Electrum v4.0.4 released

- PSBT: fix regression in 4.0.3 where UTXO data was not included in QR codes
- "Cancel tx" feature: The Qt/kivy GUI allows cancelling an unconfirmed RBF tx by double-spending its inputs to self

https://electrum.org/#download

OKEx Suspends Withdrawals, Says Key Holder Not Available Due to Cooperation With Investigation

> Chinese news source Caixin is reporting one of OKEx's founders, Mingxing "Star" Xu, had been taken by police at least a week ago and hasn't been seen since.

> OKEx said in a statement: "We are unable to disclose the nature of an ongoing investigation but would like to assure all OKEx users that their funds are safe and that all other functions on OKEx are unaffected."

coindesk: https://www.coindesk.com/okex-suspends-withdrawals
coindesk archive: https://archive.vn/J9Qaf
official blog: https://www.okex.com/support/hc/en-us/articles/360051090391-Suspension-of-Digital-assets-Cryptocurrencies-Withdrawals
blog archive: https://archive.vn/SeaEx

Exploring Bitcoin With Taproot: Aaron van Wirdum, Andrew Poelstra, Adam Gibson & Chris Belcher

youtube: https://youtu.be/PGFC97GuM_c

ReasonTV - Cryptography vs. Big Brother: How Math Became a Weapon Against Tyranny (Part 2)

> Part two of a four-part series on the history of the cypherpunk movement of the 1990s. Watch part one: https://t.me/nobullshitbitcoin/910

youtube: https://youtu.be/n4qonsvSgAg

Nigerian Banks Shut Them Out, So These Activists Are Using Bitcoin to Battle Police Brutality

> Since adding the BTCPay bitcoin donation option on Oct. 14, the coalition has amassed roughly 3.14 BTC (~$36,000).

https://www.coindesk.com/nigerian-activists-bitcoin-endsars-police-brutality
archive: https://archive.vn/Yx2Wz

Transparency at Coinbase

> today we’re releasing a Transparency Report that shares insights into how we handle legitimate government requests for some customer data

https://blog.coinbase.com/transparency-at-coinbase-c8edf6dce4d6
archive: https://archive.vn/6gQfQ

RoninDojo Full Node Setup Guide

youtube: https://youtu.be/5CxjRXixg4s

This New Service Plays Matchmaker Between Solo Miners, Big Mining Farms

> Compass curates a registry of verified mining facilities, which miners can query to search for facilities by region, energy price and hardware hosting minimums. Each mining farm’s profile also lists security features and whether it offers mining equipment for rent. Searchers have their choice of facilities from Canada, China, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Russia and the U.S.

https://www.coindesk.com/hashr8-bitcoin-miners-mining-farms
archive: https://archive.vn/phfuM

Top Podcasts of the Week

Tales from the Crypt - Rabbit Hole Recap - https://anchor.fm/tales-from-the-crypt/episodes/Rabbit-Hole-Recap-Week-of-2020-10-12-el5iga

The Van Wirdum Sjorsnado - NADO 13 - http://nadobtc.btc.libsynpro.com/bitcoin-core-021-supports-tor-v3-nado-13

Bitcoin Rapid Fire - Katie Ananina - https://anchor.fm/john-vallis/episodes/KATIE-ANANINA---Bitcoin--Anarchy--Flag-Theory--Selling-Islands-and-Being-a-Badass-el31jq

Stephan Livera - Nadav Kohen - https://anchor.fm/stephan-livera/episodes/SLP219-Nadav-Kohen---What-You-Should-Know-About-Bitcoin-DLCs-el3kt1

BTCPay Server v1.0.5.8 released

- Fix: Payjoin client implementation
- Fix: The send wallet, by default, should not include previous transaction
- Fix: Do not log database connection string

https://github.com/btcpayserver/btcpayserver/releases/tag/v1.0.5.8

In addition to telegram, twitter, or our web portal, you can also access our curated bitcoin news feed using RSS: rss.nobsbtc.com.

Thai authorities are reported to have ordered internet providers to block the Telegram messaging app, which has been used by anti-government protesters

> A leaked document outlining the plans was shared on social media.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54598956
archive: https://archive.vn/CGPvp

FinCEN Fines Bitcoin-Mixing CEO $60M in Landmark Crackdown on Helix, Coin Ninja

> Defunct former darknet giant AlphaBay is alleged to have forged particularly close ties to Helix. Prosecutors claim that Helix laundered $27 million in bitcoin for AlphaBay by integrating its mixing services on-site.

https://www.coindesk.com/fincen-fines-bitcoin-mixing-ceo-60m-in-landmark-crackdown-on-helix-coin-ninja
archive: https://archive.vn/LLLs5

Breez Wallet Release Candidate released

- Channel creation on the fly
- Zero confirmation channels
- Capacity limit raised to 4M sats
- Multi-Path payments

https://medium.com/breez-technology/the-breez-release-candidate-getting-lightning-ready-for-the-global-takeover-b5d1f9756229
archive: https://archive.vn/uyrp9
repo: https://github.com/breez/breezmobile

Tails OS v4.12 released

- Tor Browser v10.0.2
- Tor v0.4.4.5
- Linux v5.8

https://tails.boum.org/news/version_4.12/
archive: https://archive.vn/8UOG8

Voltage is Here

> Voltage is a platform built to make the Lightning Network easy to use. Today we're releasing our core product; noncustodial cloud hosting for Lightning nodes. Through our platform anyone can create a Lightning node with a few clicks. We handle all the networking, backups, and upgrades so you can focus on using Lightning, not managing servers. You have the control to change your node's settings and access the APIs directly. Now you can get a Lightning node in two minutes, not two days.

https://getvoltage.io/blog/voltage-is-here.html
archive: https://archive.vn/eFlRp

DLC Private Key Management Part 2: The Oracle’s private keys

> Discreet Log Contracts enable non-custodial speculation directly on top of the bitcoin blockchain. When protocols are non-custodial, it’s important for users to understand how private keys are handled for the duration of their interaction with the protocol. This blog post focuses on key management from the oracle’s perspective.

https://suredbits.com/dlc-private-key-management-part-2-the-oracles-private-keys/
archive: https://archive.vn/6DvFK
part 1: https://t.me/nobullshitbitcoin/921

Phoenix v1.4.0 released

- background payment reception
- access control changes
- automatic channel creation
- payment metadata
- mempool.space integration

https://github.com/ACINQ/phoenix/releases/tag/v1.4.0

Bisq v1.4.2 released

- startup time improvements
- trade protocol improvements
- withdraw to segwit addresses
- bitcoinj v0.15.8
- Tor browser v10.0

https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq/releases/tag/v1.4.2

Financial Attacks on Democracy: The Role of Cryptocurrency in Election Interference

> The threat of U.S. adversaries using cryptocurrency to finance election interference and other illicit activities has grown since 2016. While U.S. regulators and law enforcement have improved their ability to trace and disrupt illicit activity, it remains relatively easy for illicit actors to hide the source of their funds and purchase services to interfere in U.S. and other elections. The growing overall cryptocurrency industry, as well as the growing ecosystem of VPN vendors, merchant service providers, and others accepting payments in cryptocurrency, makes it easier for illicit, state-backed actors to acquire services in support of hacking and election interference.

https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/financial-attacks-on-democracy
archive: https://archive.vn/F04VI