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Blockchain experiment results in swarm of decentralized learning robots
The research focused on securing the machines against physical and cyber-attack while maintaining their decentralized learning capabilities.
A team of scientists in Belgium may have solved one of the biggest challenges in the field of AI using a blockchain-based, decentralized training method. While the research is still in its earliest stages, its potential implications could range from revolutionizing outer space exploration to posing an existential threat to humanity.
In a simulated environment, the researchers developed a way to coordinate learning between individual, autonomous AI agents. The team used blockchain technology to facilitate and secure the agents’ communications, thus creating a decentralized “swarm” of learning models.
The individual training results for each agent in the swarm were then used to develop a larger AI model. Because the data was handled via blockchain, this bigger system benefited from the swarm’s collective intelligence without accessing any of the individual agents’ data. Read More
Nearly 90% of Crypto Firm Applications Rejected by UK Regulator
The Financial Conduct Authority says only four crypto asset businesses successfully registered.
The UK doesn’t seem to be warming up to crypto. A report released Thursday by the country’s financial watchdog said that nearly 90% of applications from crypto firms were rejected over the past year.
The reason? Inadequate protections against fraud.
“Over 87% of crypto registrations were rejected, withdrawn or refused for weak money laundering controls,” the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said in its latest annual report. The FCA regulates financial services firms and financial markets in the U.K.
The body added that it had introduced new rules so that firms promoting crypto must do so in a way that is “clear, fair, and not misleading.”
Of 35 applications received in the past year, the FCA noted, only four were successfully registered. Nearly half, or 15, were withdrawn, and 9 were rejected. Read More
Bitcoin Liquid Staking Comes to Zest Protocol on Stacks With BTCz
The new token will accrue yield for holders generated by Babylon, while still tracking BTC’s price.
With staking becoming a reality for Bitcoin's own layer-1, you’ll just as soon be able to trade liquid staking tokens on Bitcoin layer-2 networks.
Zest Protocol, a Bitcoin decentralized finance (DeFi) service available on Stacks, announced the launch of BTCz on Thursday—a BTC equivalent that will earn yield for holders through the fast-rising Babylon staking system.
“The BTC yield comes from Babylon staking or other BTC staking protocols that might launch in the future,” said Tycho Onnasch, co-founder of Zest Protocol, to Decrypt.
Babylon Labs told Decrypt last week that its protocol will allow users to stake their BTC to secure multiple external blockchains at once—including the burgeoning ecosystem of Bitcoin L2s currently in development. Read More
New Android malware steals private keys from screenshots and images
According to a recent FBI warning, North Korean hackers are “aggressively targeting” the crypto industry with “well-disguised” attacks.
A new Android malware called SpyAgent, discovered by software security firm McAfee, can steal private keys stored in screenshots and images on a smartphone’s internal storage.
More specifically, the malware uses a mechanism known as optical character recognition (OCR) to scan images stored on a smartphone and extract words from them. OCR is present in many technologies, including desktop computers, which can recognize, copy and paste text from images.
McAfee Labs explained that the malware is distributed through malicious links sent through text messages. The cybersecurity company broke down the process, beginning with an unsuspecting user clicking on a link they received.
The link will redirect the user to a seemingly legitimate website and prompt them to download an application presented as trustworthy. However, the application is the SpyAgent malware, and installing it will compromise the phone.
According to the report, these fraudulent programs are disguised as banking apps, government applications, and streaming services. Upon installing the applications, users are prompted to give the application permission to access contacts, messages and local storage. Read More
The New Mini Blog Newsfeed Is Here At Markethive! A significant achievement unlocked, with many more to come
The Markethive Social Market Broadcasting Network is rapidly gaining prominence as a blockchain-based ecosystem that empowers entrepreneurs with a unique blend of uncensored expression and impartial dialogue, fostering a spirit of collaboration. This sets it apart from the often divisive and restrictive social media landscape.
At Markethive, your experience is our top priority. That's why we're recognized for our evolutionary and innovative ethos. We consistently broaden our decentralized, all-encompassing platform, creating a distinctive news feed interface that fully captures the user's experience.
We operate as an Inbound Marketing platform similar to Marketo and Paragon. The platform is comparable to popular platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. However, we aim to surpass these traditional Web 2.0 media platforms with the upcoming release of Markethive 2.0, which includes various new features and an improved layout.
In contrast to traditional social media platforms, which rely on a single, primary news feed algorithmically set by the central authorities, Markethive's innovative approach will incorporate four distinct news feeds tailored to support the diverse range of features and functions within the Markethive ecosystem.
Markethive's feeds, including the Conglomerate or general newsfeed, video content, blogging, and curated content, are all about putting you in control. With advanced algorithms, you can tailor these feeds to your preferences, giving you the power to shape your Markethive experience. Markethive's reach is vast, as it consolidates the various features of other platforms into a single, unified system. Read More
Sonic blockchain reaches record 720ms finality in testnet phase
Sonic could become the fastest blockchain by finality if it maintains the performance on its mainnet.
The Sonic blockchain has achieved a transaction finality of 720 milliseconds (ms) during its testnet.
In blockchain, finality is the assurance that a transaction is irreversible, which happens after it is added to a block on the blockchain ledger.
Sonic claims to be the world’s fastest Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chain, with a “true” 720-ms finality, according to Andre Cronje, the creator of the Fantom Network and the chief technology officer of Sonic Labs.
Cronje wrote in a Sept. 8 X post:
“400ms responsiveness (perfect for synchronous events). 720ms finality (true, not probabilistic - no "please wait 30 blocks").” Read More
‘Big Sybil hunt’ and durable users helped LayerZero airdrop succeed, says CEO
LayerZero’s native ZRO token has vastly outperformed the tokens of other projects, including ZKsync and Starknet, which were airdropped around the same time.
A combo of aggressive Sybil filtering and laser-focus on prioritizing developers and “durable” users helped the price of LayerZero’s native token hold steady following its airdrop, claimed LayerZero Labs’ CEO Bryan Pellegrino.
Pellegrino told Cointelegraph at Korea Blockchain Week that LayerZero did a lot of “very unique” things with its airdrop, including a “big Sybil hunt” that blocked bots and excessive farming in a bid to put its native LayerZero (ZRO) tokens in the hands of the network’s most dedicated users.
“Our goal was to reward the real users, the people who are the most dedicated and durable users.”
The price of ZRO stands in stark contrast to the tokens of Ethereum layer-2 network rivals Starknet and ZKsync, which were also brought to market by airdrop in 2024.
Pellegrino said the top priority for any team conducting an airdrop is to “close the gap between expectations and reality,” adding that LayerZero worked hard to balance the scales.
“We did this big Sybil hunt. When we announced the Sybil at the beginning, there was a very visceral negative reaction to it because people didn’t expect this to happen,” he said.
“But as soon as people started to see we were really putting a lot of effort in, and our goal was, for real users to get a higher allocation, people become very positive on the Sybil hunting.” Read More
Stacks’ smart contracts reach record high ahead of Nakamoto upgrade
Stacks reached a new all-time high in smart contract deployment just days before the much-anticipated Nakamoto upgrade is fully activated.
Stacks, the Bitcoin network’s smart contract layer, reached a new all-time high of over 1,400 monthly smart contracts deployed.
Stacks announced the record high in a Sept. 7 X post:
“A new high and 30% increase [month-over-month] MoM for smart contract deployments on the leading Bitcoin L2, Stacks.”
The new record high comes ahead of the full activation of the Nakamoto upgrade, which started rolling out at Bitcoin block 840,360 on Aug. 28.
The upgrade is expected to revolutionize Bitcoin-based decentralized finance (DeFi), also known as BTCFi, a new technological paradigm that aims to bring DeFi capabilities to the world’s first blockchain network. Read More
Will Polymarket Launch a Token? Why Some Traders Are Betting on an Airdrop
As the crypto prediction market surges, there's growing speculation that Polymarket will launch a token. Some users are already farming for it.
Will Polymarket have an airdrop? This year's staggering rise of the crypto prediction market has fueled speculation that the platform will debut its own token, and potentially reward its growing pool of users. And some of those users already appear to be making moves to improve their chances of scoring big.
To be clear, Polymarket has yet to announce plans for a token, and the company did not reply to Decrypt's request for comment. But amid surging trading volume alongside the U.S. election cycle, some users in the Polymarket community expect a token to launch within the next year, with a noticeable subgroup of traders already attempting to farm the potential airdrop.
Traders have begun shifting their behavior amid the speculation by attempting to artificially inflate their trading volume in the hopes of scooping a larger airdrop reward, Decrypt was told by whales observing the behavior.
Due to the platform not charging transaction or subscription fees, Polymarket may be eyeing a token to fuel its next phase of potential growth and expansion following a funding round earlier this year. The prediction market raised $70 million in May during its Series B, with backing from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin. Read More
Disclaimer: These articles are provided for informational purposes only. They are not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or any other advice.
Featured Image Source: Pixabay
