ACCESS Becomes World’s First Organization to Deploy Blockchain Voting in Annual General Meeting

The Association of Cryptocurrency Enterprises and Start-ups, Singapore (ACCESS), a non-profit organization for the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector in Singapore,  has set the ball rolling as the first institution across the globe to utilize blockchain technology for an Annual General Meeting (AGM). 

As reported by HrmAsia on Jan. 13, ACCESS officially utilized blockchain for on-premise voting. This decision was reached as this technology will propel transparency in the voting process, eradicate double voting, and make members anonymous in vote casting. 

Blockchain voting gets an upward trajectory

JEDTrade, an enterprise blockchain technology solutions provider that also doubles up as an ACCESS member, was tasked with developing the blockchain voting solution. 

ACCESS chairman, Anson Zeall, noted, “We are seeing the future of corporate governance through the implementation of blockchain technology starting with our most important corporate governance event, our AGM.”

The blockchain voting was founded on the following procedures:

Members cast their votes for future agenda items and appointment holders on the blockchain-based on advantages rendered, such as traceability, transparency, and immutability.

Anonymity is granted by the detachment between members and their votes. This means a vote’s origin cannot be retracted.

A group of voting codes is randomly created, hashed, and stored in a Code Management Smart Contract. This process happens before physical copies being printed as QR codes. They are then randomly presented to members after registering at the AGM.

The Code Management Smart Contract is used in tracking every code status as this ensures that voters only vote once. Conversely, the voting smart contract follows and initiates votes. Additionally, it comprises the positions being contested by candidates.

By leveraging on blockchain technology, the hashed codes can be tracked, prompting efficiency in authenticating votes. Furthermore, voters are allowed to make their votes through generic machines comprising of a fixed blockchain address to the Voting Smart Contract. 

Image via Shutterstock

Bill Gates Denies COVID-19 Vaccine Microchips and Satanic Conspiracy Theories

Bill Gates, Microsoft Founder and billionaire philanthropist, has responded to conspiracy theories that his charity foundation is planning to use the coronavirus vaccine to implant microchips into the global population. The conspiracy itself appears to have started with a patent for a very innovative cryptocurrency mining system filed by Microsoft earlier this year. 

As reported by CNBC on 22 July, Bill Gates directly addressed a poll from Yahoo/YouGov that had shown 44% of Republicans in the United States believed a sensational and thoroughly debunked conspiracy theory—that he planned on microchipping the world population under the cover of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Gates dismissed the accusations as conspiracy and said he hoped that such misinformation would die down. “We need to get the truth out there,” said Gates during an interview on CBS News. “I hope it’ll die down as people get the facts.”

Gates also reasserted that his only goal is to bring the coronavirus pandemic to an end, and he will continue on that mission with his foundation.

Bill Gates COVID Conspiracy Theories and Accusations

In March 2020, Microsoft filed a crypto mining patent with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for a new system that proposes using sensors, not microchips, to detect and calculate the amount of energy and time spent on a pre-determined activity, like engaging with an advertisement. The sensors apparently are capable of gauging both physical and brain activity and convert that sum into data which can be used by computers to solve computational problems and create new blocks. 

The patent number of the Microsoft crypto mining technology – WO/2020/060606. The number, immediately caught the attention of Oscar-winning Russian director, Nikita Mikhalkov. The director immediately decided it was a satanic plot and appearing on Russian TV, he said, “The 060606 part is somewhat alarming…Is this a coincidence or an intentional selection of such a symbol, which in the Apocalypse of John is called the ‘number of the beast’ – the 666.” .

The director alluded to a loose connection between Microsoft’s patent and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s efforts to produce a vaccine for the coronavirus, and deduced it was a satanic conspiracy to microchip the world while failing to discover the patent had nothing to do with microchips. The TV appearance brought the conspiracy further into the mainstream and it even trended on Twitter for a time.  

Mikhalkov has not been the only public figure to accuse Gates and his foundation of such a conspiracy. Many others including celebrities and public figures as well as members of the general public appear to have been influenced by the mass of disinformation. Recently, Italian politician Anna Cunial called for the arrest of Bill Gates as she believes he is on a mission to depopulate the world by up to 15% as head of a mysterious deep-state world government.

Despite all of these theories being thoroughly debunked—the survey from Yahoo/Yougov, found that around 28% of American adults believed that Gates planned to use a Covid-19 vaccine as a trojan horse to implant billions of people with microchips.

The means that at least 50 million people in the United States alone believe in this debunked conspiracy as recently as May of this year. In fact, there are several popular White House Petitions currently calling for an investigation into the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for crimes against humanity.

Gates Just Want to Ensure Covid Vaccine Access for Everyone

In the interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Gates said that people need to look at the facts and that he hopes these accusations continue to die down as people appreciate the problem the world is faced with in not having a vaccine to deal with the coronavirus outbreak—which has killed over 600,000 people globally.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are more than 100 vaccines under development and 23 in human trial. The Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation has pledged over 100 million dollars to support the WHO as well as an additional $1.6 billion to the Gavi Vaccine alliance. 

Gates has previously expressed that he wants to ensure that the incoming viable vaccine is not sold to the highest bidder as another reason for his foundation’s intense oversight of the Covid-19 vaccine development.

Gates said, “We want to make sure we don’t have people dying just because they don’t have access to the vaccine…we will get a good deal on the vaccine and we need the world to get a good deal on that. Many of the companies have committed themselves to that.”

Crypto.com Launches Turkish Language Version of App and Crypto Exchange

Leading crypto exchange, Crypto.com is enhancing its services for Turkey, a rapidly emerging digital market with a strong affinity for and a high adoption rate of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.

Crypto.com has announced the release of a Turkish language version of its popular App and Exchange. Following the release of seven local languages in the last two months,  including Spanish, French, Korean, Italian, Portuguese, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, this release expands the platform’s reach to 75 million Turkish speakers who can now enjoy the all-in-one crypto platform in their native language.

Mariana Gospodinova, Crypto.com’s Europe GM said:

“Turkey is an important market for us, both from a geographic perspective due to its location between east and west and the strong affinity its citizens have with cryptocurrency. Around one in five Turks have used or owned digital assets, which is remarkable.”

Turkey has cultivated a reputation as one of the world’s best locations for blockchain and cryptocurrency adoption in recent years. The fintech-positive country was ranked top of a list of mainly European nations in an ING International Survey on New Technologies last September, with 62% of citizens said to have a “positive attitude towards cryptocurrencies.”

The Turkish language version of the Crypto.com App and Exchange can be accessed by:

Selecting Türkçe in Settings > Language on the Crypto.com App, or

Selecting Türkçe on the top right-hand corner of the Crypto.com Exchange.

Human Rights Foundation Chief Strategy Officer: Bitcoin Saves Lives, Increases Freedom and Gives Hope

Alex Gladstein, the Chief Strategy Officer of the Human Rights Foundation has blasted a financial correspondent who called Bitcoin the “perfect Ponzi”—explaining that millions of people rely on BTC crypto every day for greater financial access.

Bitcoin has recently surged above the $24,000 level and recorded a new all-time high. Breaking past its resistance level at $24K, Bitcoin managed to reach over $24,200, but has now consolidated slightly. Bitcoin is now trading slightly lower, at $23,833 at press time.

In the past week, the Bitcoin price has surged over 25% prompting one financial correspondent named Felix Salmon to refer to the cryptocurrency once again as nothing more than a speculative asset and a “perfect Ponzi.” Gladstein particular issue responding with a link to a Nigerian article declaring Bitcoin’s role in overtaking Fiat and stating:

“Yet another $/€/£ privileged Western journalist, blind to the fact that millions globally rely on Bitcoin to escape high inflation, extortionate remittances, frozen accounts, sanctions, financial isolation.”

Not won over by the link, Salmon challenged the Human Rights Foundation CSO to provide further empirical evidence that Bitcoin was being leveraged in such ways—a challenge that Gladstein was happy to take on. He tweeted:

“I’ll give you a few now. For starters BYSOL, a grassroots Belarusian human rights org, has moved more than $500k of value peer-to-peer to striking workers inside Belarus, in a way the regime can’t stop. Activists or protestors normally get their bank accounts frozen.”

In what must have been an overwhelming response for Salmon, who seemed to disappear from the conversation as the list, of Bitcoin’s real-world utility and ability to facilitate social and financial freedom grew—Gladstein went on to site how Hong Kong citizens were using Bitcoin to escape excessive financial regulation, and raise funds for peaceful demonstrations, the countless cases of Venezuelans fleeing to other countries transporting their wealth via Bitcoin and how Iranian’s are leveraging Bitcoin for financial inclusion as they are shut off and sanctioned away from the global financial system.

Salmon grew silent as Gladstein gave several more examples of Bitcoin’s importance to certain developing and isolated communities around the world which drew the praise of Morgan Creek Digital Assets founder Anthony Pompliano.

Pompliano voiced his support for Gladstein and his well-supported arguments on Bitcoin’s intrinsic value and utility.

Pompliano linked the discussion thread between Gladstein and Salmon and added his support for the CSO’s argument. He tweeted:

“Bitcoin is the single most important piece of technology that has been created in the last few decades. It is saving lives, increasing freedom, and giving millions of people hope around the world.”

Bitzlato Partially Restores User Access

In recent news, Bitzlato, a Russia-linked cryptocurrency exchange, has partially restored access to user funds, despite being officially seized by European authorities. The exchange has enabled its users to withdraw up to 50% of their assets that were stuck on the platform due to enforcement from the United States and Europol. Bitzlato made the announcement on its Telegram channel on March 20, stating that users can now restore half of their assets using the Telegram bot called bz_phoenix_bot. The bot allows users to move assets from the web Bitzlato account to an external wallet or exchange.

All withdrawals from Bitzlato are processed in Bitcoin (BTC) as the platform converted all altcoin holdings by users into BTC when the service was halted on January 18. The firm converted user balances to Bitcoin due to technical difficulties associated with servicing multiple altcoins after Bitzlato was seized. Several alleged Bitzlato users have confirmed being able to move their Bitcoin to exchanges like ByBit and Binance. Some users also reportedly used software wallets like Trust Wallet and ViaBtc, and hardware wallets like Ledger, to withdraw their Bitcoin.

Bitzlato’s 50% withdrawal option follows its previously announced roadmap on restoring users’ access to the platform and resuming operations. According to the plan, Bitzlato will continue its work to restore the platform and aims to provide a service for peer-to-peer (P2P) cryptocurrency trading by early April 2023.

However, Bitzlato users should not expect to recover the remaining 50% of their assets once the P2P exchange is launched. A Bitzlato spokesperson clarified that there will be no second half once the P2P is opened since these are two unrelated questions and processes.

Bitzlato is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency exchange that was launched in 2015 by a group of cryptocurrency enthusiasts. The exchange offers trading in a wide variety of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Dash. It has a presence in several countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Nigeria. Bitzlato was officially seized by European authorities on January 18, 2022, following a joint operation by the United States and Europol. The exchange was accused of being involved in money laundering and providing services to individuals involved in illegal activities.

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