The year 2021 was marked by several major breakthroughs for cryptocurrencies. For one, new crypto applications like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) gained ground, with sales of these digital assets settingnew recordsat major auction houses. Secondly, Bitcoin made strides towards mainstream acceptance with major websites like Expedia and Microsoft accepting the coin as a means of exchange. Third, in September,El Salvadorbecame the first country in the world to accept bitcoin as legal tender....

In March, Internet traffic in Libya dropped to zero when the government pulled the plug to suppress dissent under orders from Colonel Gaddafi’s. Libya has been a black hole of data since this spring. Butthe BBC has just reportedthat Libya’s Internet connectivity is slowly sparking after a prolonged six-month black out. Yesterday morning, 21 August, Al Jazeera reports thatthe battle for control of Tripoliwas underway. According tothe Renesys blog, “Throughout the night, a steady stream oftweetsandretweetsemerged from Libyan sources, painting a confusing, often contradictory picture of the evolving situation....

The pandemic has exacerbated an already troubling trust deficit across political, economic and demographic divides. Research shared just before the pandemic’s onset uncovered thatmillennials are reluctant to trust government, business leaders, corporations, social and mass media or even traditional social institutions. Meanwhile, a recent Canadian survey found thathalf of respondents believe business leaders are purposely trying to mislead them, and just under half believe the same about government. The decline in trust is understandable, a predictable consequence of very real failures in leadership....

The first thought through my head when I read thatApplehadpenned a dealwith Warner Music Group was something akin to “holy ^$#%”. The next thought was this — If Warner has finally found a deal that it likes, it won’t take long forSpotifyto clone it and launch in the US. Apple’s deal is important for a couple of reasons. First off, of course, there’s those of you who have been waiting for cloud-based iTunes libraries....

Earlier this week, Delhi policevisited Twitter India’s offices in New Delhi and Gurugramto hand over a notice, but returned disappointed as these workspaces were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The cops wanted to hand over the notice related to an investigation after Twitter had labeled tweets of the ruling party BJP leaders with a “manipulated media” tag. Days later, The government of India senta letter to significant social media intermediaries— platforms with more than 5 million users — regarding the compliance ofnew rules that cameinto effect on May 26....