable and affordable solutions to their clients and customers.

The exciting news is that RPA is also one of the most promising areas utilizing the convergence of Blockchain and AI. This convergence is now showing never before massive efficiencies in the field of robotics.

Robotics has gained massive popularity across industries over the years using artificial intelligence, making all processes more effective and error-free. Now, blockchain will keep the data decentralized and free from any central or concentrated control. By combining the decentralized power of blockchain with the agility of artificial intelligence, the field of robotics can be elevated and advanced in several ways.

The features offered by artificial intelligence will increase the efficiency of robots using automation multi-fold, while data immutability offered by blockchain will tamper-proof the processes. Leveraging these technologies simultaneously to the robotics, the operating mechanism is pre-set to achieve the desired objectives and business goals.

Swarm Robotics: The one to be benefitted the most?

The significance of artificial intelligence and blockchain is the most prominent in the case of Swarm Robotics. This is mainly because both these innovations can be applied collectively to control a group of robots. AI controls every Swarm Robot as it operates according to the pre-set principles and requirements. The collective response and behavior of the Robots can be significantly enhanced with the application of artificial intelligence and blockchain.

AIoT Convergence of Artificial Intelligence with the Internet of Things

This convergence has enormous benefits on scalability with the enhanced scope of operations. Global enterprises have already started witnessing the application of blockchain and artificial intelligence with the Swarm robotics gaining popularity, specifically in the areas related to entertainment, healthcare, and farming. Although several stakeholders have explicitly expressed concerns about the security and safety of the features, there is hardly any negative view about the potential of applications to benefit the industry. Blockchain is a credible technology measure to alleviate the concerns of the stakeholders about the privacy and secrecy of the data. Using the secure cryptographic signatures and other advanced technologies available in the blockchain space, security, and safety concerns regarding robots can be easily handled.

Artificial intelligence will power the Robots while continuing to be the strength of this integration, while Blockchain technology will be playing a passive role by providing backup support to ensure data security and safety. Hence, with this convergence is applied to robotics in an integrated manner, robotics will transform and benefit the industry in an unbelievably positive way.

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Artificial intelligence And Smartphone Photography: How Tech Makes You Look Like A Pro (infographic) – Digital Information World

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

Have you noticed lately how talented everyone you know is at taking pictures? There used to be skill involved in photography, but thanks to theArtificial intelligence (AI) in your smartphones camera everyone can be Annie Leibovitz. But just how does that technology work to reduce the blur from your shaking hands or fix the lighting when you are taking photos in dark places?Artificial Intelligence Mimics Human SightIn our brains there are all kinds of things happening to ensure we can see clearly. Our brains filter out tiny movements and adjust the processing of the images so that they appear focused and make sense. But when you have a normal camera in your shaky hands those images often come out blurred. Artificial intelligence algorithms within your smartphone camera can adjust for your shaking hands, but thats not all. It can also adjust for poor lighting conditions, including darkness, it can change scene modes according to what youre taking a picture of, and it can detect faces and ensure eyes are open and people are smiling.

Artificial intelligence can also take multiple photos within a few milliseconds and stitch together the best parts of each photo for one really excellent composite photo. High dynamic range combines the best elements of three photos, while Top Shot actually takes a short video and combines the best elements into one photo.

In addition to these features, your smartphone camera can blur the background in a portrait, smooth your wrinkles, hide your blemishes, and more. 42% of Americans choose Portrait Mode, which combines background blur with beautification for the perfect selfie every time.

There are also apps that can further enhance your smartphone photos and videos:

When you choose your next smartphone, how important is the camera inside? Learn more about smartphone cameras and all the apps and add-ons that can turn you into a professional photographer from the infographic below. Are you ready to become the next Ansel Adams?

Read next: A comparison between properties of the most used image file types (infographic)

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Trepper: The Anti-Bigotry App That Uses Artificial Intelligence to Identify White Nationalists – Capital Research Center

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

A nonprofit organization claims to have created a phone app that uses artificial intelligence to identify people the group believes to be known white nationalists. Of course, the organization considers people and organizations to be white nationalists even if theyre just regular conservativesand even if theyre not white.

IREHR Sees White Nationalists Everywhere

In February, the Kansas City Star ran a widely circulated hit piece on America First Students, a new student organization at Kansas State University. The smear campaign was based on research by the Institute for Education and Research on Human Rights (IREHR). Despite being a little-known and little-funded organization, IREHR regularly publishes large volumes of research and has even created a bigotry tracking app that promises to use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to out known white nationalists.

Founded in 1983, IREHRs vision, according to its founder Leonard Zeskind, is to fight against what it sees as white nationalism. Zeskind claims that white nationalism is in a symbiotic relationship with mainstream conservatism, such as the Christian right and paleoconservativism. In 2011, Zeskind wrote about IREHRs Re-Birth in the Huffington Post, explicitly attacking the Tea Party movement for its racism in his second sentence. Tea Party Nationalism even has its own section on the IREHR website, right under Race, Racism & White Nationalism. In 2018, years after the Tea Party movement was at its peak, IREHR ran a piece titled Guns and Racism: From the National Rifle Association to Far Right Militias and the Tea Party. The Tea Party movement is such a target of IREHRs ire thatZeskind, along with IREHR president Devin Burghart, wrote a report called Tea Party Nationalism, commissioned by the NAACP. The NAACP also created a companion website: TeaPartyNationalism.com.

In addition to going after the Tea Party movement and the National Rifle Association, IREHR also targets the American Conservative Unions Political Action Conference (CPAC). In 2014, Burghart published The Unbearable Whiteness of CPAC.

Given how IREHR sees white nationalism throughout mainstream conservatism and considers whiteness as something unbearable, its phone application that promises to identify known white nationalists via artificial intelligence sounds incredibly Orwellian.

The Trepper App

Burghart announced the creation of IREHRs anti-bigotry app during a Holocaust Remembrance Day Speech in May 2019. The app is named after Leopold Trepper, the head of a Soviet anti-Nazi spy ring during WWII known as the Red Orchestra. Trepper was later imprisoned by Stalin, reportedly because Trepperhimself Jewishsurrounded himself with Jews. (This detail was not included in IREHRs speech on Holocaust Remembrance Day; however, IREHRs founder and president still generally appreciates communist figures, even visiting the grave of Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci.)

During the speech, Burghart boasted that the app now allows us to use the latest in machine learning and artificial intelligence to see if people in the videos you submit are known white nationalists. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are often codewords for facial recognition software. It is unclear, however, how exactly machine learning and artificial intelligence are being used in the app.

Trepper: The Anti-Bigotry App promises to provide instant updates about new threats near you. According to the IREHR website, the app will allow users to receive push notifications of seemingly white nationalist activity, and it allows users to upload their own events, photos, and videos to the app.

Downloading Trepper, users are greeted with a page telling them what they can find on the app: a news tab, a Tools for Response and Resistance tab, and a way to Report incidents (see the screenshot below).

The Report Bigotry tab allows users to request help (a feature coming soon), record video of an ongoing live event, or write a report about an instance of bigotry they witnessed.

The reporting feature lets users provide details about a reportedly bigotry-related event, ranging from murder, the first item on the list, to something internet-based or other.

Much of the app is still under construction. The signs and symbols of bigotry section of the response toolkit is coming soon as is the help, FAQ, tips, etc. section. The section for users to find or create their own anti-bigotry groups loads a blank page. As of writing, the only video uploaded to the Trepper app is a video of a Patriot Prayer rally from 2018. Patriot Prayer is a Portland-based group that has been maligned by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and targeted by Antifa activists.

Curiously, Patriot Prayer is included on the Trepper app even though its controversial founder, Joey Gibson, identifies as Japanese, not Caucasian, and has repeatedly condemned white supremacy. Apparently, to the IREHR app, a person doesnt even need to be white to be a white nationalist.

In fact, in the security section of the response toolkit, the Trepper app deviates from merely attacking white nationalism: It suggests ways to protect against the far right, whomever IREHR deems the far right to be. The security section of the app tells users to protect their offices and homes from possible far right infiltrators:

The app also tells users involved in their anti-racist activity to shred documents, handle potential hate mail with tongs, and circulate pictures online of people they suspect to be following them.

Who Is Funding IREHR?

A section of the IREHR app is devoted to learning more about IREHR, with the option to donate to IREHR. According to tax filings, the organization has not had gross receipts of more than $50,000 since 2008. It is unclear how such a small organization with so little funding can create such a complicated appwith the potential of harnessing facial recognition technology.

Garbage In, Garbage Out

IREHRs plans to implement what appears to be facial recognition technology to identify people accused of having the wrong political beliefs is terrifying. IREHR has a history of identifying people, all on its own, as white nationalists who are not white nationalists at all. IREHR already attacks mainstream conservative groups and mainstream conservative ideas, groups, and figures as white nationalist, or as being tied to white nationalism. It is a terrible precedent in general to use artificial intelligence to identify (and catalog) people because they have the wrong political beliefs.

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Artificial intelligence won’t rule the world so long as humans rule AI – The Age

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

Four days later, the Vatican issued a paper calling for "new forms of regulation" of AI based on the principles of "transparency, inclusion, responsibility, impartiality, reliability, security and privacy".

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The striking thing about both these pronouncements is the degree to which they align with the official line from Silicon Valley, which couches ethics as a set of voluntary principles that will guide, rather than direct, the development of AI.

By proposing broad principles, which are notoriously difficult to define legally, they avoid the guard rails or red lines that would give genuine oversight over the way this technology develops.

The other problem with these voluntary codes is they will always be in conflict with the key drivers of technological change: to make money (if you are a business) or save money (if you are a government).

But theres an alternative approach to harnessing technological change that warrants serious consideration. It is proposed by the Australian Human Rights Commission. Rather than woolly guiding principles, Commissioner Ed Santow argues that AI should be developed within three clear parameters.

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First, it should comply with human rights law. Second, it should be used in ways that minimise harm. Finally, humans need to be accountable for the way AI is used. The difference with this approach is that it anchors AI development within the existing legal framework.

To legally operate in Australia, under this proposal, the development of artificial intelligence would need to ensure it did not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race or social demographic, either directly or in effect.

The AI proponents would also need to show they had thought through the impact of their technology, much like a property developer needs to conduct an environmental impact statement before building.

And critically, an AI tool should have a human a flesh-and-blood person who is responsible for its design and operation.

How would these principles work in practice? Its worth looking at the failed robodebt program, under which recipients of government benefits were sent letters demanding they repay money because they had been overpaid.

If it had been scrutinised before it went live, robodebt is likely to have been found discriminatory, as it shifted the onus of proof onto people from societys most marginalised groups to show their payments were valid.

If it had been subject to a public impact review, the glaring anomalies and inconsistencies in matching Australian Tax Office and social security information would have become apparent before it was trialled on vulnerable people. And if a human had been accountable for its operation, those who received a notice would have had a course of review, rather than feeling as though they were speaking to a machine.

The whole costly and destructive debacle might have been prevented.

Embracing a future where these "disruptive" technologies remake our society guided by voluntary ethical principles is not good enough. As Robert-Elliott Smith observes in his excellent book Rage Inside the Machine, the idea that AI is amoral is bunkum. The values and priorities of the humans who commission and design it will determine the end product.

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This challenge will become more pressing as algorithms begin to process banks of photos and video that purport to "recognise" individuals, track their movements and predict their motivations. The Human Rights Commission report calls for a moratorium on the use of this technology in high-stakes areas such as policing. It seeks to protect citizens from "bad" applications, but also to provide an incentive for industry to support the development of an enforceable legal framework.

Champions of technology may well argue that government intervention will slow down development and risk Australia being "left behind". But if we succeed in ensuring AI is "fair by design", we might end up with a distinctly Australian technology, which reflects our values, to share with the world.

Peter Lewis is the director of the Centre for Responsible Technology.

Peter Lewis is the executive director of Essential, a progressive research and communications company and the director of the Centre for Responsible Technology.

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Cryptocurrencies see $93.5 billion wiped off value in 24 hours as bitcoin plunges 48% – CNBC

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

Bitcoin prices fell sharply amid the global sell-off in equities.

Luke MacGregor | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Cryptocurrencies took a battering following a global sell-off in stocks, with bitcoin seeing a near 40% plunge.

The market capitalization, or total value of the entire cryptocurrency market plummeted around $93.5 billion in the space of 24 hours as of 10:07 a.m. Singapore time, according to data from Coinmarketcap.com.

Bitcoin was down 48% from 24 hours before at 10:24 a.m. Singapore time at $4,001.60, according to data from Coindesk.

The fall in cryptocurrency markets comes amid a broader sell-off in equities as governments worldwide continue to grapple with the new coronavirus that's spreading rapidly across the world. The number of global cases has now exceeded 128,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

In the U.S., theDow Jones Industrial Averageclosed 2,352.60 points lower, or 9.99%, its worst drop since the 1987 "Black Monday" market crash. That selling spilled over into Asiaon Friday morning, where stock markets in Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong saw heavy losses.

Investors are concerned about the global economic fallout from the coronavirus as businesses are disrupted and cities are locked down. Countries have taken different approaches with Italy, one of the worst hit-nations, shuttingdown shops and restaurants, and the U.S. canceling sporting events. Across the world, schools have been shut and people made to work from home.

Over the past few years, bitcoin has been likened to "digital gold" and has been seen by some as a safe haven asset to park money when markets are facing turmoil. But bitcoin, which has now erased all of its gains for the year and is in negative territory, is behaving more like a risk asset such as an equity.

And action by central banks has done little to soothe investors' concerns. This includes a recent emergency interest rate cute from the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Englandas well as further easing measures by the European Central Bank.

Other cryptocurrencies suffered similar drops on Friday. Ethereum tanked 49% at 10:24 a.m. Singapore time while XRP was down over 42%.

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[Updated] The Real Reason Behind Bitcoin And Cryptos Massive $50 Billion Crash? – Forbes

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency priceshave fallen sharply over the last few days,with around $50 billion wiped from crypto markets.

[Updated: 07:32am EST 03/12/2020] The bitcoin price, which had been trading around $10,000 per bitcoin just last week, is now down almost 30% over the last seven days after suddenly plummeting this morning and wiping out all its 2020 gains. Bitcoin earlier collapsed to under $6,000 per bitcoin, sending many other major cryptocurrencies, including ethereum, Ripples XRP, bitcoin cash, and litecoin, even lower. Read the full story here.

Bitcoin's sudden sell-off was put down to global market turmoil sparked by oil cartel Opec's failure to agree to a supply cut, sending the oil price to historic lows, but some think bitcoin's move lower could have its origins elsewhere.

The bitcoin price had climbed through the first few months of 2020 but the recent falls erased ... [+] almost all it year-to-date gains.

"The sudden drop in prices seems to arise out of the selling of [bitcoin] by PlusToken," the chief executive of India-based cryptocurrency exchange CoinSwitch.co, Ashish Singhal, told bitcoin and crypto industry news site CoinDesk.

PlusToken, a Ponzi scheme that swept China and Korea over the last few years, saw around $2 billion worth of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies stolen from investors.

Last Saturday, ahead of the traditional market rout caused by Opec, PlusToken scammers moved a little over $100 million worth of bitcoin to so-called mixers, designed to disguise the origin and destination of the coins.

The fraudsters may have then sold off the bitcoins, causing prices to fall as supply flooded the market, according to Singhal.

The bitcoin price fell by almost $1,000 per bitcoin on Saturday, before stock markets and other assets crashed.

"PlusToken scam moved another 13,000 bitcoin's yesterday," bitcoin and cryptocurrency analyst Kevin Svenson said via Twitter on Sunday.

"They also did something similar after bitcoin crossed above $10,000 this year. They are slamming the market with sell orders. Essentially we have a giant whale unloading after every move up."

Bitcoin has been battling against falling trading volumes and stalled adoption in recent months (though that's not stopped some from betting big on the number one cryptocurrency).

When trading volumes are low the market is more susceptible to manipulation by big traders.

The bitcoin price has lost around 20% over the last month, all but destroying the narrative that ... [+] bitcoin had begun performing as a so-called safe-haven asset.

Many have taken the latest fall in the bitcoin price as proof it is failing to act as a so-called safe-havenan idea that had gained popularity in recent months as bitcoin rose in the face of escalating U.S. and Iran tensions and then apparently gaining on fears the coronavirus could knock global trade.

Traditional safe-haven assets, such as gold and the Japanese yen, usually move higher in times of greater risk and uncertainty.

"Bitcoin is down 8% in the last day, much more than global equities," economist and outspoken bitcoin critic, Nouriel Roubini, said on Sunday night viaTwitter.

"Another proof that bitcoin is not a good hedge versus risky assets in risk-off episodes. It actually falls more than risky assets during risk-off."

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The unlikely cryptocurrency bill that went to Congress – Decrypt

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

A new cryptocurrency bill is being floated in front of congress this week. The proposed cryptocurrency act of 2020 intends to split cryptocurrencies into three distinctions: Commodity, Security, and Currency.

According to Marshall Hayner, founder and CEO of crypto payments firm Metal Pay, the bill will "fundamentally restructure" cryptocurrencies in the States.

Along with Rep. Paul Gosar, Hayner is cited as one of the founders of the bill and introduced it in congress on Monday. A day after he explained the proposal to all 541 members of the legislature, Hayner took to Twitter and produced a compressive tweetstorm on the subject.

Per Hayner's thread, the bill seeks to split cryptocurrencies up into three separate classifications: crypto-commodities, crypto-securities, and crypto-currencies.

The first, crypto-commodities, are defined as tradeable, fungible digital assets that exist on the blockchain. These can also represent contracts, utilities, or commodities in the physical world. These would likely include Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other such tokens.

The second, crypto-securities, represent a "security-like instrument." According to Hayner, these too exist on a blockchain but often derive their value from external assets. These may pertain to real-world tokenization on the blockchain.

As reported by Decrypt, fast-food chain Fatburger recently issued securities on the Ethereum blockchain. It's likely that such assets would fall under this category.

The third and final classification is cryptocurrency, but as Hayner describes them, it seems to refer to stablecoinscryptocurrencies pegged to fiat currencies. These include Tether, USDC, and the Paxos Standard.

The bill cites them as "basic tools of a digital, global economy," built to resist counterfeiting, money-laundering, and manipulation.

Further, the bill proposes that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) provide appropriate oversight for each classification.

While the proposed act intends to bring some clarity and order to the cryptocurrency regulation, it's already been the victim of considerable community backlash.

Jerry Brito, executive director of Coin Center, argued that since the bill concerns multiple regulatory jurisdictions, it would need assent from two committeeswhich would be almost impossible. This, in Brito's view, is made even more challenging by the fact that the bill's co-founder, Rep. Paul Gosar, is not a member of either of the considering committees.

Further, Alex Gladstein, CSO for both the Human Rights Foundation and the Oslo Freedom Forum, raised an issue with the act.

Per the bill, any individual transacting cryptocurrencies with a business will have their information shared with the relevant regulatory agencies. He argued this would be an infringement on everyones financial privacy. Not that blockchains have much privacy anyway.

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Bitcoin Just Failed the Coronavirus Test – Motley Fool

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

Bitcoin has taken investors on a roller-coaster ride, and although its value has risen dramatically since its inception more than a decade ago, it's had plenty of huge downdrafts along the way. The latest plunge in bitcoin, though, comes at a time when many would've thought the cryptocurrency would be most likely to soar: in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, bitcoin suffered its worst one-day drop in years, falling from $7,600 to $5,300. The price of the popular cryptocurrency approached $4,000 at moments on Thursday night. Shares of the bitcoin-tracking Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (OTC:GBTC) followed suit. With the price of bitcoin having been above $10,000 as recently as mid-February, the question many crypto investors have is why the token's price failed to deliver on its promise as a safe-haven asset in times of turmoil in the traditional financial system.

Image source: Getty Images.

For a long time, cryptocurrency advocates have argued that tokens are ideal safe havens from the uncertainties of the broader financial markets. With a fixed supply and strict rules for releasing new tokens onto the market, bitcoin arguably isn't subject to the same manipulation that central banks and government entities can use with their fiat currencies. In past events that have caused strain on the financial markets, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have typically seen their prices rise. Moves like the Federal Reserve's injection of liquidity into the credit markets on Thursday certainly seemed to be the sort of thing that would usually inspire bitcoin investors to get more bullish.

In that light, the coronavirus-inspired plunge in bitcoin prices seems anomalous. Yet the knee-jerk explanation from many financial experts for bitcoin's plunge was that cryptocurrencies had essentially lost their safe-haven status and were once again perceived as a risky asset. That's inconsistent with the basic investing thesis many cryptocurrency investors have in justifying their bitcoin holdings, and if it's true, it would potentially be a big blow to the idea that bitcoin offers a safe alternative to fiat currencies and assets that are tied to those currencies.

Although Thursday's drop in bitcoin was most notable, the decline in the crypto token's price started to accelerate earlier this week. That happened to coincide with the dramatic plunge in oil prices stemming from news that Russia and Saudi Arabia had failed to come to an agreement in limiting crude oil production. With bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies playing a key role in those parts of the world, the connection to this hit to the energy markets made some sense.

However, those who are more familiar with the cryptocurrency markets pointed to another possible cause. A Ponzi scheme run by an entity called PlusToken has taken advantage of cryptocurrency investors in China and Korea in recent years, fraudulently taking roughly $2 billion in bitcoin and other tokens from the scheme's victims. A cryptocurrency exchange executive said that sales of bitcoin by PlusToken might have been a contributing factor in starting the avalanche of downward price action, with the Ponzi scheme con artists reportedly moving their crypto holdings in ways that would make it more difficult to track sales.

The problem that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies face is that there's no single reason why investors choose to own them. Some see bitcoin as a legitimate alternative to fiat currencies, but others simply speculate that they can buy bitcoin low and sell it high, with the primary goal of increasing the value of their dollar-based portfolios.

As long as risk-sensitive speculators are heavily involved in the bitcoin market, cryptocurrency investors can expect to continue seeing violent price swings -- even for reasons that don't seem to make sense. It'll take a more concerted effort to unify bitcoin users with a common purpose in order to smooth out the cryptocurrency's price action going forward.

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50 Companies Back New Cryptocurrency Project Competing With Facebook’s Libra – Bitcoin News

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

Some members of the Libra Association are now backing a rival project called Celo, which has its own blockchain and cryptocurrency. Over 50 major companies have pledged their support, each pursuing a diverse set of use cases. The project claims that the combined reach of all members exceeds 400 million people.

Also read: Bitcoin Legal in India Exchanges Resume INR Banking Service After Supreme Court Verdict Allows Cryptocurrency

The Celo Foundation announced on Wednesday 50 founding members of the Celo Alliance for Prosperity. Celo is an open platform that makes financial tools accessible to anyone with a mobile phone, its website describes. The project offers a way for developers to build mobile apps based on Celos Ethereum-based blockchain with a stablecoin.

The effort is designed to deliver humanitarian aid, facilitate payments and enable microlending through a cryptocurrency called the Celo Dollar, which is scheduled to launch in April, Bloomberg reported. Chuck Kimble, who heads the Alliance for Prosperity, said in a phone interview with the publication:

The value of the Celo Dollar will be pegged to the U.S. dollar and backed by a reserve of other cryptocurrencies It will be available in the U.S., but the alliances focus is on Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Citing that Today less than .5% of global citizens benefit from the speed, transparency, utility, and low cost of using blockchain technology, the foundation detailed, The Alliance members have a plan to change that and are committed to leveraging the power of Celos innovative blockchain technology to create solutions that work across devices, carriers, and countries.

Alliance members are pursuing a diverse set of use cases, including powering mobile and online work, enabling faster and affordable remittances, reducing the operational complexities of delivering humanitarian aid, facilitating payments, and enabling microlending, the foundations announcement explains. Their combined reach is over 400 million people.

The project is dubbed by some as a rival to Facebooks Libra project, which has been scrutinized by regulators worldwide since it was first announced. The Libra project is currently considering redesigning as several key members have left the project, including Paypal, Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, Mercado Pago, Ebay, and Vodafone.

Kimble claims that There are some similarities [with Libra] in terms of mission, which is why there are some people who have joined both alliances. Some Celo Alliance for Prosperity members that are also Libra supporters include Anchorage, Bison Trails Co., Coinbase Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Mercy Corps. However, the Celo project does not have the massive userbase that Facebook has.

Payments in the Celo Dollar stablecoin can be sent to peoples phone numbers rather than complicated addresses, Tech Crunch noted, asserting that The goal is to make delivering utility via blockchain easier by building a flexible network of applications that doesnt scare regulators like Libra has.

Kimble claims, We have met with governments around the globe as well as central banks, we are continually engaging with governments in the many countries which we hope to serve. Diogo Monica, president of Anchorage, which is a part of both the Libra project and the Celo Alliance for Prosperity, said in a statement:

Celo and Libra each have unique focuses and approaches, but they share a goal that Anchorage strongly believes in: banking the unbanked.

What do you think of the Celo project? Do you think regulators worldwide will have a problem with it like they do Facebooks cryptocurrency? Let us know in the comments section below.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation, endorsement, or sponsorship of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is 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.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock and the Celo Foundation.

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A student of Austrian Economics, Kevin found Bitcoin in 2011 and has been an evangelist ever since. His interests lie in Bitcoin security, open-source systems, network effects and the intersection between economics and cryptography.

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XRP on the Verge of Free Fall – Crypto Briefing

March 15, 2020 | Author: admin

XRP prices were slashed to levels not seen since May 2017. Despite the already painful sell-off, one prominent crypto analyst estimates that Ripples main asset could enter free fall.

Peter Brandt, a 45-years trading veteran, recently said that XRP is sitting on top of white space. Looking at prices since August 2016, Brandt shows there are no support levels that could help XRP if theres a further decline.

The lack of support is a result of price action following its $3.3 peak in January 2018. Since then, the coin entered a relentless downtrend, destroying 96% of its value.

Another way to look at it, according to Brandt, almost everyone who has bought XRP since May 2017 has a loss.

Although he didnt predict the exact price trajectory of XRP, he is not optimistic. Brandt pointed out that XRP is not a true crypto. Instead, he explained that it could serve as a financial instrument for those who believe crypto is a religion.

Regardless of its status, XRP could bounce back. It seems like its price action was contained in a descending parallel channel since mid-February. These patterns contain the price action of a coin within the upper and lower bounds of the channel.

A further increase in buying pressure could push Ripples coin to the middle or upper boundary of its channel. These support barriers sit at $0.17 and $0.2, respectively.

Its worth noting that a spike in volume could ignite another sell-off, adding credence to Brandts bearish position.

If this happens, Ripples cryptocurrency should prepare to make a new low. On its way down, the next levels of support to watch out for sit at $0.03 and $0.01, representing a 70-90% price drop.

Even Ripples notoriously rabid investor-base is concerned by the possibility of a large drop. Tiffany Hayden, previously one of its most passionate supporters, sold her holdings and disassociated herself with the community.

XRP needs momentum, and soon, or it could end in disaster for bag holders.

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