China has embarked on a groundbreaking journey in the digital world, introducing a blockchain-based real-name verification system, an innovative move aimed at enhancing online security and user privacy. This system, named the Real-Name Decentralised Identifier (RealDID), is a collaborative effort between the state-backed Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) and the Ministry of Public Security’s First Research Institute.

The rollout will be slow, the initial goal being 5 million IDs for year number one

RealDID’s objective is ambitious: to encompass all 1.4 billion citizens in China. However, the rollout will be gradual, with an initial goal of 5 million IDs in the first year. This venture represents a significant shift in how personal data is managed and protected online.

What sets RealDID apart is its use of blockchain technology. This tech provides a secure and transparent method for managing public keys, crucial for maintaining user privacy. The system operates exclusively within China, a testament to the country’s dedication to self-reliance in technological advancements.

This initiative is not just about improving online security; it’s a statement about China’s position in the digital age. The development of RealDID comes amid increased scrutiny and separation from international blockchain ventures, highlighting China’s commitment to charting its own course in the digital realm.

The system works by enabling users to create multiple public-private key pairs, tied to their real identities but allowing for anonymous online interactions. This means users can engage online without revealing personal details like phone numbers, a significant step forward in protecting individual privacy. Yet, the government retains access to user identities, a necessary measure for legal and security purposes. This balance between privacy and security is a delicate yet crucial aspect of the RealDID system.

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(Via)

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Amidst developing China-US tensions, US legislators have proposed a bill to prevent federal agencies from using Chinese blockchain networks. This bill, named the Clarity Act, aims to sever ties with certain Chinese firms, reflecting a broader strategy to maintain the US’s digital control, especially in the Web3 space.

This move comes when US and China are already dealing with data security concerns

The proposed legislation takes direct aim at the Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) and Conflux Network, amongst others, due to concerns over national security and data privacy. BSN, in particular, has been a cornerstone of China’s blockchain strategy, funded by state-owned entities and designed to advance blockchain use without cryptocurrencies. While BSN attempts to globalize with its Spartan Network, US officials remain wary.

The bill’s introduction reflects a larger narrative of the US seeking to protect its interests in the digital era. While the Clarity Act targets blockchain, it’s part of a bigger picture where the US scrutinizes Chinese technology on all fronts, from TikTok to 5G. The bill also calls for an assessment of risks, including those posed by alternatives to the SWIFT banking network and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

This legislative move signals a precautionary stance, ensuring sensitive American data doesn’t fall into foreign hands. However, the bill’s success is uncertain, lacking support from key committee leaders. Yet, its very existence confirms a bipartisan understanding that the US must guard its technological frontiers against rivals, especially China. This stance echoes the sentiments of US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who advocates for a competitive yet non-confrontational stance towards China.

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(Via)

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A bipartisan group of US lawmakers, led by Republican Gus Bilirakis and Democrat Jan Schakowsky, is pressing Apple‘s CEO, Tim Cook, for clarification regarding the tech giant’s restrictive policies towards blockchain and NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) applications on its App Store. In a quest for transparency, the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce sought explanations for the alleged obstruction of NFT and blockchain-related technologies.

Apple has previously insisted on the removal of NFT components of applications

According to the lawmakers, Apple’s App Store guidelines appear designed to bolster its profits while limiting the proliferation of apps featuring blockchain, NFT, and related technologies. The implications of these restrictions have compelled several companies to devise “lite” versions of their apps to meet the App Store’s rules on NFTs.

A case in point is Axie Infinity, a renowned company in the NFT space, which after a two-year negotiation period with Apple, was forced to launch a lite version of its app. Despite the lengthy discussion, Apple insisted on the removal of the NFT component of Axie’s app before allowing its appearance on the App Store.

The lawmakers’ letter underscored the concern that Apple’s strict App Store policies serve not only as a profit-enhancement strategy but also as a weapon against potential competitors. Critics argue that this approach stifles innovation and competition, threatening the healthy growth of emerging sectors such as blockchain and NFTs.

Apple’s response to these allegations will determine if the tech giant’s stance will evolve or continue to be a roadblock to blockchain and NFT app developers seeking to utilize its platform.

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OSOM is a new smartphone brand formed by some of the former members of the Essential company. It was already confirmed a few months ago that the company will be launching its first smartphone later this year.

The phone, which was called OSOM OV1, has now been renamed to Solana Saga. Not just that, the company has also revealed that it is becoming a web3-focused Android handset.

The rebranded of the smartphone also drops the name OSOM and instead the device is now being launched by Solana Mobile, which is a subsidiary of Solana Labs.

Earlier, the company had revealed that the phone will be launched in the second half of this year but now the launch has been pushed back to “early 2023” but there’s no exact timeline available for its availability.

However, the company has opened up pre-orders for the Solana Saga. It features a 6.67-inch OLED display. The device will come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, coupled with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.

It will have Solana Mobile Stack (SMS), which utilizes security features baked into the Qualcomm chip. It is said to be “a framework for Android allowing developers to create rich mobile experiences for wallets and apps on Solana.”

The phone will feature a 50MP Sony IMX766 primary camera sensor, coupled with a 12MP Sony IMX373 ultra-wide lens. On the front side, there will be a 16MP snapper for taking selfies and video calling.

It comes with support for features like Bluetooth 5.0 and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The device will be powered by a 4,100mAh battery and come with wireless charging support. While the pricing is not yet known, the company is expected to price Solana Saga at around $1,000 even though the company was talking about pricing the OSOM OV1 smartphone well under $1,000.

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Huawei has just signed an agreement with the government of the Nanshan District of Shenzhen, Southeast China. The agreement is to have the Chinese tech giant help speed up the adoption of Blockchain, Big Data, and 5G networking.

#Huawei and Nanshan government of #Shenzhen signed an agreement Friday to establish #Kunpeng industrial demonstration zone to accelerate the application of #blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, and #5G, and forge the city into a model area for the #chip industry. pic.twitter.com/lazdU6b437

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) April 13, 2020

This move will also strengthen China’s Digital Currency economy and also serve as a connection between China and Hong Kong. Furthermore, Huawei will collaborate with the People’s Bank of China to begin the testing of its own virtual currency in Shenzhen with leading commercial banks in 2020. Despite Bitcoin being banned in the country since 2017, China reportedly sees great potential in its supporting infrastructure, Blockchain.

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The Southeast Asian region is often seen as a technological hub, so it comes as no surprise that China wishes to expand its digital horizons. Notably, Shenzhen is also the site where a model for the semiconductor business will come up. China already is one of the leading nations when it comes to 5G adoption, thanks to Huawei in part with its industry leading equipment and infrastructure.

Thus, growing involvements in the digital spheres between the electronics company and China will strengthen both sides. The applications of digital currency through Blockchain also have a very wide field of applications including, and not limited to, Healthcare.

UP NEXT: Huawei tries to push 5G forward in the UK, despite the Coronavirus Pandemic

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The world’s largest gaming market is getting a blockchain game – Let’s Hunt Monsters from Tencent Holdings. The Shenzen based game development company known for various popular titles such a PUBG, League of Legends, Fortnite is here with a new augmented reality (AR) game.

The new title merges the concepts of both Pokémon Go and CryptoKitties. During gameplay, a user can catch hundreds of street monsters using the native Mapping services in China. Moreover, an option to trade digital kittens using blockchain is another aspect of the game. Let’s Hunt Monsters is a proper blend of both the popular game titles with Chinese nativeness.

Tencent’s new AR game is already popular in China. Since its launch last week on iOS store, it’s trending as the most downloaded free game beating PUBG Mobile and other popular titles.

Users can play it while exploring real-world locations and capturing virtual creatures. Unlike Pikachus in Pokémon Go, the mythological beasts like dragons and phoenixes are the monsters in the Let’s Hunt Monsters. Using Tencent’s blockchain platform, users can exchange or trade digital kittens during the gameplay.

The new game can act as a super saver for Tencent Holdings for revenue generation. Whereas monetisation for games like PUBG and Fortnite is under government scanner, the company have to wait for the approvals. In China, various brick-and-mortar stores are also offering coupon codes and discounts for Let’s Hunt Monsters.

• Read More: China Bans Pokemon GO and Similar Games, Cites Security Risks

Pokémon Go is a popular AR mobile game with an estimated US$2.5 billion in total revenue. Due to Google Maps API usage in the game, it was banned in mainland China citing security risks. Meanwhile, CryptoKitties is a blockchain game aimed to trade cartoon kittens.

(source)

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Finney, a smartphone from Sirin Labs, which is the world’s first blockchain smartphone, is now finally available for purchase. The phone, which was in the news since May last year, was originally announced in September 2017.

The Sirin Labs’ Finney is now available for purchase at a price of $1,000, which is around $100 more than the pre-order pricing. After completing crowdsale, the company has partnered with Foxconn and has already signed Leo Messi as its brand ambassador.

Going forward, the company is now planning to join the Amazon Launchpad program in January 2019, which should allow the company to bring its smartphone into customers’ hands much easier.

The device comes with a 6-inch Full HD+ notched display with 2160 x 1080 pixels screen resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. According to the company, the phone’s display has an oleophobic coating on top. Under the hood, the phone is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 845 processor, coupled with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.

Coming to the optics part, the phone features a single 12-megapixel camera sensor with f/1.8 aperture with focus on low-light imaging. On the front side, the phone features an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera sensor with f/2.2 aperture.

In terms of software, the smartphone runs on the company’s own SIRIN OS which is an ultra-secure and Google-certified fork of Android, based on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box. The company had earlier said that the secure open source operating system will also be licensed to interested OEMs. It is powered by a 3,280mAh battery.

The interesting offering of the phone is the cold storage cryptocurrency wallet, which isn’t connected to the internet in a measure to prevent hackers from gaining access to Bitcoins and to securely generate transactions. It also embeds a multi-layered cybersecurity suite comprising online and offline on-device cyber threat detection, protection from network attacks, host-based attacks, as well as unsecured device definitions.

Read More: HTC Exodus 1 Blockchain Phone is official: 6-inch screen, SD845, quad cameras; carries a price tag of 0.15 Bitcoin

Finney smartphone also comes with a unique concierge-like service called TCS (Token Conversion Service), allowing users to make crypto transactions for supported coins and tokens without the hassle of exchanges. At launch, TCS will support ETH (Etherium), BTC (Bitcoin), and SRN (Sirin Labs Tokens).

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HTC is the latest manufacturer to jump on the blockchain phone train. There are reports the Taiwanese phone company is making one called the HTC Exodus.

Schematics of the phone shows it has a single camera, support for storage expansion, and nano-SIM support. In terms of software and security, the HTC Exodus will have a universal wallet and a  “secure hardware enclave” that supports cryptocurrencies and decentralized applications such as Bitcoin, Lightning Networks, Ethereum, and Dfinity etc.

HTC’s Vive creator, Phil Chen, is said to be the one heading the product and all other things related to blockchain and cryptocurrency at HTC. He  said HTC “would like to support the entire blockchain ecosystem, and in the next few months we’ll be announcing many more exciting partnerships together.”

READ MORE: Sirin Labs Announces Full Specs For Its Finney Blockchain Smartphone

It is also reported that HTC may consider accepting cryptocurrencies as payment for the phone when it is released. There is no info yet on when the Exodus will hit markets but we presume it may arrive before the end of the year.

(Source, Via)

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Cryptocurrency is the new fad this year and we are seeing big corporations jump on the train. The latest is Chinese smartphone manufacturer, OnePlus.

It's not a coin toss. It's a better way. pic.twitter.com/LbOXAnBWrH

— OnePlus (@oneplus) March 28, 2018

Earlier today, OnePlus released a 30-second video in which they mentioned they want to “reimagine” the currency. A few seconds into the video, there is a text that says “Blockchain Meets Never Settle”.

At the end, we also see a spinning gold coin with a OnePlus logo on one side and the face of OnePlus co-founder, Carl Pei, on the other. There is also a parody of the United States motto “E pluribus unum” but written as “E PLURIBUS PEI-UM”. These hints point towards cryptocurrency.

So the big question is if OnePlus is truly launching its own  cryptocurrency? Probably not. Some responses to the video say this is probably a teaser for OnePlus’ April Fool’s joke and they may be correct. However, even if this is a joke, we may get to see OnePlus cryptocoins (1coin sounds better) in flesh.

READ MORE: Huawei Planning To Build Blockchain Phone, Xiaomi Developing Cryptopets

OnePlus is known to go practical with its April Fool’s jokes. Last year, its April Fool’s joke was the Dash Energy Drink which it actually made available at select locations around the world. The same may happen this year with the cryptocoin.

(Source, Via)

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Back in January, a relatively unknown Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Sugar, announced the Sugar S11 Blockchain Creation Edition. It is a phone for mining and storing Ethereum Fog cryptocurrency. Huawei is also said to be planning a blockchain phone with Sirin Labs, makers of the $16,000 Solarin Android Phone.

Unnamed sources say Huawei is in talks with Sirin to license the latter’s operating system, SIRIN OS, to run blockchain based applications along with Android. Both sides are still having discussions and nothing is set in stone since no agreement has been signed.

Representatives of both companies have confirmed that they have met but won’t disclose more than that. Meetings have been going over the past two months, and Sirin’s Telegram chat group posted a picture in February with a caption that confirms the meeting, as well as mentioning the “…possibility of working together bringing blockchain technology to masses in a secure way”.

Sirin is also working on a new series of phone called Finney, named after the pioneer of Bitcoin, Hal Finney. It will hold cryptocurrency coins and wallets, as well as blockchain-based apps.

Huawei is not the only Chinese manufacturer that is dabbling in blockchain. Xiaomi has its hand in the new trend but in a different way.

One of the more interesting “spin-offs” of blockhain is cryptopets. These are virtual pets similar to Tamagotchi but based on blockchain. Pets can be bought, groomed and traded. Each pet is unique and sales are recorded on the blockchain, though digital currency transactions are not supported.

The first cryptopet game was Cryptokitties which is based on Ethereum’s blockchain technology. Its success led other big Chinese giants to join the trend.

READ MORE: Huawei Is Developing Innovative Wireless Charging Technologies

Xiaomi’s own is said to be called Cryptorabbit which is not surprising since a bunny is Xiaomi’s mascot. It is currently in beta-testing. Baidu also has Cryptodoggies and is also said to be in beta. There is no info as to when a stable version will be released to the general public.

(Sources: 1, 2)

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