Coinbase Shuts Down WikiLeaks’ Bitcoin Account; Retaliation Follows
Coinbase, the largest US bitcoin exchange, has effectively shut off the account of WikiLeaks Shop as the latter has supposedly been ‘engaged in a prohibited use in violation’ of the platform’s Terms of Service.
Shots Fired
WikiLeaks Shop’s Coinbase account has been for being in violation of the platform’s terms of agreements. The original announcement was made by the official Twitter page of the shop itself:
ANNOUNCE: Coinbase has blocked the official shop from its platform without notice or explanation. You can continue to donate to WikiLeaks at .
— WikiLeaks Shop (@WikiLeaksShop)
As a result, WikiLeaks has lost its means of converting cryptocurrency payments into fiat. However, it’s worth noting that donations are still open but the site would have to find another way to get them converted into conventional cash.
Interestingly enough, Coinbase has refrained from providing any specific reason for its decision. The only pointer given refers to the honoring of “regulatory compliance mechanisms” set forth by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, under which the platform is regulated.
The happening followed the of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) filing a lawsuit against WikiLeaks, as well as against the Trump campaign and the Russian government alleging a conspiracy to disrupt the 2016 election campaign.
Immediate Retaliation
As a response to the block of the account of the WikiLeaks Shop, the site has tweeted that it will call for a ‘global blockade’ of Coinbase sometime next week.
WikiLeaks will call for a global blockade of Coinbase next week as an unfit member of the crypto community. Coinbase, a large Californian bitcoin processor, responding to a concealed influence, has blocked the entirely harmless in a decision approved by management.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks)
Unlike the trading platform, though, WikiLeaks lays out its motives – it deems to be an ‘unfit member of the crypto community’ and to have acted under a ‘concealed influence’.
While it’s true that WikiLeaks has had a rather tough week, alleging a hidden influence behind the acts of the largest bitcoin exchange in the US might be stretching it a bit. Of course, the lack of any reasonable explanation on behalf of the trading platform does raise a few eyebrows.
One thing is clear, though – the way these events unfold is definitely going to be worth following.
Do you think Coinbase’s actions are provoked by a hidden influence? Or is WikiLeaks stretching its own authority? Please let us know in the comments below!
Images courtesy of GlassDoor
Published at Mon, 23 Apr 2018 02:30:34 +0000
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The Next Doctor You Consult Could Be a Robot: Healthcare Meets AI and the Blockchain
Startup company has been working with university researchers to create a platform on the blockchain where patients can discuss their medical data with an advanced artificial intelligence “doctor.”
On August 24, doc.ai that their advanced natural language processing technology platform, based on the blockchain, would timestamp datasets and decentralize artificial intelligence. The startup stated that the platform was “envisioned and built” by researchers from Stanford and Cambridge Universities.
The objective of the company is to help healthcare companies improve patient care and experience through an advanced natural dialogue system which will be able to generate insights from combined medical data.
According to the World Health Organization, there is a shortage of seven million healthcare professionals globally, and that number is on the rise. There is increasing pressure on doctors who are faced with meeting the challenging needs of the population and keeping up with the latest developments in healthcare and medicine. Furthermore, the training of healthcare professionals takes years of education and experience. With the help of AI, doc.ai aims to address such challenges while improving the patient care and providing a better healthcare experience.
“We are making it possible for lab tests to converse directly with patients by leveraging advanced artificial intelligence, medical data forensics, and the decentralized blockchain. We envision extensive possibilities for the use of this technology by doctors, patients, and medical institutions,” Walter De Brouwer, founder and chief executive officer of doc.ai, said in a statement.
Deloitte Life Sciences and Healthcare is working with doc.ai to test the company’s Robo-hematology solution, which was developed recently at the Deloitte University in Dallas, Texas.
“doc.ai’s AI-based doctors provide answers to health questions using an AI-powered platform. Platforms like these open new possibilities for patients and medical organizations by providing more personalized, intelligent healthcare. We are excited to collaborate with doc.ai and to be at the forefront of this technology,” said Rajeev Ronanki, Principal of Life Sciences and Health Care at Deloitte Consulting LLP.
The platform operates as a Software as a Service (SaaS), providing service to medical companies, which will allow their patients to have personalized AI-powered conversations about their health around the clock. The conversations are personalized, based on the patient’s health data via a mobile app. The company expects to roll out three natural language processing modules — Robo-genomics, Robo-hematology and Robo-anatomics — for their clients.
Patients can ask the AI questions related to their health, such as “What should be my optimal Ferritin value based on my iron storage deficiency?” or “How can I decrease my cholesterol in the next 3 weeks?” or “Why was my glucose level over 100 and a week later it is at 93?”
According to doc.ai, the artificial intelligence will be able to provide answers for the patients with additional context for each answer. Furthermore, patients can communicate with the “AI-powered robo-doctor” to “achieve better health outcomes” from consultations with the patient’s physician.
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