Coinbase hit with wave of lawsuits over customer data breaches

Coinbase has been hit with a flood of lawsuits after it recently disclosed its user data was breached, with users accusing the crypto exchange of mishandling the incident. At least six lawsuits were filed against Coinbase between May 15 and May 16, which all made various claims that the exchange failed to keep stringent security …

‘Sats’ vs ‘bits’ debate reignites amid proposal to change Bitcoin base unit

A recent proposal that aims to change Bitcoin’s base unit to make it easier to understand as a payment tool has run into opposition, with critics saying Bitcoin’s satoshis are no more confusing than the dollar’s cents. Bitcoin developer John Carvalho introduced Bitcoin Improvement Proposal-177 on April 23, which seeks to eliminate the concept of …

Coinbase faces lawsuit over alleged breaches of Illinois biometric privacy law

A group of Coinbase users from Illinois have filed a class-action lawsuit against the crypto exchange, alleging that its identity checks violate the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Plaintiffs Scott Bernstein, Gina Greeder and James Lonergan claimed in the May 13 lawsuit filed in a federal court that Coinbase’s “wholesale collection” of faceprints for …

Bitcoin notches record weekly close after highest-ever daily close candle

Bitcoin has notched its highest-ever weekly close as crypto market momentum continues and the cryptocurrency is again nearing its all-time high. Bitcoin (BTC) has closed at a weekly gain for the past six weeks in a row, and its most recent close at midnight UTC on May 18 was its highest weekly close ever at …

Australian feds seize mansion, Bitcoin allegedly linked to crypto exchange hack

An Australian man from the state of Queensland has forfeited Bitcoin, a waterfront mansion and a Mercedes-Benz car after Australian Federal Police claimed the assets could be linked to the proceeds of crime. The AFP-led Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) said in a May 18 statement that it seized nearly 25 Bitcoin (BTC), alongside the …

Russia arrests Blum co-founder Vladimir Smerkis on fraud charges

Vladimir Smerkis, a co-founder of the Telegram-based crypto project Blum, has reportedly been arrested in Moscow, Russia, on fraud allegations, amid Blum confirming he is no longer affiliated with the project. The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow approved a request from investigators to keep Smerkis in custody while he is being investigated, Russian state-owned news …

Bitcoin impulse move toward new highs sets a fire under HYPE, ETH, XMR and AAVE

Key points: Bitcoin’s rally to $105,980 has traders predicting new all-time highs this week. Traders lift their end-of-year Bitcoin price targets to $200,000 based on technical factors and institutional investor adoption.  Bitcoin (BTC) has been stuck in a narrow range for the past few days, but the rally above $105,500 on May 18 increases the …

Tornado Cash dev's attorneys say prosecutors hid exculpatory evidence

Attorneys for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm filed a motion asking the court to reconsider the motion to dismiss the case due to the prosecution withholding exculpatory evidence in the form of communications with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) dating back to 2023. According to a May 16 letter from Storm’s attorneys to Judge …

Pavel Durov rejects EU pressure to censor Romanian election content

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said he rejected pressure from a European Union (EU) country to censor political content on the social media platform ahead of the May 18 presidential elections in Romania. According to Durov, a Western European government, which he hinted at with a baguette emoji, approached the platform and requested it censor conservative …

Crypto execs beef up security following string of kidnappings: Report

Crypto industry executives are beefing up personal security and demanding more bodyguard services in response to a recent string of kidnapping and ransom attempts worldwide — particularly in France — targeting investors and professionals in the sector. According to a Bloomberg report, Infinite Risks International, a private security firm based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is seeing …