China Unblocks Facebook and Twitter, Kinda. The social media world just got a little more worldly, as China has unblocked Facebook and Twitter in Shanghai.
The Chinese government has reportedly lifted a ban on access to Facebook, Twitter and other foreign websites within the 30-square-kilometre Shanghai Free-Trade Zone. This is major news for social media users in the country who have since 2009 been prevented from directly accessing these tools, as the government considered them “politically sensitive.” Although the ban wasn’t lifted across all of China, Shanghai is the biggest city in the world with over 23.7 million people. It is also the heart of China’s business and financial communities, both of which could benefit massively from new opportunities on Twitter and Facebook. The decision to lift the ban on these websites seems to be economically motivated, as the government is apparently looking to welcome more foreign companies and investors into China. New Opportunities For Social Media Giants Local Networks Rule in China.
Are Social Media “Experts” Worthless? Twitter begins plans for Stock Market listing. 79% Of Brands Use Social Media For Content Marketing [INFOGRAPHIC] What Bitcoin Is, and Why It Matters. Unlike other currencies, Bitcoin is underwritten not by a government, but by a clever cryptographic scheme.
For now, little can be bought with bitcoins, and the new currency is still a long way from competing with the dollar. But this explainer lays out what Bitcoin is, why it matters, and what needs to happen for it to succeed. Where does Bitcoin come from? In 2008, a programmer known as Satoshi Nakamoto—a name believed to be an alias—posted a paper outlining Bitcoin’s design to a cryptography e-mail list.
Then, in early 2009, he (or she) released software that can be used to exchange bitcoins using the scheme. “Satoshi’s a bit of a mysterious figure,” says Jeff Garzik, a member of that core team and founder of Bitcoin Watch, which tracks the Bitcoin economy. How does Bitcoin work? Nakamoto wanted people to be able to exchange money electronically securely without the need for a third party, such as a bank or a company like PayPal. The Basics Transferring Bitcoins Security.
Someone found the FBI's Bitcoin wallet and now people are sending mean notes to it. When the FBI seize took control of the digital black market Silk Road, it also seized control of a bunch of money: about 26,000 bitcoins, a virtual currency that approximates cash on the internet.
Bitcoins are worth about $122 each, which means the government is sitting on a pretty pile of cash. So why are enraged users sending the federal agency Bitcoin donations? It's possible to attach text to Bitcoin transactions using the site Blockchain.info, where messages are streamed for the public to view. It's not hard to locate a single wallet with so many coins, and someone has already renamed the FBI's wallet "Silkroad Seized Coins. " Users are now sending microdonations ranging from .000001 BTC to .0001 BTC, which are worth fractions of a penny, but really serve as the vehicle for messages. "Prohibition doesn't work. In the wake of the Silk Road closure and the arrest of Ross Ulbricht, the man accused of running the site, people have a lot to say. Alt Media Marketing News.