Over the past few days we learned about how Amazon wants to track your bitcoin transactions, why TD Ameritrade planted its flag in the blockchain, and even how close to reality are flying cars. These stories and many more were covered in this week’s daily editions of Bitcoin in Brief.
Also Read: Cryptocurrency Mining Accounted for 10% of AMD’s Overall Revenue in Q1 2018
Snatching Blockchain, Tracking Bitcoin
On Monday we reported that online retail giant, Amazon, has obtained a bitcoin tracking patent. The company thinks that by collecting data from multiple sources and finding a correlation with transactions it can link a specific bitcoin address with a shipping address, an IP, an email, a bank account, or a social media profile. And the patent specifically notes that police forces may be interested in receiving such data.
Meanwhile, Amazon’s main brick-and-mortar competitor, Walmart, has gotten its own blockchain patents. The company plans a vendor payment sharing system that will automatically process payments for products and services, and encrypt the transactions on a blockchain.
Wary Giants, Eager Dwarfs
When highly centralized political entities try to limit the spread of a popular product or technology it is no surprise that nearby locations will try to capitalize on such an opportunity. On Tuesday we reported about how this is seen now with bitcoin, with places like Malta, Hong Kong, Singapore and even Crimea jumping in while China, Russia, and the European Union get left behind. The next day we reported that the tiny nation of San Marino also wants to take a part of the blockchain action.
Crypto Leakers, Hackers and Rappers
On Wednesday it was revealed that Wikileaks has switched its store to Canada’s Coinpayments and
