Caroline Ellison, the former co-CEO of Alameda Research, has been sentenced to two years in prison for her involvement in the $8 billion fraud involving the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. At 29 years old, Ellison faced seven counts of fraud and conspiracy, but her cooperation with prosecutors played a key role in reducing her potential sentence from a possible 110 years.

Airbtc, a Bitcoin-only booking platform, has introduced NOSTR identity verification, an alternative to traditional KYC (Know Your Customer) practices, marking a leap in enhancing privacy and security in digital transactions and property bookings. Airbtc allows users to verify their identity using NOSTR, a decentralized and privacy-centric protocol.

IVPN has released version v3.14.17 of its Desktop app, now available through the official website and via in-app updates. The most notable change in this update mirrors the recent iOS release: your account ID is now hidden by default within the app, improving privacy for users.

Nick Szabo’s seminal paper on micropayments and mental transaction costs raises a crucial question: do users really want to deal with countless micro-decisions about small payments in an online world? Szabo argued that even trivial transactions impose a psychological burden, causing users to avoid such payments. Yet, Bitcoin-powered platforms like Stacker News (SN) and Nostr challenge this idea, with users actively participating in micro-transactions—“zaps”—seemingly without exhaustion.

LinkedIn has halted the processing of U.K. users' data for training artificial intelligence (AI) models after privacy concerns were raised by the U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The suspension follows LinkedIn’s admission of using user data for AI training without obtaining explicit consent, as part of its privacy policy update on September 18, 2024.

After years of research and consultation, the Bank of Canada has decided to put its plans for a digital Canadian dollar, or "digital Loonie," on hold. Since 2017, the central bank has explored the potential benefits and challenges of introducing a digital currency, driven by rapid digitalization and evolving payment methods. However, despite releasing a staff paper this summer emphasizing the need for such a currency to maintain monetary sovereignty and financial stability, the bank has stepped back from its earlier ambitions according to CBC News, although not confirmed officially on the banks website.

The open-source Bitcoin project formerly known as Satonomics has rebranded to kibō—a name inspired by the Japanese word for "hope," reflecting Bitcoin’s vision of a more inclusive and decentralized financial future. With the release of version 0.4.0, the team behind kibō has introduced several key updates aimed at improving performance, usability, and long-term sustainability.

The Ashigaru Open Source Project has officially released Ashigaru Mobile Wallet v1.0.0, their first mobile wallet. This release is built on Samourai Wallet’s 0.99.98ii app, with development work up to April 24, 2024, serving as its foundation.

A critical vulnerability in Bitcoin Core, present until version 24.0.1, allowed attackers to exploit a weakness in how nodes handled blockchain headers. Attackers could spam nodes with low-difficulty headers chains, which could overwhelm the system and result in a remote denial of service (DoS). This issue has been classified as high severity.

Hut8 a major North American Bitcoin mining operator, announced an expanded partnership with BITMAIN Technologies Ltd. to launch the U3S21EXPH, a next-generation ASIC miner. This new miner, scheduled for deployment in Q2 2025, will introduce direct liquid-to-chip (DLC) cooling within a U form factor, marking the first time BITMAIN has mass-commercialized a miner with such technology.

Five dormant Bitcoin addresses, each holding 50 BTC mined in January 2009, have been reactivated after over 15 years. These addresses, tied to Bitcoin's early days shortly after the network’s creation, were mined during the so-called "Satoshi era" using CPUs when Bitcoin's difficulty was only 1.

Core Lightning has released version 24.08.1, a hotfix aimed at enhancing stability and performance. This lightweight, customizable implementation of the Lightning Network protocol continues to evolve, addressing several critical issues in this update.

Wasabi Wallet has launched v2.2.0, introducing new features designed to enhance user experience and security for its community of Bitcoin users. This free and open-source wallet focuses on privacy and non-custodial management, making it a vital tool for those looking to maintain anonymity in their transactions.

In response to recent reports of a de-anonymization attack targeting a user of the long-retired Ricochet application, The Tor Project has published a blog post addressing questions surrounding the safety and security of the Tor network. The investigation, which alleged that a targeted law enforcement attack de-anonymized a Tor user through an old version of Ricochet, has raised concerns within the privacy and security community. However, The Tor Project maintains that the network remains healthy and that Tor Browser continues to be a reliable tool for secure, anonymous browsing.

The German government has shut down 47 cryptocurrency exchanges, citing their involvement in illegal activities such as money laundering. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime announced that these platforms failed to meet the required Know Your Customer (KYC) standards, essential for preventing financial crime by verifying users’ identities and monitoring transactions.

The BTCPay Server team launched its first-ever "Bitesize" interview during their annual BTCPay Day event. The interview featured Kukks, a contributor to BTCPay Server and an advocate for free and open-source software (FOSS). During the interview, Kukks shared his insights into the history of BTCPay Server, his motivations for contributing to the FOSS ecosystem.

The open-source desktop Bitcoin wallet, Sparrow, has released its latest version, 2.0.0. Known for its strong focus on security and privacy, Sparrow's new update introduces several upgrades and bug fixes aimed at improving user experience and compatibility with modern Bitcoin tools.

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has issued a global advisory warning of an increasing threat from clipper malware, also known as ClipBankers. The malware is specifically targeting cryptocurrency users, with the aim of facilitating financial fraud by redirecting digital asset transfers to rogue wallets. The advisory, issued on September 13, 2024, highlights the growing risk of clipper malware, which monitors clipboard activity on a compromised system to replace copied cryptocurrency addresses with those controlled by attackers.

Bitdeer, a major player in Bitcoin mining, hosting, and cloud mining, is set to auction 2,880 units of used Antminer S19 miners as part of its post-Bitcoin halving fleet upgrade. The auction will take place from September 24 to 26, with starting bids at $1 per terahash per second (TH/s), equating to a total starting price of $270,000 for the equipment. The machines, procured between late 2020 and mid-2021, are located in Bitdeer's facility in Tydal, Norway.

Geyser, a Bitcoin crowdfunding platform, has announced a policy shift, effective immediately. The platform will no longer list or support projects raising funds for or operating within sensitive conflict zones. This decision marks a departure from Geyser's long-standing commitment to providing crowdfunding access globally, particularly for those in underserved regions.