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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange "very happy" about fake news …

Posted on February 20, 2017 by admin

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, speaks via video link during a press conference about its 10-year anniversary, October 4, 2016.

REUTERS/Axel Schmidt

What is special about WikiLeaks is that its not just another damn story, its not just another damn journalist putting their damn byline, advertising themselves and their position on another damn story.

Thats the assessment of WikiLeaks founderJulian Assange, who appeared in Sydney over the weekend (albeit via video link) for a wide-ranging discussion on the failings of modern media, the power of leaked information and why WikiLeaks is happy to court scandal.

And while he says newspapers publish nothing more than weaponized text, hes more than happy with the advent of fake news.

WikiLeaks, whichcelebrated its 10th anniversary in October last year, has never been one to shrink from its stated goal of uncovering government and corporate misconduct. However, the organization has come under fire in recent months for the way it releases information, particularly around thetiming of its leaks in the lead up to the 2016 election.

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Fake news websites and stories are flooding the internet. Be careful out there. Here are some to keep an eye out for.

But speaking to the audience in Sydney -- including supporters who were willing to yell their support during the live cross -- Assange defended WikiLeaks as a wonderful library you can trust and a source of original pristine information.

Youre not reading pre-weaponized knowledge, he said of the organizations millions of documents. When you read a newspaper article, you are reading weaponized text that is designed to affect a person just like you.

I think that is the real beauty of WikiLeaks... it is that sea of information, that treasure, that intellectual treasure, that rebel library of Alexandria you can go into.

Assanges comments throughout the two-hour event pitted this unfiltered archive of information against what he called the very, very, very inaccurate press and the opportunistic snipers that work in the industry as journalists.

But this disdain for the global news media did not necessarily extend to fake news.

When the narrative of fake news came out and was then taken off effectively by the neo-liberal press and pushed around... I could see exactly where that was going. I was rather happy about it, he said.

WikiLeaks is very happy that there is a narrative about fake news out there because we have a perfect record of having never got it wrong in terms of authentications.

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So what if that pristine information is private correspondence allegedly from one ofHillary Clintons top aides,released a month before the election? Does freedom of information take on a new meaning when that information is timed to have the maximum impact?

Sources dont give you stuff unless its going to have impact, Assange said.

The real value in WikiLeaks is it is a wonderful library that you can trust... But the library has to be marketed. And so the scandal-generation business, which were also in -- I view that as a kind of marketing effort for what is much more substantial, which is our archive.

And as for the timing of the Podesta emails?

We try and maximize the value of the information to readers. So thats publishing it at the moment when they most want to read it, when they most want to know what it contains. And thats definitely before an election rather than after election.

Assange himself is currently in election mode once more, awaiting the outcome of the Ecuadorian presidential election to learn if his status in the countrys London embassy will change. But if theres one thing his Sydney audience learned, hes not shying away from scandal any time soon.

This article originally appeared on CNET.

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange "very happy" about fake news ...

Wikileaks is ‘very happy’ about fake news: Julian Assange – CNET

Posted on February 20, 2017 by admin

Julian Assange appearing in conversation with Australian comedian Chas Licciardello via video link in Sydney.

"What is special about WikiLeaks is that it's not just another damn story, it's not just another damn journalist putting their damn byline, advertising themselves and their position on another damn story."

That's the assessment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who appeared in Sydney over the weekend (albeit via video link) for a wide-ranging discussion on the failings of modern media, the power of leaked information and why WikiLeaks is happy to court scandal.

And while he says newspapers publish nothing more than "weaponised text," he's more than happy with the advent of "fake news."

WikiLeaks, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in October last year, has never been one to shrink from its stated goal of uncovering "government and corporate misconduct." However, the organisation has come under fire in recent months for the way it releases information, particularly around the timing of its leaks in the lead up to the 2016 election.

But speaking to the audience in Sydney -- including supporters who were willing to yell their support during the live cross -- Assange defended WikiLeaks as "a wonderful library you can trust" and a source of "original pristine information."

"You're not reading pre-weaponised knowledge," he said of the organisations' millions of documents. "When you read a newspaper article, you are reading weaponised text that is designed to affect a person just like you.

"I think that is the real beauty of WikiLeaks... it is that sea of information, that treasure, that intellectual treasure, that rebel library of Alexandria you can go into."

Assange's comments throughout the two-hour event pitted this unfiltered archive of information against what he called the "very, very, very inaccurate" press and the "opportunistic snipers" that work in the industry as journalists.

But this disdain for the global news media did not necessarily extend to fake news.

"When the narrative of fake news came out and was then taken off effectively by the neo-liberal press and pushed around... I could see exactly where that was going. I was rather happy about it," he said.

"WikiLeaks is very happy that there is a narrative about fake news out there because we have a perfect record of having never got it wrong in terms of authentications."

Julian Assange

So what if that "pristine" information is private correspondence allegedly from one of Hillary Clinton's top aides, released a month before the election? Does freedom of information take on a new meaning when that information is timed to have the maximum impact?

"Sources don't give you stuff unless it's going to have impact," Assange said.

"The real value in WikiLeaks is it is a wonderful library that you can trust... But the library has to be marketed. And so the scandal-generation business, which we're also in -- I view that as a kind of marketing effort for what is much more substantial, which is our archive."

And as for the timing of the Podesta emails?

"We try and maximize the value of the information to readers. So that's publishing it at the moment when they most want to read it, when they most want to know what it contains. And that's definitely before an election rather than after election."

Assange himself is currently in election mode once more, awaiting the outcome of the Ecuadorian presidential election to learn if his status in the country's London embassy will change. But if there's one thing his Sydney audience learned, he's not shying away from scandal any time soon.

"The internet is boring. It felt like I'd read the whole internet... each new thing was kind of like the last thing. And it felt like pre-chewed food, not real, kind of lame. So I thought, 'I think I'll just read more of our stuff'."

"I'm a refugee. Arguably the best known refugee."

"Intellectually, my mind is in the world doing amazing things. Actually, frankly amazing things."

"Nothing that we've published has ever hurt anyone, physically... Information very, very rarely, is dangerous. And not compared to what government does."

"We had lots of critics in the Democratic Party, liars in the Democratic Party... saying that what we published was not accurate -- trying to imitate it, sometimes saying it directly. And of course we could mathematically prove that they were liars. And it's not every day that you can mathematically prove that your critics are full of it."

"Australia doesn't really exist as a state... It doesn't have its own land, it doesn't have its own language, it doesn't have its own foreign policy."

"You can blame me for anything that's there -- I'm the editor."

CNET Magazine: Check out a sample of the stories in CNET's newsstand edition.

Life, disrupted: In Europe, millions of refugees are still searching for a safe place to settle. Tech should be part of the solution. But is it?

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Wikileaks is 'very happy' about fake news: Julian Assange - CNET

RIP Wikileaks? Ecuador Elections Could Mean The End For Julian … – Empty Lighthouse Magazine

Posted on February 20, 2017 by admin

Tomorrow, Ecuador is holding elections. The tiny South American company will be deciding on a president, and two of the top candidates had made a promise to Europe and America: if he wins, Julian Assange is out.

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Since 2012, Julian Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. He had been wanted by the United States for years, and when allegations that he sexually assaulted two women in Sweden surfaced, an opportunity for extradition arose. Sweden would not guarantee that they wouldn't extradite Assange to the U.S. if he were to appear in Sweden to face the assault charges.

Assange and Wikileaks suggested that the Swedish allegations would be an underhanded way for him to be sent to the U.S. to face charges of leaking information. So in order to avoid that, Assange fled to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where the president offered him indefinite asylum. Legally, in the Embassy, Assange is safe from any foreign law enforcement.

However, that all may change tomorrow. Two of the top candidates for president in Ecuador are saying that they will terminate Assange's asylum if they wins.

One of the candidates, Guillermo Lasso, is a former banker and ambassador to the U.S., and he has close ties to U.S. government officials. So it's no surprise that he would be amenable to American interests. In addition, Lasso was previously the subject of a Wikileaks release.

The other candidate, Cyntiha Viteri, has made a similar statements regarding Assange. Viteri argued that keeping Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy was too expensive, and that instead the money should be used for other things, such as feeding children in state schools.

The Ecuadorian people don't appear to share that sentiment fully, however. The person in the lead for the presidency, Lenin Moreno, is of the same party as the former president who offered Assange asylum. And many Ecuadorians have spoken in support of Assange and Wikileaks.

If Moreno loses and one of the two anti-Wikileaks/anti-Assange candidates win -- and they revoke Assange's asylum -- he will be released to the U.K., where he will be captured by law enforcement and likely sent to Sweden, which will then extradite him to the U.S. The U.K. could also extradite Assange immediately.

In the U.S., he would face trial and probably suffer a similar fate to Chelsea Manning.

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RIP Wikileaks? Ecuador Elections Could Mean The End For Julian ... - Empty Lighthouse Magazine

How cryptocurrency will cripple todays governments and …

Posted on February 20, 2017 by admin

Cryptocurrency will cripple governmental ability to collect taxes, and they wont see it coming. When its already happened, expect major changes to take place in how society is organized on a large scale but also expect governments to act in desperation to retain control.

As bitcoin launched in 2009, most early adopters saw its disruptive potential. While bitcoin has stalled for some time approaching a valid use of the term stagnation, cryptocurrency in a larger context is still just as disruptive. In 2011, I stated that bitcoin (cryptocurrency) will do to banks what e-mail did to the postal services. This is not just true, but it will be even more brutal to governments, and by extension, governmental services.

Now, governments love anything that smells like innovation, because it means jobs, this magic word that smells of magic unicorns to anybody in government. Therefore, people who like innovation are nurturing this bitcoin thing, this cryptocurrency thing, this ethereum thing (as if governments made a difference, but still). Lots of startups in tip-of-the-spear financial technology means that their government may get a head start over other governments. They have no idea that cryptocurrency will radically scale back the power of government, not just their own one, but also all those other governments over which it seeks a competitive edge.

Individual people in government can also love bitcoin because it gives them something to do. More specifically, it gives them something to regulate. Fortunately, other people in government see that this gives them something to do, which is to hold those government regulators with an overdeveloped sense of order somewhat in check. Youll hear no shortage of wannabe regulators saying that bitcoin is bad because its being used in crime and contraband trade!, to which I usually respond, well, bitcoin is a currency, so I mean you put it in relation to the US Dollar, which then is not used in crime and contraband trade, is this the argument youre using to support your position?, at which point the discussion generally changes topic.

This completely disregards the observation that bitcoin and cryptocurrency were designed to not submit to regulation in the first place. Well, at least not governmental regulation. It is heavily regulated but by its source code, and by its source code alone.

The reason this will cripple todays governments todays idea of what a government is and does is because todays economy is built on one layer doing actual work and three layers of abstraction on top.

At the first and bottom layer of our economy are the individual people doing all the actual work.

The second layer on top of the first is the abstraction we call corporations, which is a way to organize our economy and optimize transaction costs.

The third layer on top of the second would be banks, which handle money for corporations and individual people in a middleman gatekeeper position.

Finally, the fourth layer is the government, which takes advantage of the banks gatekeeper position to siphon off taxes from money flows in order to fund itself and governmental services. In other words, layer four completely depends on layer three for its operations or at least for the relative simplicity of funding its operations.

Now, what bitcoin and cryptocurrency do is make away with the banks cutting them out of the loop entirely, making them redundant, obsolete, dinosaurified. This resulting absence of anything where banks used to be creates an air gap between the functional part of the economy people and corporations and governments who want funding.

The way governments want to tap all money flows in order to fund itself is not entirely unlike how the surveillance agencies want to tap all information flows in order to have an information advantage. In this way, the deployment of cryptocurrency is to tax collection what deployment of end-to-end encryption is to mass surveillance. The government can no longer reach into money flows and grab what it wants, but will be dependent on people actively sending it money. The government cant point a gun at a computer and have it give up its money; you can only make a computer operator feel very sorry for not voluntarily producing the keys to that money. So the government is no longer able to collect taxes without the consent even if coerced and forced consent of the people being thus collected.

The deployment of cryptocurrency is to tax collection what deployment of end-to-end encryption is to mass surveillance.

Governments, and individual people in government, have no idea about this bigger picture. Theyre far to wrapped up in things-as-usual to notice. They wont see it coming until its already happened.

When this happens, there will be no shortage of people in government who suddenly want to regulate cryptocurrency only to find out it will be as effective as regulating gravity. When this happens, government as we know it will be redefined from a coercive Colossus able to take what it wants and do what it wants into a construct that actually depends on people wanting to fund it. This will be a very interesting time to live in. While todays governments will see themselves as getting crippled, I suspect most citizens will regard it as unquestionably healthy that governments will actually begin to depend on the approval of the people at large.

Were just beginning to see the changes to society that the Internet brings. This is one of them.

(Note: I write cryptocurrency and not bitcoin on purpose here, just as Id prefer proclaiming the success of social media over the success of Myspace.)

Rick is Head of Privacy at Private Internet Access. He is also the founder of the first Pirate Party and is a political evangelist, traveling around Europe and the world to talk and write about ideas of a sensible information policy. Additionally, he has a tech entrepreneur background and loves good whisky and fast motorcycles.

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Most Frequent Cryptocurrency Beginner Questions Part 2 – The Merkle

Posted on February 20, 2017 by admin

This is a continuation of the most frequent questions I am asked by friends, colleagues, and family as I try to teach them more about cryptocurrencys exciting new role in our world. The previous article has already covered the basics from legitimacy to acquisition, I wanted to focus on the questions I get asked after newcomers have gotten some coin.

This is great! But where can I even spend these?

While Bitcoin and other altcoins may not have as wide an adoption by retailers and service providers as various fiat currencies have, there are still many places that accept Bitcoin and other cryptosas a form of payment. Airline booking agencies, computer hardware and software sites, VPN services, and many brick and mortar businesses all accept Bitcoin, with the list growing everyday. My friends and I are gamers, so many of the people who ask this question usually are thrilled when they find out that Steam accepts Bitcoin as a payment option now. Im sure that Steam saw a fair share of my friends coins coming in during the Steam winter sale this past year.

I also explain that Bitcoin and other altcoins thrive as a peer to peer currency as well, for personal debts. For example, this past weekend I was having a few beers with some of my Bitcoin holding friends and I ordered a pizza for the group. One of them didnt have any cash, but we both had our mobile wallets and he sent me some bitcoin to pay for his share of the pizza. This example may be even more powerful than just telling someone they can spend coins with online, because you get to participate in the process with them.

Why is my transaction taking so long to confirm?

This is a problem almost exclusive to Bitcoin. I have no intention on having this post become a catalyst for the blocksize debate, but I do have to field this question often. Usually this problem for the newcomer comes from a lack of understanding how transaction fees work in the Bitcoin network.

Since miners have to process transactions and only so many transactions can be processed in a block, fees are required by the miners to put the transactions through. If you pay too low of a fee (as many of the Bitcoin neophytes I speak with do), the chances of the transaction being painfully slow and/or outright orphaned increase exponentially. While theyve usually paid enough that it will eventually get confirmed, this is can be frustrating for the new coin user.

From my experience, such a mistake is rarely made again. However this is one reason that I usually that the new user does a practice run with a seasoned cryptocurrency user by say, paying for your share of a pizza with Bitcoin. This way the veteran can help out, and usually waiting a bit longer for someone to pay you back for pizza will not break the bank.

Between these two posts, these are the five most common cryptocurrency questions that I encounter. As always, I hope my experiences are helpful to all the other cryptocurrency evangelists out there.

If you liked this article, follow us on Twitter @themerklenews and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and technology news.

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Most Frequent Cryptocurrency Beginner Questions Part 2 - The Merkle

Regulations Push Cryptocurrency Traders to LocalBitcoins – newsBTC

Posted on February 20, 2017 by admin

Bitcoin volumes rise on LocalBitcoins amid increasing regulatory hurdles imposed by government agencies. Read more...

The increasing interest in Bitcoin has got the community looking for ways to overcome the roadblocks set by government agencies. As regulatory issues affect conventional methods of buy and selling cryptocurrencies over established platforms, the community members seem to have migrated to peer-to-peer platforms like LocalBitcoins.

The market charts published by Coin Dance platform shows increasing Bitcoin trade volumes on LocalBitcoins. The surge in Bitcoin demand on the peer-to-peer trading platform appears to be driven by the recent developments in the Chinese cryptocurrency industry.

The region wise demand trend shows the cryptocurrencys volumes surge to record levels in the Chinese market. The volumes in Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Mexico, Norway, and Venezuela have also exhibited similar trends. Out of all these markets, China, Mexico, and Venezuela hold a special significance.

The Chinese Bitcoin exchanges have recently frozen Bitcoin withdrawals from the platforms as they work on implementing new AML and compliance systems. The limited functionality on these exchanges has almost brought trading activity to a standstill. It is during these times the peer-to-peer exchanges score over centralized platforms like BTCC, OKCoin, Huobi and others. People have resorted to using LocalBitcoins to continue trading.

Similarly, amid the worst financial crisis, Venezuela has been cracking down on Bitcoin mining and exchange activities. SurBitcoin, a leading Venezuelan exchange recently suspended services after its banking partner decided to withdraw support. Mexico, on the other hand, seems to be preparing itself to face any unexpected executive orders by the US President Donald Trump that might affect remittances between the two nations.

President Trump has already hinted about a possible disruption of remittances along with increased import taxes between the United States and Mexico. As he plans to pressurize Mexico into sharing the costs of the controversial border wall between both countries, Mexicans are preparing to deal with any eventualities by adopting Bitcoin as an alternative.

These developments show that no matter what the governments do, Bitcoin cant be completely taken off the equation. With no improvements in regulations at sight for the immediate future, the cryptocurrency trade volumes of LocalBitcoins is expected to go up further.

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Regulations Push Cryptocurrency Traders to LocalBitcoins - newsBTC

Cryptocurrency hardware wallet KeepKey integrates dash – CoinReport

Posted on February 20, 2017 by admin

Cryptocurrency hardware wallet KeepKey announced in a press release sent to CoinReport that it has integrated cryptocurrency dash.

Those using KeepKey can now receive, store and send their dash on their KeepKey devices, and via the built-in ShapeShift function, swap between other digital currencies like bitcoin, dogecoin, namecoin and litecoin.

Dash currently has a market capitalization of over $120 million and stands seventh on the most valuable digital asset list. In September and October last year, the median 24-hour volume trading of the cryptocurrency was about $680,000. In November and December, the amount almost doubled. Now, in the first quarter of 2017, its averaging about $2 million per day.

KeepKey founder & CEO Darin Stanchfield

Partnering with Dash is the natural next step for KeepKey since our wallet is purely focused on security, mobility and convenience; attributes that Dash shares, said KeepKey CEO Darin Stanchfield in the release.

KeepKey protects digital assets from hackers by limiting their exposure to the internet. With this integration, we are extending our utility, and adding one more asset users can transfer to or from directly on our device.

Dash director of finance Ryan Taylor said on the occasion, As the ecosystem of services integrated with Dash continues to grow and mature, solutions to ensure user funds are stored as securely as possible is more important than ever. Because of Dashs unique capabilities and the announcement and execution of our software upgrade, weve experienced triple digit price appreciation, so many of our users will love having this option available to secure the growing value of their Dash.

We partnered with KeepKey because we aim to create the best overall experience for our users. The peace of mind and convenience that KeepKey can provide makes them a valuable addition to our family of partners. Their products also align well with our belief that the user experience should be a focus.

This beta release by KeepKey, however, will not support dashs InstantSend and PrivateSend functions.

We like to listen to the community and implement new technology in response to community requests and feedback. While hacks in todays global information age are pervasive, and so too is the rise of cryptocurrency, more and more people are investing in a digital vault for their valuable cryptocurrencies. Crypto assets vary in their characteristics, and attract the use of different audiences for different reasons. One thing we are certain of though is the trend for investing and holding multiple types of assets is becoming increasingly popular and KeepKey helps makes this both simpler and safer, Stanchfield added.

The entire digital currency market has almost tripled in value in a year, from $7 billion in January 2016 to more than $19.9 billion now.

Images courtesy of KeepKey via PR firm Wachsman PR

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Cryptocurrency hardware wallet KeepKey integrates dash - CoinReport

Swiss canton to launch its own cryptocurrency – Finextra – Finextra

Posted on February 20, 2017 by admin

Ticino, the southernmost canton of Switzerland, is planning to issue its own local digital currency for everyday use. Its circulation may be confined to Ticino territory.

The future cryptocurrency called ticinocoin (TIC) is a brainchild of computer scientists Claudio Rossini and Michele Fiscalini. The developers have already tested the currency: the pilot phase of the project was completed last week, reports Tribune de Geneve. Regional virtual currency based on the blockchain technology is expected to stimulate the local economy offering faster, more transparent and less expensive transactions. According to Fiscalini, circulation of TIC may be limited to local services and products from Ticino.

The expected exchange rate of TIC is one Swiss franc. However, operations with ticinocoin may require obligatory authorisation by FINMA, the Swiss monetary regulator.

Ticinocoin is not the first local currency in Switzerland. In 2015, Lmanic Arc introduced the regional currency Lmans. Now it accounts for more than 100,000 units in circulation. The launch of the electronic version of Lman is due in March. Another Swiss region, Valais, may introduce its own complementary currency Farinet in 2017.

Switzerland, the home of Xapo, Ethereum and ShapeShift, is regarded as a haven for cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. In May 2016, the City Council of Zug in the east Switzerland launched a pilot project allowing to pay for municipal services with bitcoin. During the initial phase of the programme, the maximum amount payable with the cryptocurrency was limited to 200 Swiss francs. The city authorities are not opposed to extending the experiment to other cryptocurrencies.

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Swiss canton to launch its own cryptocurrency - Finextra - Finextra

BitBay Resurfaces with the Most Advanced and Secure Wallet in Cryptocurrency Space – newsBTC

Posted on February 20, 2017 by admin

BitBay is a free software program that provides the security you need to protect all of your online transactions, especially at places like Craigslist, Hoobly and eBay Classifieds.

After keeping a low profile for some time, BitBay, the cryptocurrency software suite offering unbreakable smart contracts is now back with the most advanced and secure wallet in cryptocurrency space. The software suite is capable of supporting an entire smart contracting interface with decentralized markets and other features.

BitBay is a free software program that provides the security you need to protect all of your online transactions, especially at places like Craigslist, Hoobly and eBay Classifieds. It removes any centralized services from online transactions and allows buyers to interact directly with sellers safely and securely.

The platform offers unbreakable smart contractsfor important real world applications. These contracts are secured by collateral deposits from both parties, making them unbreakable. Further, there is no fear of fraud as the collateral funds will be burnt in case a party cheats or exits the contract with the intention of defrauding the other.

Arbitrators, biased third parties, escrow and even fees have been eliminated on BitBay due to their smart contracts system. Without any middlemen, it can create coins for cash contracts like a decentralized LocalBitcoins, where cash payments are completely trustless. It can also be used to create employment contracts, decentralized eBay-like delivery contracts, and even barter contracts.

The many user-friendly templates on BitBay let people create smart contracts by just entering few details. The pre- existing templates like Cash for Coins are already being used successfully and many new ones like buy/sell anything contract template are to be added to the platform shortly.

BitBay has a decentralized marketplace in place and the completely anonymous marketis built right into the client which allows users to create their own public and private markets. There is also the option to simply check different contracts already available in the main market.

The BitBay software allows communication between users by supporting email with end to end encryption like Thunderbird and it also supports Bitmessage for a more decentralized option.

Finally, BitBay also plans to launch their secret star feature soon, that will eliminate the cryptocurrencys volatility.

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BitBay Resurfaces with the Most Advanced and Secure Wallet in Cryptocurrency Space - newsBTC

Composer Ted Hearne sets Chelsea Manning’s leaks to music – SFGate

Posted on February 20, 2017 by admin

By Ryan Kost, San Francisco Chronicle

Ted Hearne composed The Source, a combination of opera and music theater that draws its materials from Chelsea Manning, who leaked government data.

Chelsea Mannings struggles with gender identity and her role in a war she wanted no part of are explored in The Source, a combination of opera and musical theater by Ted Hearne.

Composer Ted Hearne sets Chelsea Mannings leaks to music

Ever since WikiLeaks profile began to blow up internationally, composer Ted Hearne had been considering how he might create some art with it. He was interested in the way the organization had situated itself around the very basic concept of freedom of information and the potential parallels around the digitization of music and peer-to-peer sharing.

Then, news about the arrest of Chelsea Manning, one of the biggest leakers of government data in U.S. history, broke, his frame shifted, and near the end of 2011, Hearne and librettist Mark Doten took a trip to Maryland to attend Mannings pretrial hearing.

That was sort of the moment we realized the piece was about her, Hearne says over the phone from Los Angeles. The way in which she held herself was totally different than the way shed been portrayed in the media up until that point.

What the two came up with was a piece that samples from the Department of Defense cables Manning was ultimately convicted of leaking as well as the chat logs, published on Wired.com, between her and the man that would go on to turn her in.

The piece explores not just the leaks, then, but the struggle Manning was going through with her own identity both as it related to her gender shes a transgender woman and her role in a war that she seemed to want no part of, all of which came up in those chats.

This material which asks the audience to consider their own complicity in what was leaked and the ensuing fallout is presented by four singers (their voices heavily modified, at times, by auto-tune) as projections of some of the leaked footage runs in the background.

As the San Francisco Opera prepares to present the piece beginning Friday, Feb. 24, the work seems as timely as ever. In one of his final acts as president, Barack Obama commuted Mannings sentence, one decried by many as overly long. (I think its incredible that Obama commuted her sentence. Its so amazing, Hearne says. An act of mercy, a real act of mercy.) And now leaks, even if of a somewhat different nature, are taking their toll on the Trump administrations early efforts. This month, they lead to the resignation of Trumps national security adviser.

That Hearne would find space for music in all of the political fallout, hearings and court proceedings that swirled around the Manning leaks may initially feel surprising, but, for him, it was an easy fit.

Hearnes political awakening came about a decade ago, at the age of 22. George W. Bush was waging war and consolidating power, dismantling the rule of law all over the place. At the same time, Hearne was coming into his own as a composer. The two are linked for me.

Indeed, very early on, Hearne won critical acclaim for his oratorio Katrina Ballads, which set primary sources, including television interviews of storm victims, to music. The Source, then, comes from this same place. I think if the questions are honest, then I think it makes a lot of sense to deal with politicized topics, he says.

The Source itself deals mostly with questions more so than answers; the gray areas seem to interest Hearne more than the black or the white. He sees ambiguity in the value of leaks. Thats why I write the piece because I had a lot of questions. And I still have a lot of questions, he says. Its both clear that we over-classify information and clear that WikiLeaks is a political organization with its own goals.

Theres also, Hearne says, an interesting distinction the public likes to make between the sorts of leaks Edward Snowden made leaks that show our privacy is being violated, and by the government no less and was largely celebrated for, and the sorts of leaks Manning was responsible for the kind we might try to ignore because they show us parts of ourselves that are hard to confront and was largely ridiculed for.

Hearne tries to break down dichotomies in the compositions themselves, too, eschewing any genre even if the piece is being presented by the citys Opera. Its more like a video installation, he says at one point. And that is by design. Ive started to think about the distinctions that separate our conceptions of musical genre and the binaries that are tyrannical when we think about style.

You can unspool that even further, of course, and bring it back to Manning, who was breaking her own binaries even as she broke the law. And like that, the music becomes a metaphor, Hearne says, for both gender and right and wrong.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @RyanKost

The Source: Friday, Feb. 24, through March 3. $35. Taube Atrium Theater, 401 Van Ness Ave., S.F.

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Composer Ted Hearne sets Chelsea Manning's leaks to music - SFGate

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