Randomized Proof of Work, Privacy, and its Own Lightning Network: Usechain Makes Bold Promises

The alpha version of the Usechain (USE) mainnet is now live, after more than one year in development.

Usechain purports to be the first mirror identity blockchain project — but what does that even mean?

Randomized Proof of Work

According to Huining Cao, it’s all about Randomized Proof of Work (RPow). Cao told CNBC Africa’s Ran Neuner, according to a press release:

We map each person to the blockchain using Mirror Identity Protocol(MIP), so that each person can only have one account on the blockchain, there is a one-to-one correspondence. This allows us to use new consensus algorithm call Randomized Proof of Work(RPOW). Using RPOW, each account will receive a random number and this random number will be compared to a public random number to determine the likelihood of them to mine the next block. In this way, it will be very fast and energy efficient.

Providing Both Privacy and Regulatory Compliance?

The press release also notes that Usechain is apparently quite useful for law enforcement, as the network “can use multiple signature to have access to the ID information” of someone who uses the blockchain to evade taxes, fund terrorists, or launder money. (Nothing says economic freedom like the blockchain checking in on you.)

Though this sounds off-putting, Cao claims that Usenet almost miraculously provides privacy on top of this regulation-friendly behavior. HE stated:

However, the users also want privacy, so the hurdles to get to the intervention must be high; that’s why we use multiple signature. That is what we call a mirror identity. It is a muddled up identity that needs to be unscrambled. With this technology, we can build a blockchain platform that is compliant with regulation and provide financial services.

Usechain’s Own Lightning Network

Usechain’s boldest promise, however, comes at the end of the press release, which states that it will “introduce lightning network-like channel technology in the future to scale up to one billion users.”

We’ll believe that when we see it.

What do you think of Usechain and its bold promises to provide regulatory compliance, privacy, and Lightning Network-like solutions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock.

The Rundown

Published at Mon, 01 Apr 2019 03:30:14 +0000

April 1, 2017

Japan’s New Bitcoin Law Could Do More Damage Than NY BitLicense

According to IndieSquare Co-founder Koji Higashi, new regulations in Japan, which will make bitcoin an official form of payment (starting today April 1), may do more harm than good for the fledgling industry in the country.

Japan to Introduce Own ‘Bitlicense’

Following the disastrous demise of the infamous Japanese exchange, Mt. Gox and the arrest of its CEO Mark Karpelès, regulators in the country decided to introduce regulations for bitcoin.

The regulatory framework has been in the works for over two years. The first bill was submitted to the Diet in Japan (the legislature consisting of the Lower and the Upper Houses) last March, and the Payment Services Act and the Act on Preventing of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds were amended in May 2016. Now, new drafts for detailed regulations and guidelines have been approved.

The new law, which is now in place starting today (April 1), is meant to protect consumers and to help them distinguish safe, i.e. approved exchanges, from fraudulent operations.

The law also recognizes approved cryptocurrencies as a legal method of payment in Japan, preventing users from investing in so-called scam coins, fake digital assets, and IOU tokens.

Although praised by western and Japanese media alike, the new regulatory framework may pose serious problems for the Japanese bitcoin community, according to Koji Higashi, Co-Founder of IndieSquare and Community Director at the Counterparty Foundation.

In a blog post, Higashi outlines the major issues with what he calls “Japan’s Bitlicense” due to the similarities found between the two, saying:

I’d actually argue that this law may turn out to be more damaging to the Japanese industry in the long run than what Bitlicense has been to NY.

Why It Could Be Worse Than NY’s

The Bitlicense introduced in New York has been widely perceived by the community as damaging for bitcoin startups in the region due to the bureaucracy and high entry barriers for small startups. It resulted in several startups like ShapeShift and LocalBitcoins halting services for NY-based customers.

Now, Japan is doing the same, explains Higashi. “If you are not a fan of the excessive cost for legal and compliance fee for bitcoin startups, however, the new law in Japan is certainly not exciting news for you,” he notes.

Among others, the requirements involve the submission of a 3-year business plan, segregated fund management, KYC/AML requirements, segregated fund management, frequent reporting to authority, and external audits.

Some experts estimate that the costs involved with becoming a compliant exchange could be as high as $300,000-$500,000 USD. Moreover, additional fees and paperwork will also apply to companies beyond trading platforms and will affect P2P decentralized exchanges as well.

Higashi:

It’s hard to say whether the regulation in Japan is more costly than the Bitlicense but I can say it’s expensive enough to put serious financial pressure on startups and may force them to go out of business completely in some cases.

Another issue with the new regulatory framework is that it will require virtual currencies to be accepted into an official list of approved coins. Although this system may protect users from being scammed out of their savings, it may end up damaging the reputation of coins that don’t make it to the list, which will most likely be a conservative one at best.

bitcoin in Japan

The new regulations may affect bitcoin startups negatively but are also likely to push adoption forward and to create a sense of trust for new users in the virtual currency space. Japan is the fastest growing country in the bitcoin market. For example, trading volume in Japan has recently surpassed that of China and the U.S.

The country is experiencing growing interest in bitcoin from users, investors, and merchants. Blockchain is also a technological focus point both for companies and the government. The Japanese community is also one of the biggest investors in crypto-related crowdfunding campaigns and Initial Coin Offerings, according to Higashi.

[Note: This article was originally published on February 9, 2017. It has been updated as today (April 1) is the first day Japan’s new cryptocurrency law comes into effect.]

Will the new regulations drive companies away from Japan? Or will it usher a new age for cryptocurrency adoption in the country?

Images courtesy of CryptoCompare, Shutterstock, Counterparty.io

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