Block.one’s Voice Beta Goes Live + More News

Here is your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptoasset and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.

Business news

• Block.one‘s social media site, Voice, is almost ready to go live, as its beta program opens its doors to the friends and family of the Voice Genesis community. Per the announcement, the current users of the beta can now invite their friends to join the network, while the content posted on the site is public for anyone to see. Voice said it’s opening up globally, now being available in 20+ countries and territories – with more coming every month.

Blockchain news

• China’s Jiangxi Province has launched a blockchain academy and has begun nurturing local blockchain enterprises as part of its ambitious “three-year blockchain plan.” Per the Jiangxi edition of the state-owned People’s Daily, provincial authorities stated that the plan has already begun to bear fruit, with some 60 blockchain-related firms now based in the area.
• A blockchain technology and crypto-powered train delays insurance pilot has begun in Japan, per Impress. The pilot involves blockchain firm LayerX, as well as the companies Sompo and Navitime, who will run the pilots on sections of the JR East railway network serving Tokyo and the surrounding area. The pilot will see operators issue digital tokens as a form of insurance payouts for operators to help compensate customers who experience disruptive delays to their journeys.
• The Chinese security software firm Qi-anxin has signed a blockchain cooperation deal with the prestigious Beijing-based Peking University, reported East Money. The university will co-build a “blockchain security lab” as part of the deal with Qi-anxin, which will attempt to close “security loopholes” in blockchain platforms and look into data management-related issues, as well as looking to minimize privacy leaks.

Mining news

• Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency mining firm Marathon is buying 10,500 next-gen miners, the company announced. According to the release, Marathon will be buying Antminer S-19 Pro ASIC miners from Bitmain. The company’s CEO called the purchase a “milestone event.”

Crime news

• Police in Hong Kong arrested three men which allegedly broke into multiple bitcoin ATMs and pulled out roughly USD 30,000, the media reported. The law enforcement agency was apparently tipped by multiple cryptocurrency exchanges which noticed unauthorized money withdrawal from the ATMs. While it did not want to describe in more detail how the break-in happened, superintendent Wilson Tam Wai-shun of the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau said that the group took advantage of “loopholes” in the ATMs.

Legal news

• Lancium, a US-based cloud computing firm filed a lawsuit at the Western District Court of Texas on August 14, against bitcoin (BTC) mining company Layer1. Layer1 is being accused of infringing on Lancium’s patent regarding power usage. The patent handles how data centres can use electrical energy most efficiently.
• The plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit against Nvidia have urged the federal judge at the California court not to dismiss the case, the media reported late last week. The investors are suing Nvidia, claiming the company deliberately understated more than USD 1 billion in sales of its GPUs used to mine cryptocurrency, and thus misled its investors. The plaintiffs are saying they have the evidence to support their claims.
• Former tax collector from Seminole County, Florida, was allegedly using public money to kickstart a blockchain company, local media reported late last week. Joel Greenberg billed the Tax Collector’s Office USD 65,860 and then used the money to purchase 20 servers. A receipt for a total of 15 servers was given back to the Tax Office, together with the funds that were returned in a series of checks. The company was dissolved in May.