Bitcoin Trades Above $11,000
Bitcoin gained a 15-month high after jumping more than 10% over the weekend. Analysts are ascribing the spike to growing optimism over the adoption of cryptocurrencies. The new optimism comes from Facebook’s recent reveal of its Libra digital coin. However, Bitcoin hit an $11,247 high, the highest since March of last year.
Analysts say that the new cryptocurrency, plus the next Bitcoin halving in 2020, caused the new rally. With the next halving, the total bitcoin reward for mining will fall to 6.25 bitcoin. In addition, Thomas Puech of Enigma Securities, a London-based firm, said tensions between the United States and Iran also affected Bitcoin.
Sudan Internet Crisis
A lawyer in Sudan said that his internet was restored--but only for him. Following a three week shutdown, Abdel-Adheem Hassan won a lawsuit against IPA Zain Sudan. This allowed him to regain internet access, bypassing the blackout imposed by Sudan’s military rulers.
However, this doesn’t restore the internet for the whole country. Hassan’s lawsuit was only filed for a personal capacity. Hassan has said that he plans to return to court to fight the issue on a bigger level. “We have a court session tomorrow and another one the day after tomorrow. Hopefully, one million people will gain internet access by the end of the week,” Hassan said.
Amazon Gets Patent To Use Delivery Drones For Surveillance
Right now, Amazon is looking at their drones for more than just delivery. They also want to expand into surveillance. According to a patent, Amazon is developing the drones to also allow customers to access surveillance. The patent says that the drones will be limited by geo-fencing, which prevents the drones from leaving a certain area.
In addition, any data or images collected from outside that area will be obscured. Amazon filed this patent back in 2015 but only received it on June 4th. Recently, Amazon said that their delivery drones would deliver items to customers in 30 minutes or less.
No Russian Involvement in Brexit
Facebook VP Sir Nick Clegg said that there was no evidence of Russian involvement in the 2016 Brexit vote. He also said that there was no evidence of any involvement from an outside party. Instead, he said that “the roots to British euroscepticism go very deep”. In an interview, Sir Clegg called for more regulation of Facebook and other similar companies.
Four States Join Anti-AT&T T-Mobile Merger Lawsuit
Four more states recently joined an unusual attempt to stop T-Mobile’s acquisition of AT&T on Monday. The states included are Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Nevada in an amended complaint filed Friday. The states proposed October 7th as the start of the trial. They want to block the merger, citing that it breaks antitrust laws.
