[Music]
What's up everybody?
For the week ending March 31st, my name is Marks, and this is Freedom Tech Wrap.
Freedom Tech Rap is a weekly source for news and project updates in the freedom and independent technology space.
We live in a highly connected world.
Freedom Tech lets you decide how you want to connect and where you want your data to live.
Freedom Tech Rap is an independent show.
If you want to support what we're doing, you can send us value through your favorite Podcasting 2.0 app.
Your support and feedback are greatly appreciated.
So this week, I'm getting this to you a little late, a few days later than I would like to.
But hey, I want to be dependable.
I got to get you the news.
So here we are doing it later in the week than normal.
So first off, let's get to the news.
Julian Assange will not be extradited immediately after a British court ruling.
This is according to CNBC.
A UK court has ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited immediately to the United States.
However, he may face extradition if the US provides "satisfactory assurances" regarding specific aspects of his appeal.
A further hearing on May 20th will determine whether these assurances are sufficient.
Assange has been fighting extradition over a decade while residing in a high-security prison in the UK.
Now his family is fighting this vehemently and say that really he should be released.
He shouldn't even be getting charged for anything.
And it really is an assault on journalism and on freedom that he continues to stand trial.
Next up, the European Union adopts anti-money laundering package targeting cryptocurrencies.
This comes courtesy of CoinDesk.
The European Union has adopted three key texts as part of a broad anti-money laundering or AML.
Legislative package targeting cryptocurrencies.
This package includes setting up AML authority, AMLA, establishing a single rulebook for all 27 member states,
and implementing strict rules for crypto service providers.
These measures aim to combat money laundering and terrorism financing within the EU.
We'll see how this does and if it actually does anything.
Okay. Sam Bankman-Fried has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for defrauding customers and investors.
I would like to say that again because frankly many of us never thought this would actually happen.
Sam Bankman-Fried or SBF, sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for defrauding customers and investors.
This comes from Financial Times.
Founder of FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for defrauding customers and investors.
That's the third time I read it.
He stole over $8 billion from his clients, $8 billion US dollars, demonstrating a "brazen disregard for customers' expectations and disrespect for the rule of law."
Judge Kaplan ordered Bankman-Fried's forfeited assets, which total up to $11.02 billion, to be used to help repay victims of the FTX collapse.
The sentence aims to deter others from engaging in similar financial crimes and emphasizes the severity of such actions.
Notably absent from this ruling and from any of the stuff out there that has gone on in the trial is the fact that a lot of that money was given to politicians.
And those politicians, their campaigns, the ones that were victorious, even the ones that weren't, none of that money is being returned.
Next up, backdoor found in XZ tools used by most Linux distributions.
Red Hat is reporting on this one.
Malicious code found in XZ library versions 5.6.0 and 5.6.1 affects Fedora 40 and Fedora Rawhide.
No versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux are affected.
Users are advised to stop usage of any Fedora Rawhide instances for work or personal activity.
Downgrading to XZ 5.4.x is recommended.
Consult information security teams for businesses and follow downgrade procedures provided by distributions like OpenSUSE.
So yeah, definitely check it out.
If you're running Red Hat, take a look at your version number and figure out how to handle it accordingly.
Next, we have news from Bitmain.
They have launched a new Antminer.
Bitmain launches Antminer S21 Pro at the WDMS 2024 conference.
Bitcoin Magazine reports on this.
The new device offers improved efficiency and increased hash rates compared to the previous model, the S21,
with a hash rate of 234 tera hashes per second and an energy efficiency ratio of 15.0 joules per tera hash.
The S21 Pro is more durable than its predecessor, able to handle higher temperatures.
The aftercoupon US dollar to tera hash rate for the device is $18.9 per tera hash,
and it will start shipping in quarter three of 2024.
So if you have been waiting for the new machines to come out, here they are.
The S21 Pro is hitting the market and try to get in that first batch.
I don't even know the first batch is sold out yet, but go check it out.
Next up, Neutron Pay completes a $1.5 million bridge funding round led by Axiom Capital.
So this comes from their own blog.
And the funds aim to expand Neutron Pay's presence in Southeast Asia
and foster an inclusive digital economy through instant and low cost payment solutions.
Leveraging the Lightning Network, Neutron Pay provides a compelling alternative for businesses
and consumers seeking efficient engagement with the global digital economy.
The company collaborates with leading businesses and custodial services to advance its mission
of enhancing digital payment accessibility and efficiency worldwide.
Next up, we have Matchankura 2.0 turns feature phones into Bitcoin hardware wallets
without internet connection.
CoinDesk is reporting on this one.
I'm probably going to say a lot of names really poorly right now in this story,
so please just bear with me.
Kagothatso Njako developed Matchankura 2.0, which allows feature phones to function
as Bitcoin hardware wallets while requiring no internet connection.
By using this platform, individuals can access and utilize Bitcoin despite not having
smartphones or reliable internet connections.
The innovation aims to bring financial inclusion and empowerment to those who may
otherwise be excluded from the benefits of Bitcoin adoption.
Now, this is really big because there are a lot of feature phones on the African continent.
A lot of people are able to text and do basic functionality, but they don't have
these smartphones with the full-color screens, the touch-enabled phones.
So this is awesome to see somebody building Bitcoin interfaces on a platform like this.
I know this isn't the first one, but it's great to see more of it advancing.
Next up, judge imposes worldwide asset freeze on fake Satoshi Craig Wright.
Bitcoin Magazine reported in this one, "A UK judge imposed a worldwide asset freeze
on Craig Wright, the man who falsely claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin."
The freeze was valued at $7.6 million and came after Wright lost a lawsuit against
the Crypto Open Patent Alliance, or COPPA, which proved he didn't create Bitcoin.
Craig Wright is not Satoshi.
The judge expressed concern over Wright's intention to avoid costs related to the case
by transferring shares to an offshore company.
Wright must now reveal all assets above $30,000 and cannot reduce his total assets
below $7.6 million.
This action aims to ensure funds are available to pay COPPA's expected costs.
Again, shout out and special thank you to COPPA, everybody involved in working on that,
everybody involved in funding them, and all the Bitcoin developers that worked so hard
on Bitcoin over the years and had to endure the pain and stress and suffering that were
inflicted on you by this man and the people that were working with him.
Okay, on to some lighter news.
Casa launches inheritance product.
This is from NoBSBitcoin, and it says, "Our approach to inheritance feels incredibly smooth
and familiar.
Invite your spouse or other designated recipient to Casa, then share keys with them securely
via the app.
They won't be able to use those keys to sign transactions until you have passed away.
It's available worldwide without any KYC information."
So if you aren't familiar with Casa, they're one of these Bitcoin financial companies that
helps you to secure your coins in some kind of collaborative custodial way.
And they now have this product that allows you to pass your Bitcoin down for generations
effectively.
There are a few companies out there that are doing this kind of thing, Casa, Unchained,
and others.
Last news story for the day, we have an AI that you can run on your own computer.
It is called JAN.
JAN, turn your computer into an AI machine.
JAN is an open source chat GPT alternative that runs on a desktop.
A special thanks to user Ava for this tip.
You can find it at JAN.AI.
I personally haven't tried it yet.
So just evaluate it before using it, before you download anything and install on your
computer.
Make sure it is something that you would like to use.
Okay, let's go to the top boosts from last week's episode.
We have one single booster, which means they are the top booster.
And that is from a familiar face around here, The Wild Hustle, boosting 500 sats.
And they say, "Great rip."
Thank you, The Wild Hustle.
Appreciate it.
Now, I want to bring you an interesting article this week.
This isn't a news item.
It's not a project update.
But it is just kind of a tip article to help educate you.
So if this is useful to you, we can start doing more of these as well.
And this is called the InfoSec Basics, how to keep your Bitcoin seed phrase secure from
Bitcoin Magazine.
So it's security tips for safeguarding your Bitcoin seed phrase.
And in summary, it says, "Your Bitcoin seed phrase holds the keys to your crypto wealth.
Thus, keeping it secure should be a top priority.
Here are some essential tips to help you protect your seed phrase.
One, never share your seed phrase.
Treat your seed phrase like cash.
Don't share it with anyone.
And remember, whoever has your seed phrase controls your Bitcoin wallet."
Now, what is a seed phrase?
You may be asking.
And if you haven't set up a Bitcoin wallet before, then that's a perfectly fine question
to ask.
A seed phrase is 12 words or 24 words.
And they are just kind of plain English words.
But they have to be written down in a specific sequence.
So let's say you have a 12-word seed phrase and you have them written down.
Well, you can go to any Bitcoin wallet software and you can input those 12 words in the correct
order.
And all of your Bitcoin information will show up on that device.
So you can grab an iPhone.
You can grab an Android phone.
You can go on a computer.
You can have a hardware wallet.
You put those 12 words in, and that is effectively a very strong password that will unlock access
to all your funds.
Not only does it let you view your funds, but it also lets you send funds.
And that's why it's so important to keep track of these words and to safeguard them.
All right, continuing on with the article.
Next, avoid digital storage methods.
Storing your seed phrase digitally exposes it to potential hacks and malware attacks.
Instead, opt out for physical, non-digital storage options.
So this is particularly talking about people who might be used to saving passwords in a
spreadsheet, an Excel document.
That's a huge no-no.
Don't put them in the notes application.
So maybe you say, "Well, I'm using a password manager.
That's awesome."
Password managers are slightly more effective, but they're still on your computer, and your
computer can get hacked.
Somebody can get access to it without you knowing it.
And now they're snooping around, looking, trying to hack into your password manager.
And if your password manager isn't very secure, then they're able to get in there and get
to it.
So really, the safest way to safeguard your key is to find out a way to get it written
down physically.
Most people do that on paper and then store it in a safe or a safe deposit box at a bank
or if they find other locations to keep it.
You can also get something that's super hardcore, which is a steel plate that allows you to
etch your words in.
That's going to last longer than a paper with ink.
But really, try to avoid digital storage when at all possible.
Next, it leads into the next one, actually.
Choose durable materials.
Select robust materials such as metal tiles or plates when storing your seed phrase.
These materials offer better resistance against wear and tear compared to paper.
Next up, store it securely.
Keep your seed phrase in a locked, safe, and concealed location where only authorized persons
have access.
For additional security, consider employing trusted protocols like SeedXOR or Shamir's
secret sharing to split your backup.
So these are tools that actually take your backup and split it into multiple chunks, whether
it's like six words and six words or more than that.
And then you can give those out to different people or put them in different locations.
And then if you need to restore your Bitcoin wallet somewhere, well, then you go to each
of those locations and gather your key back.
So no single person is able to restore them.
You have to get everybody together.
And you might be wondering, like, that sounds very difficult.
Well, if you're using something like a hardware wallet, you can put a passcode on it, like
a really long pin.
And so when you need to use it at home or if you're traveling, you can plug that in,
put in your pin, and you can use it and sign transactions with it.
It stores your seed on the hardware device.
That's really what the hardware device is for.
However, if that hardware device breaks, gets burned in a fire or falls off a boat off the
island of Madeira, then you are able to get your seed phrase back and restore that.
OK, two more things.
Regular checkups.
Periodically inspect your seed phrase backup to ensure it remains intact and undisturbed.
This is important.
You want to remember how to restore your seed phrase and how to access your funds because
you don't want 20 years to go by and you're like, oh, man, I forgot how to do this.
And suddenly or maybe it's not there anymore.
Like you need to make sure you know what's going on.
Lastly, by following these guidelines, you can significantly minimize the risk of losing
control over your Bitcoin holdings due to compromised seed phrases.
So please act responsibly with your Bitcoin.
OK, let's move in now to project updates.
First up, Hedgehog.
Hedgehog is a protocol for two party payment channels designed for asynchronous layer 2
Bitcoin transactions.
Hedgehog channels offer offline receive capabilities and are built using revocable connectors,
revocable scripts and connector outputs.
State updates and Hedgehog channels only require the sender to propose changes and the recipient
to accept them, allowing for greater flexibility in transaction timing.
The protocol can be used to create a federated coin pool called Burrow, which requires a
coordination server for its operation.
That sounds really interesting.
I haven't tried it out myself yet, but I'm all for more layer 2 solutions and things
that help us scale Bitcoin.
So check it out.
Let's bang on it.
Let's hammer on it.
Let's try and figure out how it could break and see if this is something that could be
used.
OK, our friends over at Albi have released a new extension version 3.7.0.
And this is a big one for all of you Apple users out there.
It introduces Safari browser support for Mac, iOS and iPadOS devices.
The update includes improved permission management for Nostr, stable SaaS integration and new
onboarding flows.
Other features include NIT44 encryption, messaging support, a new icon set, multi-language setup
wizard, optimizations for small screens and various bug fixes and improvements for different
connectors.
This version aims to improve overall user experience and functionality within the Albi Bitcoin
Lightning browser extension.
So if you have been waiting for Albi to come to Safari, hello, it is your lucky day.
Go get version 3.7.0 and start using it.
OK, we have our friends over at Fetimint with a new release version 0.2.1, codename Bravo.
It is a stable MVP release of the federated Chamian eCash mint backed by Bitcoin, providing
on-chain and Lightning deposit withdrawal options.
The release focuses on backward compatibility and bug fixes while offering a solid foundation
for further development and applications like federated Nostr accounts and prediction markets.
Contributions and testing are encouraged, but users should exercise caution when running
it on main net due to potential risks associated with early adoption stages.
Fetimint serves as a federated application framework, allowing for innovative projects
and collaborative efforts within the ecosystem.
And yes, when you're playing around with financial tools, especially brand new ones, please use
caution.
Don't play around with things that you wouldn't want to lose because you might lose them.
OK, our friends over at Unleashed Chat, they update frequently and they update fiercely.
We have version 0.1.19 and it now includes a Nostr DVM that can summarize text inputs
using Mistral 7b model.
More models and request types are coming soon.
You can test it out with a Nostr DVM client like Vendata, and you can start a chat with
a data source right from the files and data sources table.
Just click on the three dots at the end of the row and select start chat.
And of course, they also put some small bug fixes into this release.
All right, Zeus 0.8.3-beta1.
This is a self-custodial mobile Lightning wallet featuring an embedded node, self-custodial
Lightning addresses, POS functionality and support for LND, Core Lightning and Eclair
nodes.
New features in this beta version include on-chain transaction coin control for LND,
custom pictures for saved nodes and wallets, enhanced neutrino peer controls, ping test
and Signet support.
Additionally, there are improvements made to LNC connection support, and users are invited
to test the latest version and provide feedback to help refine and enhance the Zeus wallet
experience.
Okay, let's move on to BTC Pay Server version 1.13.0.
It introduces server branding, contact options, improved admin overviews, invitations via
email or a link, new store roles, better Bitcoin QR support and various integrations.
New features include customizable server names, contact information display, enhanced admin
capabilities, easy user invitation process, and additional store roles like manager and
employee.
Other improvements include a revamped keypad point of sale, better compatibility with PrestaShop,
and new plugins such as Bringin' and Breeze.
So, give that a look if you're using BTC Pay Server, and if you aren't and you've been
waiting for some of those features, definitely go check it out.
Okay, we have Nunchuck.
Nunchuck updates include a new onboarding flow for first-time users, a consolidated
coins shortcut for simplified coin management, and a create hot wallet feature for quick
setup with backup options.
And then a big announcement from our friends over at Unchained, which I mentioned earlier
in this episode.
They have an iOS app that recently launched first time, and they are providing users with
a fast and secure method to purchase large amounts of Bitcoin, which is $100,000 or more,
directly to their cold storage collaborative custody vaults.
Key features of the app include real-time portfolio tracking, depositing Bitcoins, maintaining
ownership of assets regardless of service availability, and receiving security alerts
for account protection.
This launch aims to expand accessibility and convenience for users seeking advanced financial
services related to Bitcoin investments.
As part of its commitment to transparency and customer satisfaction, Unchained continues
to develop innovative solutions while prioritizing security and user control.
I think this is great.
Go check out the iOS app if you're an Unchained user.
If not, I highly recommend going and check out the website because they, as we talked
about with securing your seed phrase, they are providing multi-signature wallets, which
mean that you can have two of the keys, they have one of the keys, and only two of the
three keys are needed in order to move any of the funds.
What you do is you have your two keys and you store them in different locations.
Then you still have control over it, but if for some reason one of those keys disappears,
you can go to Unchained and they can be your second key for you and sign for you.
They are a way to help secure your Bitcoin with a bit higher level of security.
Okay, the Jade hardware wallet from Blockstream has an update in their software version 1.0.28
and it introduces QR pin improvements for enhanced security.
QR pin enables an air-gapped unlock process without requiring a physical seed.
New features include reducing the number of QR scans required for unlocking and adding
change pin functionality.
They also have a more thorough seed quiz during setup that ensures users see all of their
seed phrase words, so 12 or 24 words during the backup check.
Next we have Bitcoin Brainbow version 0.1.150 and this introduces low entropy warning and
offline mode for enhanced security.
Low entropy warning alerts users when their salt and passphrase combination provide less
than 128 bits of entropy for a secured Bitcoin private key.
If you aren't familiar with it, Brainbow is a stateless, non-custodial, deterministic
Bitcoin brain wallet app based on the warp wallet technique.
Okay, our friends over at Cashew have another update.
Cashew Nutshell 0.15.2.
This release introduces a built-in rate limiter to the mint and improves automated testing
of USD backends.
Multiple stability updates and bug fixes are included in this release.
New features include separate setting of SAT and US dollar wallets in the .env and improved
information and point methods in NUTS.
MCashew Nutshell is a Chami and eCash wallet and mint for Bitcoin Lightning implemented
in Python.
Okay, we have Labelbase with the big update, version 2.0.0.
It is now available in Docker.
They have automated output management, easy import and export, seamless synchronization,
efficient label management, flexible hosting options, and on-demand support.
And then our friends over at Mutiny also have a massive update that they came out with this
week.
And they have overhauled the user interface with a focus on social and chat.
And they have integrated a Nostra account into Mutiny.
And they have added Federation discovery, integrated Nostra DMs, and added payment requests.
Those are like just a few bullet points, but each one of those is a massive thing in and
of itself.
So, integrating with your Nostra account, they had that already, but there's tighter
integration with it now.
And so, now when you go on to your Mutiny wallet, you see like all your latest people
that you've sent money to, you see their faces or their icons.
You can tap on them, you see your history with labels on there of the things that you've
paid.
And then you can also use it as a DM app.
So, you can just tap on someone and chat with them.
It's getting a lot closer to a Venmo type experience.
And then the added Federation discovery is really cool because now if you want to try
the Federation, it uses web of trust from your Nostra contacts to show you which Federations
those people are part of to try and give you a bit more comfort and trust in the Federations
that you want to try out.
Again, this is new finance software, so please use it responsibly.
Don't put in more money than you are willing to have just kind of evaporate if something
goes wrong.
Okay, we have myNimbox, anonymous hosting.
And this is, it offers anonymous domain registration, web hosting, and VPS.
Servers are located in Germany and they accept Bitcoin.
So, if you would like to check that out, it's myNimbox.
So, NIM, right, as in your fake name online, your pseudonym, myNimbox.
Citrine, a Nostra relay in your phone.
This allows any Nostra client that supports Android to send and receive events from the
application.
It sounds like a really interesting project.
They have some future features that they want to add, which is export full database, export
only events from your account, manage the relay like port number, icon, et cetera, and
content, and then add content resolvers.
So, if you would like to run a Nostra relay in your phone, go check out Citrine, C-I-T-R-I-N-E.
Last project update for the day, we have NDK 2.6.
That's a Nostra development kit from Pablo and others.
The code name for this release is Make Nostra Decentralized Again.
If you haven't been following over the last week, there's been lots of discussion about
how to make Nostra more decentralized, how to not have the focus on these few massive
relays, but allow smaller relays to be part of the whole game as well.
And so, there's been a lot of talk about the gossip model, the outbox model, et cetera.
So, in this NDK 2.6 update, here are the notes.
Improves outbox models relay selection, massively reduces bandwidth requirements, smarter filter
logic, adds support for relay blacklist kind, improves URL normalizations, and improves
cache invalidation. Man, cache invalidation. Am I right? So difficult.
Okay. To round things out today, I want to highlight a few Geyser projects.
I think this would also be interesting to show you some of the great projects that are
out there that you might want to support.
So, first one is Sovereign Mining on StartOS.
They have a Geyser campaign, raising funds to package public pool for StartOS.
Next up, we have S19 Hashboard Heater MK1.
Raising funds to make an open source wall-mounted heater using a single S19 hashboard.
That's really cool. I have an S9 heater that I use at home. I absolutely love it.
It's getting warm around here in Austin, Texas, but I still use it because the air conditioning
kicks on in our house, and the room that I work in all day gets extra cold compared to
the rest of the house. So, hey, I can kick it on and even things out.
Last campaign is Vexel, V-E-X-L. And they're raising funds for a mobile app, giving its
customers a simple, inclusive, secure, and private way to buy and sell Bitcoin peer-to-peer
without KYC. So, go check out Geyser, go see those projects, and go find other great ones.
All right. Well, that is it for news and project updates this week.
This is Freedom Tech Wrap. If you find this weekly source useful, please share it with your people.
You can also support us through Value for Value in your podcast app or on Noster.
If you have any feedback for us, send it our way on Noster to marks@nosterplugs.com.
To close it out, we do have a song of the week where your stats directly support that artist.
So, stick around and boost. For the rest of you, thanks for listening to Freedom Tech Wrap,
and remember to live independent. Later.
[Music]
This week I've picked a laid-back song that you can listen to when you're feeling overly stressed.
This is Oli with "Keep Breathing."
[Music]
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