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Samsung is developing its own blockchain network, report claims

April 26, 2019 | Author: admin

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Image: Raymond Wong/Mashable

Samsung is developing a blockchain network and potentially a cryptocurrency token called "Samsung Coin."

This is according to a report by CoinDesk Korea, which cites an unnamed company official familiar with "Samsung's internal situation."

Details are scarce, and nothing is confirmed, but the blockchain network could either be public or hybrid a combination of public and private blockchains.

One important detail: This blockchain network will reportedly be based on Ethereum, a popular smart contract platform which makes it fairly easy to deploy your own cryptocurrency token.

Once the blockchain development is finalized, the company might move to launch its own Samsung Coin crypto-token, though "the direction has not yet been decided."

Samsung has been working on this project for at least a year, the source said.

Samsung has dipped its toes into crypto waters by introducing a cryptocurrency wallet and decentralized app support on its Galaxy S10 phone, but this is the first time I've heard of the company building a blockchain-based network and a cryptocurrency/token of its own.

It's hardly a surprise, though numerous tech companies, including Microsoft and Facebook, are working on blockchain projects. There's no word on what Samsung plans to do with its blockchain, but the company has a mobile payment/wallet service, Samsung Pay, which might benefit from cryptocurrency integration.

We've asked Samsung about its blockchain-related efforts and will update the article when we hear from them.

Disclosure: The author of this text owns, or has recently owned, a number of cryptocurrencies, including BTC and ETH.

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Cryptocurrency Definition | Bankrate.com

April 26, 2019 | Author: admin

Cryptocurrency is a type of decentralized digital currency. Cryptocurrencies utilizeblockchainledgerstorecord and validate transactions. The first cryptocurrency wasbitcoin, which debutedin 2009, and nearly 900 cryptocurrencies have been created as of 2017, although very few have seen widespread adoption.

When cryptocurrency is used to pay for goods or services, eachtransaction is securely encrypted and recorded in a public ledger called a blockchain. The blockchain ensures acryptocurrencys integrity and eliminates the need for a central administrator, such as a treasury or acentral bank. Cryptocurrency users connect directly to each other in eer-to-peer transactions, with a degree of anonymity provided by the blockchain ledger. Acryptocurrency walletis used to store various kinds of cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency and it remains the most popular, with millions of users trading the 16 million bitcoins currently in electronic circulation. In its wake, many imitators appeared, andvirtually all of them replicated bitcoins approach while adding uniquetwists. Some of the first imitators, such as Namecoin and Litecoin, improved upon bitcoins security, although none of them have seenmainstream adoptionlike bitcoin, which as of 2017 is accepted at over 100,000 online retailers.

Other cryptocurrencies, like Nxt,resemble acomputing platform morethan a currency used for payment purposes. Where bitcoin simply registers ownership of coins, Nxts blockchain offers several transaction types, such asdata storage or commodities trading, and allows users tobuild apps that utilize the Nxt blockchain.

Ethereum is a cryptocurrency calledether to power a globally shared computer environment. Ethereum transactions are validated on a blockchain like other protocols, but these transactions dont simply confirm spent cryptocurrency; rather, whole computations are recorded in each block, and the price of performing the computation, whats called gas, is paid with ether. The processing power necessary for the computation is provided by users called miners who keep the ether as a reward.

Not ready to take the cryptocurrency plunge? You can always make online payments with a credit card, and Bankrate has the list of the best cash-back cards.

One way to understand the difference between bitcoin andethereum is to think of bitcoin as a currency enabled by a blockchain and ethereum as a blockchain enabled by currency. Whereas bitcoin exists to be spent, ethereums purpose is to provide a computing and business ecosystem. You cant spend ether on Amazon like you can with bitcoin, but you can use it to run an ethereum-based business or app without a middleman like J.P. Morgan or Apple.

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2019s best cryptocurrency wallets | 70+ compared | finder.com

April 26, 2019 | Author: admin

Hardware

BTC, BCH, BTG, ETH, ETC, LTC, DOGE, ZEC, XRP, DASH, STRAT, KMD, ARK, EXP, UBQ, VTC, VIA, NEO, XST, XLM & 1,000+ more

NEW The Ledger Nano X comes with added Bluetooth functionality, more memory and a higher quality screen than its big brother, the Nano S.

Desktop Client

BTC, LTC, ETH, TRX, XMR, DGB, QTUM, XLM, ZEC, XRP, BCH, ETC, DASH, AWC, BTG, DOGE, TPAY, VET, VTHO, DCR, and 280+ more

Store, buy and sell 300+ cryptocurrencies using Atomic Wallet's in-built atomic swap exchange.

MobileWeb

BTC, LTC, ETH, BAT, BCH, DASH, BTG, XRP

Buy, send and convert more than 35 currencies at the touch of a button.

Hardware

BTC, BCH, BTG, ETH, ETC, LTC, DOGE, ZEC, XRP, DASH, STRAT, KMD, ARK, EXP, UBQ, VTC, VIA, NEO, XST, XLM & 1,000+ more

Securely store some of the world's leading cryptocurrencies on the Ledger Nano S hardware wallet.

Hardware

BTC, BCH, BTG, LTC, DASH, DOGE, ETC, ETH, ERC20, NEM, NMC, ZEC, EXP, UBQ

TREZOR hardware wallet is a secure way to keep your cryptocurrency safe from hackers and malware.

Mobile

BTC, BCH, ETH, XRP, ETC, LTC, XLM, ADA, BTG, TRX, REP, BAT, DASH, DGB, DOGE, GNT, LSK, XMR, XEM, NEO, OMG, QTUM, SNT, STRAT, TRX, XVG, VTC, ZEC, ZRX

Buy and hold 28+ cryptocurrencies and more than 50 different fiat currencies in this all-in-one wallet and exchange app.

HardwareMobile

BTC, ETC, XRP, LTC, BCH, ERC20 Tokens

A mobile hardware wallet for iPhone or Android designed to offer wireless bluetooth transactions and cold storage.

HardwareMobile

BTC, ETH, LTC, XRP, BCH, ERC20

A NFC cryptocurrency wallet card with a mobile app that supports major cryptos and select ERC20 tokens.

Hardware

BTC, BCH, BTG, LTC, DASH, DOGE, ETC, ETH, ERC20, NEM, NMC, ZEC, EXP, UBQ

The next generation of hardware wallet from TREZOR, the Model T includes a host of new features including a touchscreen and improved processing.

Desktop ClientWeb

BTC, ETH, REP, ANT, BAT, EOS, SALT, CVC, DNT, SNT, SUB, TRX, OMG, BTM, DENT, PPT, MKR, DGD, QASH, ETHOS & 10+ more

Along with being a decentralised cryptocurrency exchange, Altcoin.io offers users access to its beta release atomic swap wallet.

MobileWeb

BTC, BCH, LTC, ETH

As well as being a cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase offers one of the most popular web wallets accessible by mobile.

Hardware

BTC, BCH , DASH, DOGE, ETH, LTC, NMC

Protect your digital assets from hackers with the virus- and malware-proof KeepKey hardware wallet.

Desktop ClientMobileWeb

BTC, ETH, DASH, ETC, BCH, REP, LTC, ZEC, RSK, DGE, ICN, GNT, GNO, DGD, BCAP, CVC, STX, POE, MCI, QTUM, CFI, ART, PAY & 30+ more

A relatively new wallet on the market, Jaxx offers multi-platform support for seven different cryptocurrency assets.

Desktop Client

BTC, BCH, BTG, LTC, ETH, DASH, ETC, VTC, FUN, DCR, EOS, ANT, GNO, OMG, BAT & 15+ more

Founded in July 2016, this free desktop wallet offers support for multiple cryptocurrencies including live chart tracking features.

Mobile

BTC, ETH, ETC, BTG, DOGE, LTC, LCC, BCH, DASH, NBT, PPC, RDD, MONA, DGB, DGC, NEOS, XVG, VTC, BTA, ABN & 100+ more

A multi-coin crypto wallet designed for storing multiple cryptocurrencies on your mobile, including bitcoin and Ethereum.

Desktop ClientMobile

BTC

Electrum's desktop wallet is designed to efficiently store your BTC on multi-platforms like Windows, Mac and Linux.

Desktop Client

BTC

Armory is the only open-source wallet with cold storage and multi-signature support features to protect your cryptocurrency.

Desktop ClientMobile

BTC

Developed for bitcoin storage only, GreenAddress offers two-factor authentication and protection of your digital assets.

Mobile

BTC

Bread, previously known as Breadwallet, is a free digital wallet app focused on protecting your personal privacy during BTC storage.

Desktop ClientMobileWeb

BTC, BCH

Developed by BitPay to secure BitPays funds, Copay has quickly emerged as one of the leading wallet platforms on the market.

MobileWeb

BTC, BCH, ETH

Home to over 15 million wallets, Blockchain delivers an online solution for safe ETH and BTC storage.

Mobile

BTC

Founded in 2008, Mycelium is a well-established player in the digital currency industry, evolving to meet the growing needs of bitcoin users.

Mobile

BTC, BCH, ETH, LTC, XMR, XRP, DASH, REP, WINGS, IND, XZC, FTC

A multi-currency wallet designed with an emphasis on security, privacy and user-friendliness.

MobileWeb

BTC, BCH

A web and mobile wallet designed to make it safe and easy to send, receive and store both Bitcoin Cash and bitcoin.

Desktop Client

ETH, ERC20

Securely store Ether and other digital assets on the official Ethereum wallet, otherwise known as the Mist wallet.

Web

ETH, ETC, EOS & ERC20 tokens

MyEtherWallet (MEW) is a free, open source tool for creating wallets that work with the Ethereum platform.

Daedalus Wallet

Desktop Client

ADA

Developed by the team behind Cardano, Daedalus is an open source desktop wallet designed specifically for ADA.

MetaMask Wallet

Web

ETH

A popular Ethereum wallet, MetaMask provides private key protection for sending and storing Ether.

LoafWallet

Mobile

LTC

Developed by the creators of Litecoin, LoafWallet allows you to securely store Litecoin on iOS and Android.

Mobile

ENJ, BTC, ETH, LTC, ERC20, ERC721, ERC1155

Developed by the Enjin Coin team, Enjin Wallet is a mobile multi-crypto wallet designed to be portable, secure and easy.

LiteVault Wallet

Web

LTC

Store, send and receive LTC via the open source, web-based LiteVault wallet.

ethaddress Wallet

Paper

ETH

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IBM expands universities in its quantum computing research …

April 25, 2019 | Author: admin

IBM said its commercial quantum computing program, called IBM Q Network, is expanding to more universities in North America, including Notre Dame, Florida State, and Virginia Tech.

The company's IBM Q Network is designed to develop curricula for students and forge research partnerships with academia. The additions of the aforementioned universities as well as Stony Brook University and the University of Tokyo will round out a list that already includes Duke, Harvard, and the University of Waterloo.

According to IBM, each university will have a different research focus and angle. For instance, Stony Brook will focus on preparing students for working in the quantum technologies field. Notre Dame will look a quantum applications in chemistry, physics, and engineering and Virginia Tech is looking at new algorithms for quantum chemistry.

Also:What a quantum computer is, and why it needs to be more |Quantum computers will break encryption|Intel offers AI breakthrough in quantum computing|Quantum as a service: How to product-ize a hole in space and time

Turning Big Data into Business Insights

Businesses are good at collecting data, and the Internet of Things is taking it to the next level. But, the most advanced organizations are using it to power digital transformation.

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Big Blue earlier this year outlined its latest Q System One and showed off hardware designs for the system. Most quantum computing applications are likely to be consumed as a cloud service through multiple clouds.

The research collaboration network for IBM's Q Network will also includethe University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Waterloo, as well as the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois via the Chicago Quantum Exchange, a research hub for quantum technology.

While these research areas are fluid and early stages, IBM is laying down the groundwork for quantum advances and ensuring there are people able to work in the field and ultimately expand it.

IBM has recently said that its possible that quantum computing will hit so-called Quantum Advantage in the 2020s. Quantum Advantage is where quantum computing leaves the lab for more practical applications.

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What is cryptocurrency? – Definition from WhatIs.com

April 25, 2019 | Author: admin

A cryptocurrency is a digital medium of exchange that uses encryption to secure the processes involved in generating units and conducting transactions.

Cryptocurrencies are a subset of digital currencies and, as such, have no physical representation. They may beused for online orin-person transactions with any vendors who accept them.In-person transactions using cryptocurrencies aretypically conductedthrough mobile paymentfrom a digital wallet.

There are hundreds of cryptocurrencies around the world. Among them, Bitcoin is the most prominent example -- in fact, other cryptocurrencies are sometimes referred to as altcoins, as in alternatives to Bitcoin. The Bitcoinprotocol enables peer-to-peer (P2P) exchange in a decentralized system that, unlike conventional currencies,is not associated with any financial institution or government.

Bitcoin-to-Bitcoin transactions are conducted through anonymous, heavily encryptedhashcodes across a peer-to-peer network.Each users digital wallet maintains their Bitcoins. The wallet also stores all addresses the user sends and receives Bitcoins from, along with aprivate keyknown only to the user. The P2P network monitors and verifies Bitcoin transfers.

Other cryptocurrencies include Litecoin, primecoin, Namecoin and Feathercoin.

Paul Vigna provides a crash course on cryptocurrencies:

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A Beginner’s Guide to Cryptocoin Mining: What You Need to …

April 25, 2019 | Author: admin

Mining cryptocoinsis an arms race that rewards early adopters. You might have heard of Bitcoin, the first decentralized cryptocurrency that was released in early 2009.Similar digital currencies have crept into the worldwide market since then, including a spin-off from Bitcoin called Bitcoin Cash. You can get in on the cryptocurrency rush if you take the time to learn the basics properly.

If you had started mining Bitcoins back in 2009, you could have earned thousands of dollars by now. At the same time, there are plenty ofways you could have lost money, too.Bitcoinsare not a good choice for beginning miners who work on a small scale. The current up-front investment and maintenance costs, not to mention the sheermathematical difficulty of the process, just doesn't make it profitable for consumer-level hardware. Now, Bitcoin mining is reserved for large-scale operations only.

Litecoins, Dogecoins, and Feathercoins, on the other hand,are three Scrypt-based cryptocurrencies that are the best cost-benefit for beginners.

Dogecoins and Feathercoins would yield slightly less profit with the same mining hardware but are becoming more popular daily. Peercoins, too, can also be a reasonably decent return on your investment of time and energy.

As more people join the cryptocoin rush, your choice could get more difficult to mine because more expensive hardware will be required to discover coins. You will be forced to either invest heavily if you want to stay mining that coin, or you will want to take your earnings and switch to an easier cryptocoin. Understanding the top 3 bitcoin mining methods is probably where you need to begin; this article focuses on mining "scrypt" coins.

As a hobby venture,yes, cryptocoin mining can generate a small income of perhaps a dollar or two per day. In particular, the digital currencies mentioned above are very accessible for regular people to mine, and a person can recoup $1000 in hardware costs in about 18-24 months.

As a second income,no, cryptocoin mining is not a reliable way to make substantial money for most people. The profit from mining cryptocoins only becomes significant when someone is willing to invest $3000-$5000 in up-front hardware costs, at which time you could potentially earn $50 per day or more.

If your objective is to earn substantial money as a second income, then you are better off purchasing cryptocoins with cash instead of mining them, and then tucking them awayin the hopes that they will jump in value like gold or silver bullion. If your objective is to make a few digital bucks andspend them somehow, then you just might have a slow way to do that with mining.

Smart miners need to keep electricity costs to under $0.11 per kilowatt-hour;mining with 4 GPU video cards can net you around $8.00 to $10.00per day (depending upon the cryptocurrency you choose), or around $250-$300 per month.

Now, there is a small chance that your chosen digital currency will jump in value alongside Bitcoin at some point. Then, possibly, you could find yourself sitting on thousands of dollars in cryptocoins. The emphasis here is on "small chance," with small meaning "slightly better than winning the lottery."

If you do decide to try cryptocoin mining, definitely do so as a hobby with a very small income return. Think of it as "gathering gold dust" instead of collecting actual gold nuggets. And always, always, do your research to avoid a scam currency.

Let's focus on mining scrypt coins, namely Litecoins, Dogecoins,or Feathercoins. The whole focus of mining is to accomplish three things:

You will need ten things to mine Litecoins,Dogecoins, and/or Feathercoins.

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Crypto Conundrum: Bullish Bitcoin Price Action Halts Altcoin …

April 24, 2019 | Author: admin

Overnight last night, Bitcoin price made another strong bullish advance through resistance at $5,400, following a massive crypto rally earlier in the month that set the bullish tone for the rest of the months price action. While Bitcoin is more bullish than its been since its all-time high of $20,000 back in December 2017, altcoins, which had been experiencing massive gains in price over the last few months, have suddenly turned extremely bearish.

Across social media, crypto analysts are issuing warnings on how to handle altcoin investments in the face of renewed bearish sentiment, and offer insight into what this means for the rest of the crypto market.

While Bitcoins first large movement through resistance at $4,200 that resulted in a nearly $1,000 upward movement over the course of an hour brought altcoins along with it for the ride, this most recent move has caused an increasing amount of bearish sentiment surrounding Bitcoins crypto cousins.

Related Reading | 2019 Crypto Alt Season Kicks Off With Over 20 Altcoins Doubling in Value

Many altcoins are still posting small percentage gains across the board in USD value, though nearly the entire market in value relative to Bitcoin has sank considerably. Any alts that only have a trading pair with BTC were hit exceptionally hard. Nano, Tezos, and a few other outliers managed to grow in relation to BTC value, however the rest of the market is a sea of red.

One particular crypto analyst, DonAlt, in a tweet hinted at the downside potential for altcoins as falling as much as 30-50% as Bitcoin rallies further. The trader says that alts nuking is a good thing as itll make the next alt season that much sweeter.

Some altcoins, such as Ethereum and Ripple, have underperformed relative to Bitcoin over the last few months. If Ripple fell another 30-50% from here, itd set new bear market lows, as Bitcoin enters what could be the start of a bull run.

Another prominent trader has recommended that crypto investors cease buying the dip across altcoins, and instead suggests that traders sell each bounce at support.

In an EOS chart accompanying the tweet, support is clearly shown as being broken. And each time support broke previously on the chart, resulted in a deep decline for EOS. While the exact price action wont play out across all altcoins, many charts do appear similar in structure, and often the entire altcoin market moves in parity.

Related Reading | Bullish Bitcoin Price Formation Hints At Short Term Move Above $6K

For a few weeks there, crypto analysts were watching Bitcoin dominance for a break below 50% which could have sparked an all-out altcoin season, while Bitcoin consolidated further. Instead, BTC dominance rebounded and is currently sitting at 53.5% which is responsible for the bleeding witnessed across the altcoin space.

If DonAlt is right about the next altcoin season being that much sweeter due to the impending decline across the alt space, further accumulation at the bottom of the coming range could end up being a profitable investment for the long term as crypto markets begin to build hype once again.

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Bitcoin price | index, chart and news | WorldCoinIndex

April 22, 2019 | Author: admin

About

Bitcoin is the worlds first virtual digital currency underpinned by a completely decentralized blockchain technology also known as the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). Bitcoin was first created in 2009 by an anonymous identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin allows for peer-to-peer transactions and is completely free of any third-party involvement like financial institutions or central banks. The Bitcoins blockchain network maintains a history of all the transactions made and facilitates instant funds transfer with minimal transaction fees required to cover the cost of network operation. The total supply of Bitcoin is fixed at 21 million coins and its smallest fractional unit is called as Satoshi. Each Satoshi is a hundred millionth of a Bitcoin which means 100,000,000 Santoshi = 1 BTC. Bitcoins are generated by a process known as mining which involves solving of complex mathematical algorithms. The miners involved in the mining process look after the Bitcoin network security and validate each transactions taking place on the network. Bitcoin can be exchanged with other digital currencies or fiat currencies. Bitcoin is used as a means of payment by over 100,000 vendors and merchants.

Bitcoin is the worlds first cryptocurrency which works on a completely decentralized network known as the blockchain. The blockchain network consists a link of blocks that are secured using cryptography and record all the transactions. Bitcoin was first presented to the world in 2009 by an anonymous identity known as Satoshi Nakamoto. As Bitcoin works on a decentralized network, it is completely free from the involvement of third-party financial institutions or central banks. The Bitcoin blockchain facilitates instant peer-to-peer transactions at minimum transactions fees required to maintain the network. The total number of Bitcoins is fixed at 21 million with its smallest unit being referred to as Satoshi. Each Satoshi represents a hundred millionth part of Bitcoin which means that 100,000,000 Santoshi = 1 BTC. Additional Bitcoins are generated by a process known as mining. Bitcoins are mined by professional miners solving complex computational equations. For each Bitcoin mined, the miners are rewarded with either more coins or transaction fees. The miners also validate all transactions on the Bitcoin network as well as look after the network security. Bitcoin can be exchanged with fiat currencies or other digital currencies. There are over 100,000 merchants and vendors accepting Bitcoin all over the world.

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After Paris, Encryption Will Be a Key Issue in the 2016 …

April 22, 2019 | Author: admin

When the Democratic presidential contenders gathered on the debate stage in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, just hours after a series of terrorist attacks in Paris left at least 129 people dead, the candidates spent the early portion of their time on stage examining issues related to national security. They spoke of boots on the ground, regime changes, what role the United States ought to play in the fight against ISIS, and whether or not they use the term radical Islam.

But curiously, throughout the lengthy discussion, the one issue that was never mentionednot oncewas encryption. Thats lucky, at least for the candidates. As the world continues to reel from the Paris attacks, the debate over whether tech companies like Apple and Google are allowed to fully encrypt users communications will, no doubt, become one of the central dramas of the national security conversation going into the 2016 presidential race. It may also be among the toughest issues for the candidates, especially Democrats, to navigate.

Encryption may be among the toughest issues for the candidates, especially Democrats, to navigate.

Just yesterday, CIA director John Brennan said that he hoped the Paris attacks would serve as a wakeup call to those who oppose government surveillance in favor of personal privacy.

There are a lot of technological capabilities that are available right now that make it exceptionally difficult both technically as well as legally for intelligence security services to have insight that they need to uncover it," he said, adding that terrorists have gone to school to figure out ways to evade intelligence officials.

Brennan attributed that fact, in part, to Edward Snowdens disclosures of the National Security Agencys bulk data collection programs, saying they tipped would-be terrorists off to surveillance tactics. In the past several years, because of a number of unauthorized disclosures and a lot of hand-wringing over the governments role in the effort to try to uncover these terrorists, he said, there have been some policy and legal and other actions that make our ability, collectively, internationally, to find these terrorists much more challenging.

This, of course, is not the first time weve heard these concerns from government officials. Just a day before the Paris attacks, the NSAs former general counsel, Matt Olsen, told an audience gathered in Des Moines that after Snowden came forward, the agency lost track of terrorists. Meanwhile, FBI director James Comey has been an outspoken critic of encryption, arguing that it enables criminals to go dark.

Whether encryption is really the security risk the government makes it out to be, of course, is still up for debate. We at WIRED have debated it plenty. Now it's time for the presidential candidates to do the same.

Until now, the Democratic candidates in particular have been light on detail about where they stand on encryption and surveillance. This reticence stands to reason. By aligning themselves too closely with Washington's intelligence community, they could alienate their Silicon Valley base, which is increasingly powerful in politics. But if they cater too much to the interests of tech companies such as Apple and Google, they could lose favor among voters who increasingly see national security as the country's most pressing issue.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has walked an uneasy line on the subject of surveillance in the past. On one hand, she was a supporter of the controversial PATRIOT Act as a senator back in 2001, a decision that's been widely criticized by Bernie Sanders' camp. This summer, she also said that cybersecurity legislation such as the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, or CISA, which is already highly unpopular among privacy advocates, doesn't go far enough in encouraging tech companies to share information with the US government. And during the first debate, she said Snowden "stole very important information that has unfortunately fallen into a lot of the wrong hands," and that he shouldn't return home "without facing the music."

'I think there are really strong, legitimate arguments on both sides.'

Hillary Clinton

At the same time, however, she has endorsed the USA Freedom Act, which would end the NSA's bulk data collection program, calling it "a good step forward in ongoing efforts to protect our security and civil liberties." And at a conference earlier this year, Clinton told Re/Code's Kara Swisher that encryption is "a classic hard choice," but she hedged before offering up her plan for what to do about it. "I would be the first to say I don't have the answer," she said. "I think there are really strong, legitimate arguments on both sides."

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, has been far more outspoken in his opposition of government surveillance. He received a round of applause at the first Democratic debate for voting against the PATRIOT Act and has said that, as president, he would shut down the NSA's surveillance program altogether.

But national security is considered Sanders' major weak spot. Even those who support his stance on inequality sometimes question his ability as commander-in-chief. The more fearful Americans become of the threat ISIS poses, the weaker Sanders' stance on surveillance may appear to the electorate beyond Sanders' base. After all, a recent poll showed that 56 percent of voters said they would give the government access to some personal data if it meant protecting the country from a terrorist attack.

On the other side of the aisle, candidates like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Donald Trump, and Chris Christie have all spoken out against encryption and the need for government surveillance. The one notable exception, of course, is Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who said at a conference last week that he believes governments should require warrants to access people's communications. Still, that policy doesn't apply to companies like Apple, which promises users that their data is encrypted so that it can't be accessed even with a warrant.

The battle over how to balance security and privacy, of course, is nothing new in politics. Just last month, the Obama administration backed away from legislation that would have forced tech companies to decrypt messages for law enforcement. The move was seen as a win for technologists and privacy advocates alike.

Those same advocates are now hoping that fear won't cause politicians to resume the fight against encryption. "The Paris attacks are absolutely tragic, but the response must not be to undermine cybersecurity for digital services on which many millions of people depend," said Harley Geiger, senior counsel and advocacy director for the Center for Democracy & Technology. "Weakening encryption will also not prevent organized groups from using strong encryption. Difficult-to-crack encryption and apps will continue to be available on the Internet, even if governments seek to ban them."

And yet, as calls for stronger national security spread post-Paris, candidates that support encryption may face added pressures from both the public and their Republican opponents to reevaluateor at the least, delineatewhere they stand on encryption. And when they do, they may find it's not so easy to keep both sides happy.

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Quantum computing is a marathon not a sprint | VentureBeat

April 22, 2019 | Author: admin

If you watch the technology headlines you might think something called quantum computing is the Next Big Thing. In January, USA Today declared IBMs new quantum computer one of the four most wow worthy announcements at CES, the annual gadget fest in Las Vegas. Gartner also listed quantum computing as one of the top technology trends for 2019, joining fan favorites like blockchain and virtual reality.

Ive spent more than 25 years as a physicist researching quantum computers machines that store and process information on individual atoms or particles, like photons and Ive started a company that is building them. I am convinced quantum computing is in fact a breakthrough technology that offers the only known way to attack some of the worlds hardest problems in medicine, transportation, computer security, and other areas we havent yet foreseen.

We must be clear, however, about what is and isnt happening next. The big quantum computing discoveries that will most impact society are still years away. In the meantime, we will see breathless announcements of records broken as the technology rapidly develops. These incremental advances are important for government, which has a role in encouraging this research, as well as for industries that need to start developing ways to use quantum computers as they become more powerful. But too much hype risks disillusionment that may slow the progress.

The first thing to know about quantum computers is that they are not a faster, better version of the computers we have now. Youll never trade in your laptop or smartphone for a quantum version. Quantum computers almost certainly wont run social networks, animate Pixar movies, or keep track of airline reservations. They solve different problems in different ways.

Quantum computers were proposed in 1982 by Richard Feynman, the Nobel prize winning physicist, who worried that conventional computers could never tackle problems in quantum mechanics, the well-established theory that predicts the behavior of small isolated particles such as atoms or electrons. Today, we do use conventional computers to simulate quantum models of material and chemical processes, but these simulations grind to a halt when faced with all the possible arrangements of electrons in even a small molecule or chunk of material.

Feynmans idea was simple: build a computer that stores information on individual particles later named qubits that already follow the very rules of quantum mechanics that seem to perplex conventional computers.

Whats the difference? Ordinary computers think in certainties, digitizing every aspect of the world to well-defined numbers. Quantum computers probe all possibilities, constantly updating the probabilities of multiple scenarios. Add more qubits, and they can consider exponentially more scenarios. A quantum computer is programmed to consider all these possibilities and narrow them down to just a few, and then when the output is measured, it can tell us information about all those scenarios. It is critical that a quantum computer not be measured or looked at while it considers the uncountable number of possibilities. For that reason, qubits are like senators before a controversial vote: They shouldnt reveal their position until they are forced to.

Our world is filled with uncertainty, and quantum computers can be very helpful in selecting the best of several options. Thus a bank wouldnt use a quantum computer to track checking accounts. When you look at your balance, you want a single answer you can count on. But the bank might use a quantum computer to estimate how much money you will have in your account a year from now, based on the probability you will get a raise or get fired, whether your teenager will crash the car, if the stock market will crash, and how these factors interact.

To be clear, nobody has yet written a program that makes financial projections on a quantum computer. One reason is that, until now, there havent been any quantum computers to try them out on. But after a lot of work, thats changed. Over the last few years, corporate, academic, and government groups have built machines that can isolate and manipulate particles or other types of qubits well enough to handle basic programs.

It takes exacting precision and extreme conditions to isolate and control qubits. Some quantum computers freeze solid-state circuits to close to absolute zero. Others uses electric fields to levitate atoms in a vacuum that is more pure than deep space, while using lasers to manipulate them with an accuracy of 1/10,000 the width of a human hair. These atomic qubits in particular can scale to much larger systems because they are all the same isolated atomic element, perfectly replicable, and they are so well isolated that they never reveal their qubit states until forced to.

In 3-5 years, these machines will perform certain calculations that would not be possible using ordinary computers. But it may be 5-10 years before any of these machines have the capacity and accuracy to solve useful problems. Along the way, I worry that some who read about quantum computing being the next big thing will feel let down and lose interest. We cant let that happen. Government needs to continue to support basic research, as Congress did passing the National Quantum Initiative Act last year. And the industrial community needs to start working with the current generation of quantum computers so they can develop the know-how and the software that will give them an edge as the technology improves.

Even then, you wont have a quantum computer on your desk or in your pocket. But you may start to see better drugs, more flexible materials, and organizations running more efficiently. All that will definitely be wow worthy.

Christopher Monroe is the Bice Zorn Professor of Physics and Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland and co-founder and CEO of IonQ, a quantum computing startup.

More here:
Quantum computing is a marathon not a sprint | VentureBeat

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