Friday, February 21, 2014

Bitcoin updates - February 21 , 2014 -- Mt. Gox Bitcoin Price Falls Below $100 ( reaching 91.50 USD ) , its Lowest Level Since July ...... Bitstamp Restores Withdrawals Following Security Scare ....... Italian Money Transfer Law Threatens Bitcoin Businesses ....... New York Department of Financial Services Superintendent Ben Lawsky Demonstrates ‘Evolution’ on Bitcoin Issues in Reddit AMA .......

nullic is gregory maxwell - a bitcoin developer.....

Mt Gox problem discussions....



submitted  ago by nullc
The MTGox transaction API (https://data.mtgox.com/api/0/bitcoin_tx.php) shows transactions MTGox authors.
Throughout the outage— e.g. as early as the 8th— they've been making a small number of what looks like dust sweeping transactions.
One shown right now is TXID ed7ffa58fef651adaf1281ad10e98a4399eb2be40950345c7ccb7c8f76f067e1 which spends 45d45286bac04311684ab7716ab170b50781cde6b094d9a644fb89ca07ae6888:31 which is the coinbase transaction of block 0000000000000000da75e32e941537e00bd2e752527adba6193f35ccaa6da293. At the moment it only has 62 confirmations.
Because the rules of the Bitcoin protocol prohibit spending coinbase txn with under 100 confirmations this transaction is currently invalid and will remain invalid for another 38 blocks.
So after all this outage time, MTGox has still not fixed their software to stop authoring invalid transactions.



    [–]paleh0rse 6 points  ago
    What's sad is that Mark has known about this specific issue (inputs that are too young to use) for quite some time now; and yet, he still hasn't fixed his inputs pool. I was in IRC a month ago when this issue was pointed out to him as being PART of the problem they were having with stuck TX.
    There's no longer any doubt, he's a bonafied idiot...
    [–]nullc[S] 11 points  ago
    A bit longer than a month:
    --- Day changed Mon Sep 02 2013
    05:25 < gmaxwell> MagicalTux: hey fool, https://blockchain.info/tx/591b0102531b69879ef6474a5ec64cdc96bf775e0b15e0ee91ee136bba01253b
    05:25 < Title> [ Bitcoin Transaction 591b0102531b69879ef6474a5ec64cdc96bf775e0b15e0ee91ee136bba01253b ]
    05:25 < gmaxwell> MagicalTux: you are sending immature coins!
    05:25 < gmaxwell> MagicalTux: this may be the reason people are complaining to you about transactions not forwarding.
    05:26 < gmaxwell> MagicalTux: newly generated coins need to mature for at least 100 blocks before the network will relay any spends of them.
    05:26 < gmaxwell> at the moment this transaction a customer of yours is complaining to me about spends an input from height 255610 and it is now 255702
    05:27 < gmaxwell> fixy fixy
    
    (for just one example)




      [–]paleh0rse 1 point  ago
      LOL, wow! That just makes it worse... not surprising at all, though.
      Did he ever respond to you?
      Btw, thanks for all you do!
      [–]nullc[S] 2 points  ago
      Not to that time, but towards the end of that month I complained again, and had an email conversation with him about it.
      (Basically, the development IRC channel had been getting complaints of MTGox transactions not relaying for several months, prompting me to look into it whenever a couple more people complained— I also reported their non-canonical signatures).





        [–]danknug 1 point  ago
        do you think there's much chance they're just testing and comparing invalid vs. valid?
        [–]nullc[S] 1 point  ago
        I think the chance of that is about zilch.
        Oh they may be testing things, sure— but there isn't any evidence of it there.
        [–]danknug 1 point  ago
        thx. Actually thanks for being a core developer (assuming what I read here is true, lol)
        [–]specialenmity 1 point  ago
        Wasn't there a second reason for transactions failure... that in some cases they were adding leading 0's in the amounts where the default now is expected to be any value represented in the shortest possible amount (with no leading 0's) ?
        [–]nullc[S] 1 point  ago
        Yes, the other cause is invalid DER encodings, but that only hits about 1% of signatures— so you wouldn't expect to see any examples of it in just a couple transactions.
        MagicalTux also told me that was fixed some time ago and I believe it— the fix is relatively simple. Here is an example of me fixing the same kind of bug in Jgarzik's pybitcoin: https://github.com/gmaxwell/python-bitcoinlib/commit/4c64603ab60b0fa23c51090b3112be2f163aeeac
        [–]pa2013 2 points  ago
        So this is unrelated to the tx-malleability woes?
        [–]paleh0rse 3 points  ago
        Correct. This is the result an entirely different, and also well known, piece of sloppy Gox code.




          [–]hpshout 11 points  ago
          Despite this the price is flying on Gox
          What the FUCK, makes absolutely ZERO logical sense... must be manipulation
          [–]lifeboatz 3 points  ago
          "I don't understand and can't think of any other explanation, therefore it must be someone cheating."
          [–]blazedforever 1 point  ago
          bitcoinbuilder
          [–]Sterlingz 1 point  ago
          All rallies and all crashes are caused by whales and/or manipulation. There are no natural rules in bitcoin. Welcome to /r/bitcoin.
          [–]HTL2001 3 points  ago
          What is gox doing with such newly-minted coins anyway?
          Someone mining at eligius to their gox address?
          [–]Kurdish-Nationalist 5 points  ago
          Like I said.
          I warned you guys about the lying, fake, market manipulative post earlier today on /r/bitcoin. I am referring to the ''there is light on the horizon'' post. It suggested that transactions are going through, and the price skyrocketed from 550 to over 600 on Btc-e. And now it is dropping back. LTC went from 13.7 to 15.5, and now it is back to 14.3.
          I warned you guys, but everyone downvoted me for whatever reason.
          And now a bitcoin core developer confirms that transactions are NOT going through.



            [–]Verdeckter 1 point  ago
            Any reason at all they're doing it? Seems really lazy anyway, so par for the course at MtGox. But it doesn't have anything to do with tx malleability, right?
            [–]nullc[S] 1 point  ago
            Any reason at all they're doing it?
            I can't explain it. No other wallet implementation I'm aware of has this bug.
            But it doesn't have anything to do with tx malleability, right?
            No, but arguably MTGox's stolen coins do not either.
            [–]kcbitcoin 1 point  ago
            wow, so gox has way more bugs to deal with than just the tx malleability bug.














              http://www.coindesk.com/documents-goldman-sachs-discussing-bitcoin/

              ( Vampire squid sees bitcoin as too volatile at this time ...... another bankster kick while bitcoin issues are afloat ! )



              New Documents Show Goldman Sachs is Discussing Bitcoin

               (@pete_rizzo_) | Published on February 21, 2014 at 22:52 GMT | CompaniesInvestorsNews
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              New York-based global investment banking giant Goldman Sachs has completed an initial assessment of digital currencies that concluded they are currently too volatile for serious investors.
              The news comes from noted online news source TechCrunch, which says it obtained a copy of an internal discussion document from a contact at Goldman Sachs.
              The excerpts posted by the media outlet provide evidence that Goldman Sachs is currently looking into the currency, though it is uncertain about its benefits. The bank even went so far as to suggest that it remains confused by the uproar surrounding virtual currencies.
              Said one excerpt:
              “2013 was the year when Bitcoin became a mainstay in mass media, to the extent that it has become hard to separate the effect of hype surrounding the currency from its fundamentals.”
              While the bank’s major findings noted a laundry list of the virtual currency’s shortcomings, it acknowledged some of the potential benefits of bitcoin. In particular, it noted bitcoin’s ability to remove processing costs from micropayments and to provide “anonymity, security and a natively digital experience to online transactions for consumers”.
              The news comes just weeks after JPMorgan weighed in on bitcoin with a more formal report that labeled digital currencies as “vastly inferior to fiat currencies“.

              Notable findings

              Ultimately, the report concluded that bitcoin is not yet suitable for merchant use due to its price volatility. This was a criticism also held by JPMorgan, which suggested that this risk outweighed the benefits of any potential savings.
              On the matter of consumer use, Goldman Sachs determined that “there are more speculators in bitcoin versus participants in e-commerce”. The comments indicate the bank believes bitcoin needs to attain a greater level of liquidity before it becomes useful as a currency, though reports suggest that this shift may already be occurring.
              Indeed, the bank found that bitcoin lacks a number of other attributes that could make it attractive to investors:
              “There is no liquid derivative market for Bitcoin; nor a large market of B2B suppliers which companies can use for spending Bitcoin.”

              Opportunities

              The report summaries suggest that Goldman Sachs believe bitcoin to be far from a point of mass adoption, but that significant opportunities could one day exist in the ecosystem for investors.
              The document said:
              “As a full suite of financial services build up around Bitcoin, there will be numerous (mostly commission- based) revenue opportunities investors can focus on, including providing exchanges, wallets, payment processing, lending, derivatives and other services.”



              http://www.coindesk.com/has-company-found-workaround-mt-gox-withdrawals/

              ( an escape route for Mt Gox roach motel members ? )


              Has This Company Found a Workaround for Mt. Gox Withdrawals?

               (@joonian) | Published on February 21, 2014 at 18:42 GMT | CompaniesExchangesMt. GoxNews
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              A new market will allow Mt. Gox customers to trade funds in their exchange accounts for bitcoin, effectively allowing bitcoin withdrawals despite an official freeze.
              The service, Bitcoin Builder, has also created an arbitrage opportunity for traders who wish to exploit the growing spread between the price of bitcoin on Mt. Gox and other major exchanges.
              According to the market’s founder Josh Jones, some 14,500 BTC (about $8.1m) worth of trades have been executed since it was set up on 11th Feb.

              A widening spread

              Bitcoin Builder works by taking advantage of the widening spread between the price of bitcoin on Mt. Gox and other exchanges. The spread has grown as Mt. Gox’s withdrawal freeze stretches on. At the time of writing, for example, 1 BTC was trading for $123.56 on Mt. Gox compared to $566.20 on BitStamp.
              Traders on Bitcoin Builder can sell bitcoins in their Mt. Gox accounts on the Bitcoin Builder market at the prevailing price. One bitcoin in a Mt. Gox account was trading for 0.38 BTC on Bitcoin Builder at the time of writing.
              If the same bitcoin from Mt. Gox could theoretically be traded on another exchange, like BitStamp, it would be worth just 0.22 BTC. In other words, selling Mt. Gox bitcoins on Bitcoin Builder yields a 73% premium over the theoretical open market rate. Jones said:
              “I was in the withdrawal queue for Mt. Gox when all this happened. I was basically a user who wanted an exchange like this to exist myself.”
              Bitcoin Builder works because Mt. Gox is still allowing transfers between accounts on the exchange. To sell bitcoin, users must therefore send coins to Bitcoin Builder’s Mt. Gox account. They will then receive bitcoin in a wallet of their choice.
              Only users with ‘verified’ or ‘trusted’ accounts at Mt. Gox can make transfers to another account on the exchange. The new exchange charges 2% for each transaction.
              Bitcoin Builder also allows traders to buy the discounted Mt. Gox bitcoins. These traders must deposit coins with Bitcoin Builder and then receive Mt. Gox bitcoins that are held in Bitcoin Builder’s account on the exchange.
              Traders on Bitcoin Builder must also submit identity documents before they can start making transactions.

              The Gox question

              Trades on Bitcoin Builder hinge on Mt. Gox’s future. Customers who are selling their Mt. Gox bitcoins on Bitcoin Builder are taking a 78% discount on the price of their coins in exchange for the certainty of holding funds that are not subject to Mt. Gox’s withdrawal restrictions.
              Although the exchange has said the withdrawal freeze is due to technical problems and that it will be lifted soon, customers appear to be losing their confidence that the exchange will do as it says. This is reflected in the plummeting price of bitcoin to US dollars on Mt. Gox.
              Then there are the arbitrageurs who are able to exploit the spread between prices at Mt. Gox and other exchanges so long as the withdrawal freeze stays in place.
              These traders may be depositing fiat into a Mt. Gox account in order to buy more discounted bitcoins and then offloading them on Bitcoin Builder. With bitcoins in hand, they can then make a profit selling on another major exchange.
              However, if Mt. Gox were to announce more serious problems — such as insolvency, for example — then Bitcoin Builder’s trading volume would vanish. Jones said:
              “If Mt. Gox really is insolvent, or if they somehow freeze Bitcoin Builder’s account, or if they say that some of these bitcoins turned out to be fake because of transaction malleability, then there’s going to be a lot of angry people [on Bitcoin Builder].”
              Jones himself is betting that Mt. Gox is solvent and that it is indeed suffering from the technical problems it claims it is experiencing.
              “There is a saying, ‘never attribute to malice that which can adequately explained by incompetence’. Mt Gox is not Google or Apple. But they are a real company and Karpeles has made loads of money over the last few years. So he’s not just going to shut it down,” Jones said.












              http://www.coindesk.com/mt-gox-bitcoin-price-falls-100-lowest-level-since-july/


              Mt. Gox Bitcoin Price Falls Below $100, its Lowest Level Since July

               (@pete_rizzo_) | Published on February 21, 2014 at 04:15 GMT | ExchangesMt. GoxPrices
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              The price of bitcoin on Mt. Goxdropped below $100, hitting a low of $91.50 on 20th February.
              Data from Bitcoincharts indicates it was the lowest total observed on the exchange since 22nd July when the lowest price was $89.80.
              The announcement comes amid increasing criticism from the bitcoin community about the exchange and its questionable behavior that has included ignoring protestorsblaming the Bitcoin protocol for its implementation issues and somehow managing to create an aura of suspicion and uncertainty around even its physical address.
              Earlier this week, Blockchain.info chief security officer Andreas Antonopoulos went so far as to label Mt. Gox “clownish” and “incompetent” as part of the latest episode of the popular podcast Let’s Talk Bitcoin, which was dedicated to dissecting problems at the exchange.
              The developments are just the latest in a string of setbacks that have spawned community outrage at both the exchange and CEO Mark Karpeles in the last few weeks. Some community members have even called for Karpeles resignation from the Bitcoin Foundation in light of the recent developments, though the organization has not yet weighed in on the gathered petitions.

              Prices stable elsewhere

              At press time, the uncertainty around Mt. Gox and its solvency seemed to be affecting other exchanges, though only marginally.
              Prices at both BTC-e and Bitstamp were roughly $400 greater than those at Mt. Gox. The figures are particularly stunning, given the exchange’s reputation for high prices compared to other exchanges.
              BTC-e opened at $542 on 20th February and at press time had fallen to $539. Similarly, Bitstamp dropped from a high of $561 to $553 at press time.

              Community reaction

              News that Mt. Gox had fallen under the $100 mark was quick to arrive on reddit, with many community members debating the right investment strategy as well as the motives of Mt. Gox in the wake of the most recent setback.
              Some maintained that the market would soon rebound sharply once the situation was resolved, while others suggested the resulting negativity surrounding the market would push fringe bitcoin users away, perhaps for good.
              Screen Shot 2014-02-20 at 10.54.44 PM
              However, notably there seemed to be a growing opinion that Mt. Gox’s low bitcoin prices may actually be a better reflection of bitcoin’s value.
              Screen Shot 2014-02-20 at 11.15.02 PM
              This minority cited that fact that prices were at or near current prices before China’s influence on the market and the swell of optimism that came with bitcoin’s rising prices toward the end of 2013.


              http://www.coindesk.com/bitstamp-restores-withdrawals-following-security-scare/

              Bitstamp Restores Withdrawals Following Security Scare

               | Published on February 20, 2014 at 21:00 GMT | BitstampCrimeExchanges,News
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              Bitstamp is in the process of restoring full services to all accounts following an issue that prompted the bitcoin exchange to disable withdrawals to some users.
              The move was a security precaution and the affected accounts have been notified of the problem.
              Nejc Kodrič, Bitstamp’s CEO, told CoinDesk that some accounts have already regained withdrawal functionality.

              Phishing fears

              The decision to halt the withdrawals was made after Bitstamp detected an increased number of phishing attempts over the last few days.
              Bitstamp says some clients had reported receiving suspicious emails. The correspondences were examined and were found to contain malware, so Bitstamp then took the ‘better-safe-than-sorry’ approach and temporarily disabled the accounts.
              At the time of writing, no Bitstamp user has reported any missing funds. It is possible that the attack was completely unsuccessful, although it is still too early to say with certainty.
              Bitstamp believes the attack was targeted at bitcoin users only, and its sole intent was to steal bitcoins.

              Warning message

              In an email sent to affected clients, the Bitstamp team stressed that the tech team’s response to the phishing attack was a necessary precaution given the risks of the situation, and gave advice on how to deal with any malware.
              “As a precaution we have also applied this security measure to your account,” the exchange wrote. “If you have received any emails with suspicious content and have opened links or attachments, we highly recommend that you immediately contact a computer expert.”
              Even if you think your computer is clean, it is probably best to play it safe, Bitstamp says:
              “If you consider that your system was not affected, we kindly suggest you contact our support staff for further assistance.”
              The company added that the decision to disable withdrawals is an inconvenience, but it should be viewed as part of the exchange’s important security measures, which were put in place to safeguard users’ accounts – and their funds.

              Attractive targets

              The Mt. Gox debacle is still in the news, and other exchanges – including Bitstamp – have also faced related and unrelated problems in recent days.
              Last week, Bitstamp was targeted by a massive DDoS attack, along with a few other exchanges. As with the current issue, it was forced to suspend processing bitcoin withdrawals, but it quickly recovered and resumed regular service.
              On a more positive note, most exchanges appear to be very resilient to the frequent DDoS and targeted phishing attacks. It comes with the territory, it seems, and it is reassuring to see that most sites spring back to full service in a matter of hours.



              http://www.coindesk.com/italian-money-transfer-law-threatens-bitcoin-businesses/




              Italian Money Transfer Law Threatens Bitcoin Businesses

               (@pete_rizzo_) | Published on February 20, 2014 at 17:00 GMT | EuropeExchanges,Regulation
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              Update 17:00 GMT: Responding to pressure, Italy has announced it will delay the law’s implementation untilJuly, 2014. It was previously enacted retroactively. 
              When Italy announced last week that it would implement a 20% withholding tax on all inbound wire transfers to domestic personal bank accounts, some members of the global bitcoin community suggested the country could embrace bitcoin as a means to avoid payment.
              However, despite the optimism that bitcoin would not be affected by the move, which was aimed at cutting down on money laundering and tax evasion, representatives of Italy’s bitcoin community say the tax is actually likely to have a negative impact on bitcoin business and trade.
              Franco Cimatti, President of the Italian chapter of the Bitcoin Foundation, explained that withdrawals from bitcoin exchanges would be affected by the tax, and suggested that legitimate businesses would be the most harmed.
              Cimatti said the law is not good for those for moving large amounts of money around or opening legitimate businesses using bitcoin technology.
              Italian newspaper Il Sole reported that the 20% tax will be applied to all transfers to individual domestic bank accounts from abroad, starting 1st February, unless the recipient can prove that the money is not income. All eligible transactions need to be reported to the government and those affected have one year to pay the appropriate tax.
              Notably, business accounts are not affected by the new rule. Personal exceptions to the law include the return of a previous loan or the return of a deposit.

              Widespread confusion

              Despite those facts, however, members of Italy’s bitcoin community stress that many questions about the new law cannot yet be answered.
              “There are still doubts about how this new law works, even in the banks,” said Cimatti.
              For instance, he said it is unclear if SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) transfers are subject to taxation, and if so, whether such action would be lawful.
              Furthermore, Francesco Cittadini, a consultant who represents local bitcoin entrepreneurs, suggested that the higher authorities could eventually block the law.
              Cimatti agreed, saying:
              “The European Commission has placed this measure under investigation [and] is considering the compatibility of this measure with the principles of free movement of goods and capital.”

              Impact on exchanges

              Though the full impact of the law is not yet known, members of Italy’s bitcoin community said the regulation would likely impact the withdrawal of funds from major bitcoin exchanges, most of which are located outside the country.
              Notably, the reporting burdens implemented by the new tax would fall on the consumer, not the exchanges.
              “The taxpayer must provide all necessary information to identify the possible nature of the income flow, as well as [...] its tax base. In the absence of such information, the withholding tax must be applied to the whole amount of [the] payment,” Cittadini said.
              Cimatti suggested that, under the new law, private bitcoin users who wanted to withdraw fiat funds would be best served by so-called over-the-counter (OTC) solutions such as LocalBitcoins.com.
              “If [SEPA transfers are taxable], then it’s good for all Localbitcoins and private users,” Cimatti said.

              Burden of proof

              Marco Barulli, co-founder of the Italy-based password management company Clipperz, suggested that avoiding the tax would be onerous for bitcoin users. He said:
              “I asked my financial consultant [Cittadini], who said that, to avoid the 20% tax, you should prove the payment is [neither] a ‘compensation’ [nor] money subject to capital gain taxes. This will probably require documentation about the history of deposits and transactions on the BTC exchange.”
              Cittadini, later provided clarity on how this process would work:
              “The taxpayer can attest [...] that [payments] do not constitute capital gains or other income arising from investments abroad or foreign activities of a financial nature.”

              Possible solutions

              For now, Cittadini suggests that Italian bitcoin users abide by the new regulation until its impact is clarified.
              “My advice is to operate within the law, working with your own Italian financial intermediary, to provide any relevant information that lets you avoid the withholding tax.”
              However, founder and CEO of Italy-based bitcoin exchange BitBoat, Thomas Bertani, indicated that foreign bank accounts were already becoming the preferred option for the country’s bitcoin users:
              “The easy way out for bitcoiners, and this is what they are actually doing, is to open a bank account outside the country, so that they are not affected.”
              Bertani further suggested that Italians could use prepaid cards to transition the funds to fiat, although such a step would undoubtedly add another level of hassle to the withdrawal process.




              http://www.coindesk.com/ben-lawsky-demonstrates-evolution-bitcoin-issues-reddit-ama/





              Ben Lawsky Demonstrates ‘Evolution’ on Bitcoin Issues in Reddit AMA

               (@pete_rizzo_) | Published on February 20, 2014 at 19:36 GMT | NewsRegulationUS & Canada
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              Ben Lawsky: Friend or Foe? It’s a question CoinDesk recently posedregarding the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) superintendent, and one that is understandably concerning to the wider virtual currency community as New York state seeks to enact regulation in 2014.
              Speculation aside, on 20th February, the bitcoin community got its chance to seek an answer when Lawsky participated in a much-anticipated Ask Me Anything session on reddit.

              Here's my "Proof" picture for @reddit_AMA on at 1230pm EST today. P.S. The SNES refs cracked us up. pic.twitter.com/6svPO3akNF

              1 comment:

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