Know How

European Union 

The blockchain technology enables new business models and processes. As for every technology which breaks new land a solid legal analyse is indispensable. The developer must be aware of all relevant restrictions and standards, which must be fulfilled to successfully bring the project off the ground.

According to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is entered into force on May 25th, 2018 the non-compliant organisation or person can also be faced with heavy fines and compensation and liability payments toward any person who has suffered material or non-material damage as a result of an infringement.

Even if developers of a blockchain project are usually neither controllers nor processors, they should consider the data protection aspects in the software design process. Non-compliance with data protection regulations can jeopardize blockchain projects and business models by orders from data protection authorities.

How can a developer avoid pitfalls?

Generally, you should make sure that the project complies with the highest standards. As the blockchain is global by nature, we recommend the GDPR as standard. The EU legislation is generally user friendly, however, sometimes difficult to comply with.Under the GDPR personal data are defined as information which are related to an identified or identifiable natural person, whereas a person is considered as identifiable if there are means reasonably likely to be used for identification by the data controller or any other person.

Even though information on the blockchain are pseudonymised, as soon as blockchain transactions are combined with off-chain goods making a connection between the pseudomysed data and the data subject is possible. In pure on-chain-transaction models, identification will be more difficult, however, not impossible. Therefore, in general there is a strong case for arguing that individual-related information on the blockchain is personal data.

The main issues for the blockchain technology with regard to data protection are the rights to rectification and to be forgotten as provided in Art. 16 and 17 GDPR.

According to these rights the data subject has the right to claim rectification of inaccurate personal data of him/her or to claim erasure from the data controller of personal data if these data are no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were collected or processed or if the data subject withdraws its consent and there is no other legal ground for processing. In this context there are generally speaking two main challenges:

• First of all, there is no data controller in a public blockchain since the blockchain is decentralized. In most cases the miners cannot determine the content of the blockchain. Therefore, it is unclear, who could fulfil data subjects’ claim of rectification or erase.
• Secondly the blockchain architecture may technologically even preclude a simple rectification/deletion upon request by the data subject, since the data stored on-chain cannot be altered without acceptance of other nodes.

Having these challenges in mind, already at an early conceptional stage, privacy issues should be on the agenda of the architects and developers of the blockchain project. The earlier your team deals with privacy issues the lower is the risk that a blockchain application must be adapted or even rebuilt. The GDPR requires also privacy by design and by default.

Privacy by design and default means implementation of appropriate technical and organisational measures for ensuring that, by default, only personal data which are necessary for each specific purpose of the processing are processed. Possible technical measures to ensure data protection are secure multi-party computation, chameleon hash functions, codifications and zero knowledge proofs.

Furthermore, the GDPR requires in some cases (1) prior to the processing a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). DPIA is a process designed to describe the processing, assess the necessity and proportionality of a processing and to help manage the risks to the rights and freedoms of natural persons resulting from the processing of personal data. DPIA is an important tool for accountability.

It helps controllers not only to comply with requirements of the GDPR, but also to demonstrate that appropriate measures have been taken to ensure compliance with the regulation. DPIA is, therefore, a process for building and demonstrating compliance. (2)But also once the project is running a careful developer must monitor the “legal climate” and how authorities deal with privacy and other issues on the blockchain.

The issuers must be ready to answer all questions and give the necessary assurance to authorities. An efficient way to ensure that all Data Protection requirements are met is to get privacy certificates (such as the ePrivacy seal; www.eprivacy.eu).

The blockchain technology is still in its infancy and not all legal questions are clarified yet. Consequently, it is very important to have an eye on the development of the legal environment, especially regarding data protection issues, and be ready to implement changes as fast as possible.

In the long run, will the data protection not only have an impact on the success of the project but also have a negative or positive impact on the value of any token.

MME Legal Tax Compliance - Admira Besic, Michael Kunz, Eric Neuenschwander, Philipp Stadler, Martin Eckert and Nadira Ferhat

By Nathan Reiff 
EOS has long been one of the most hotly anticipated cryptocurrencies to hit the scene.

Block.one, the development team behind the project, launched a year-long initial coin offering (ICO) to support the project, raising $4 billion in the process. Investors and others in the digital currency community have waited for months for a June launch date. Now, with that date having passed, there are issues that continue to plague the popular digital token ecosystem.

Who Runs the Code?

Part of what has made EOS stand out among a crowded field is the unique model its developers have created for the management of the blockchain ecosystem. Investors who bought up ERC-20 tokens during the ICO had their purchased tokens converted to EOS currency on the EOSIO platform on June 2.

Those investors holding native EOS tokens are responsible for the management of the entire ecosystem, according to reporting by Coin Telegraph. This process is set to be accomplished via voting for block producers, which will help to maintain the network.

At the same time, the project developers intend for the EOSIO network to support decentralized applications, which will also be linked to the native EOS tokens in a proportional manner. The more tokens staked in the application, the more resources available to that app.

Hundreds of Issues Remain

The EOS Github page suggests that were about 620 bugs and other issues that remained unresolved as of earlier this week, following the official token swap and launch. While resolving these problems sounds like a daunting prospect, more than 1,400 issues had already been resolved during development as of that time.

Perhaps the more significant issue now is that block producers are working to run the code, which is available to the public, but the blockchain is still not live. As the process continues, more glitches could reveal themselves. At the same time, Block.one is purposefully leaving itself out of the process.

The developers likely anticipated growing pains for their project, which aims to take the concept of decentralization to a level few other cryptocurrencies and blockchain networks have explored.

Assuming that the group of investors, block developers and other supporters of EOS will be able to determine how to best run the ecosystem through a lengthy process of trial and error, it may be that the product that emerges opens doors which have as yet remained closed in the digital currency realm.

Investing in cryptocurrencies and Initial Coin Offerings ("ICOs") is highly risky and speculative, and this article is not a recommendation by Investopedia or the writer to invest in cryptocurrencies or ICOs.

Since each individual's situation is unique, a qualified professional should always be consulted before making any financial decisions. Investopedia makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or timeliness of the information contained herein. As of the date this article was written, the author owns bitcoin and ripple.

Read more: What's the Matter With EOS, the Cryptocurrency? | Investopedia https://www.investopedia.com/news/whats-matter-eos-cryptocurrency/#ixzz5Hhds1bh1 
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Modern Consensus was on the ground in Berlin for BlockShow, a two-day festival boasting thousands of attendees, each one there to expand their understanding of blockchain technology and meet some A-list crypto-players.Between the public on-stage panels and the private conversations we had with attendees, one theme cropped up consistently:

it’s hard to acquire the talent and human resources necessary to take a large or small company into the new blockchain-enabled future.

We know the song all the crypto-kids sing: blockchain technology isn’t just about powering bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, it’s a “new internet” setting a higher standard for how information moves and is validated around the world.

This stuff isn’t even ten years old yet; this new internet is in its dial-up phase. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t wisened experts out there.

Most of them just happen to be too busy to go to work on someone else’s project.

“It’s difficult to recruit top blockchain talent at the moment because most experts prefer to do their own ICO, or set up a consultancy to better leverage their knowledge and share it with a series of clients,” said Antoine Verdon, founder of Swiss blockchain company Proxeus.

In simplest terms, the blockchain’s existing pros mostly want to work for themselves.

This sentiment is backed up by Marc P. Bernegger, a member of the “blockchain task force” that advises the Swiss economics minister on all things crypto.

“Some of the smartest blockchain people have been in the space for quite a long time and became financially independent from their digital asset holdings,” he said. “They get to do just what they want, and are not forced to work for others because of money.

”This situation is bound to change. As blockchain technology goes more mainstream, there will be an influx of widespread public interest (beyond all-caps “bitcoin” headlines) and savvy workers ready to handle crypto tasks.

“We will hopefully see emergent products that reduce the technical hurdles to harness blockchain, and let employees focus on improving and carrying out business processes,” said Verdon.

His comment can be interpreted as a subtle plug for his company Proxeus, which provides companies with a figurative blockchain toolbox (it’s been called “WordPress for blockchain” in the past), letting people with no technical expertise quickly and easily create their own blockchain applications.

In any event, today’s pool of young computer programmers will likely shift their attention to the blockchain space, bringing all their existing expertise with them as they begin to specialize in this “new normal.

”To any company looking to hire blockchain specialists, Bernegger and Verdon offer the following advice: look for people who have actually built blockchain solutions that solve real problems, then ask them to detail their solution step by step.

“Thanks to tools like GitHub, you have far better opportunity to test the skills and the knowledge of today’s tech people compared to ten years ago, and the talent pool is truly becoming global,” said Bernegger. “I think smart people focusing on blockchain have a very bright future.”

Dylan Love is an editorial consultant, contributing reporter, and fiendishly curious technology enthusiast. He owns no cryptocurrencies.

https://modernconsensus.com/cryptocurrencies/blockchain-jobs/

If you’ve been watching the news lately, you’d probably be curious about the rise of cryptocurrencies, and how it is minting millionaires and even billionaires just because of its phenomenal rise in value.


Recently, the Winklevoss twins, Tyler and Cameron have become the first Bitcoin billionaires (save perhaps for Bitcoin’s creators). You may remember them as the Harvard alumni who staked a claim against Facebook saying they were early investors but the idea was stolen from them.


The Winklevosses reportedly bought $11 million worth of BTC in 2013 using the $65 million proceeds they got from their Facebook settlement. The price of Bitcoin at that time was $120. As of writing, it’s almost $15,000.That’s 12,400% percent growth on their investment. There’s also this craze surrounding crypto assets in general.


Businesses are raising funds through tokensales or ICOs. And people are buying crypto and “hodling” on, in the aim of growing their money as investment. Some are even actively trading Bitcoin on the margin – buying low and selling high.If you ask me, thinking of crypto as an “investment” is the wrong perception.


Cryptocurrencies were designed mainly for value exchange. And of course, I stand firm in my belief that it’s the underlying blockchain technologies that hold more value in today’s digital ecosystem.


Even if you are not earning directly from BTC’s exchange fluctuation or from launching your own ICO, there are other, simpler ways to take advantage of blockchains for monetary gains.Here are a few to get you started:

Accomplish micro-tasks in exchange for cryptocurrency

You may recall the “Mechanical Turk” concept introduced by Amazon in 2005 as a crowdsourced marketplace for tasks. The concept is simple: Tasks can be easily done if these are broken down to smaller tasks and distributed to several workers. While limited to mostly tedious and repetitive tasks, there is value in this system, wherein users could earn micro-payments by doing small tasks, while the client is able to accomplish bigger projects faster.


The same concept could perhaps be applied with small-project freelancing sites like Fiverr, which started out as a freelancing site for tasks that are paid at least $5 each to accomplish.


Storm Token is the blockchain equivalent of these micro-task platforms. It is a gamified platform for micro-tasks that enables anyone to earn from virtually anywhere and using any device. For instance, users can earn cryptocurrency from doing certain tasks, which may include QA testing, data entry, and other peer-to-peer freelancing tasks.





The developers behind Storm actually have a good background in gaining traction and reach, having brought their Storm Play application across 1 million users in 187 countries so far. The company has ended it’s crowdsale in order to raise funds to improve and build their platform and raised over $30mm.

Participate in social curation

The internet is awash with fake news, and thus the “signal to noise” ratio is not quite acceptable. On social networks, this effect could be amplified, as there is the so-called “confirmation bias” wherein users primarily see topics they are interested in, and would tend to agree with posts and comments, even if many of these have fake sources.


The problem with social networks by far is that most are free, and it can be difficult for good content to stand out from the crowd if we are bombarded by sentiments from just about anyone. The blockchain can solve this by implementing a reward mechanism for active participation.


Steemit a project that resembles a Blockchain Reddit, has launched a social network that lets users curate user submissions, thus pushing up only those that they deem to have valid or interesting content.






This is done by sending small amounts of crypto tokens to posts that they deem good — somewhat similar to sending a micro payment for every “like”. This is in contrast to the free “likes” on social networks like Facebook. These can be cheap, but if there is some monetary aspect to voting up a social media post, then each upvote will have some real value attached to it. The creators of Steemit believe this can help solve the fake news and noise issue on social networks. Meanwhile, content creators get rewarded by the crypto value of the “likes” equivalent.

Be part of crowsourced intelligence

Part of the blockchain’s beauty is its distributed nature. And this is also the main reason for crowdfunding becoming so popular – particularly through ICOs. But another part of the crowd-based nature of the blockchain is crowdsourcing, particularly gathering information and intelligence from distributed sources.


This is exactly the concept behind startups that mine data and intelligence from the crowd. But one in particular,Sharpe Capital, gathers financial intelligence from the crowd and rewards users for participation. Of course, being a tool for financial advice, Sharpe Capital utilizes an immutable reputation score, which is stored on the Ethereum blockchain.





The platform uses machine learning capability, and intelligence is acquired through an artificial neural network – meaning it is inspired by how the human brain works – in working its recommendation engine.


And to make it easy for users to participate in the crowdsourcing platform, the solution uses natural language processing, in order to understand any sentiment or advice given by users without the need for complicated protocols or syntaxes.In gist, the platform rewards users for their predictions about financial markets through cryptocurrency.

Buy and “hodl” on

This is perhaps the most straightforward means of participating in cryptocurrency growth without having to be too active about it. If you’ve been watching the price of Bitcoin, it has grown significantly in almost a decade of existence. Thus, people who have bought and held on to their cryptocurrency see themselves reaping the rewards of an upsurge in value.


Here, the term “hodl” is a running joke, of course – it stemmed from a forum threadwherein the original poster misspelled “hold” with “hodl”. The term has since made its way into common usage, usually referring to how Bitcoin “traders” or “investors” would hold on to the cryptocurrency on a long-term basis to profit from its rise in value, even amid popular opinion that one should sell once the value has peaked.


This is in stark contrast to active “trading” wherein a trader would buy low and sell high, and buy again when there is a dip. In hindsight, those who have held on to their BTC when it was still priced at around $200 each would probably be worth millions today. But an added worry today would be the naysayers, who would warn against trusting the system too much because we might be in a cryptocurrency bubble that could burst at any time.

Conclusion

Earning from blockchains and cryptocurrency could be as straightforward as simply buying into the currency, which could involve a small investment. Or, if you are keen on earning from the micro-task, crowdsourced, or curation, ecosystem, you can do so from a mobile device.In fact, the opportunities are potentially endless, with options appearing every so often.


And while the doomsday predictions might eventually come true at one point, we should take opportunities and earn from Bitcoin and blockchains while the market conditions are favorable. This post is part of our contributor series.


The views expressed are the author's own and not necessarily shared by TNW.

See and discover more cryptocurrency reports, news and analysis from TNW here: https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/01/03/4-ways-everyday-internet-user-can-earn-blockchain/

Cryptocurrency gained mainstream attention over the past year, and many developers, entrepreneurs, and investors are now involved in the blockchain industry.


The rise of cryptocurrencies like Ethereum saw the birth of ICOs – unregulated and volatile startup fundraising rounds hosted on the Ethereum blockchain. Many of these crowdfunded projects proceeded to create new applications and platforms using blockchain technology, while others crashed and burned.


Companies are looking to get involved in the blockchain technology underpinning these cryptocurrencies, and this has created demand for skilled individuals with blockchain knowledge.


MyBroadband spoke to Gavin Marshall – founder of blockchain-based app Sharebit.io and an instructor at the Blockchain Academy in Cape Town – about the emerging blockchain job market and how people can get involved.

Skills

While traditional fields such as management and marketing will be required within blockchain-based startups, those looking to develop decentralised applications will need a particular set of skills. Marshall said the technical skills and expertise required to work on decentralised projects depends on the blockchain involved, as well as the scope of the project.


“From a coding point of view, a decent knowledge of JavaScript can get you a long way – but it’s more important that you understand the fundamentals of how blockchains work,” said Marshall.


He said skills which can be applied to the field of blockchain-based applications include a knowledge of programming and an understanding of cryptography.


As the security and immutability of blockchains and cryptocurrencies are based on cryptographic hash functions and encryption algorithms, cybersecurity and cryptography knowledge will go a long way in helping you land a job.


Marshall said an open mind was also an important component in working with a technology with great potential.

Learning

Obtaining certifications and credentials related to blockchain applications is not as established as other fields, as the sector is still a young one.When asked if cryptocurrency was an attractive career option for students, however, Marshall replied:

“That’s a bit like asking if a career in the Internet is an attractive option for students. ”He said the Blockchain Academy offers beginner courses, in addition to advanced courses, aimed at enterprise customers.


“Bitcoin/blockchain for beginners, Bitcoin/blockchain advanced, Ethereum beginner course, Bitcoin for developers, and then there’s a course covering trading, as well as blockchain for financial institutions.


”“Coming on even the beginner course will give you a very good overview of the underlying technology and why it’s likely the most profound innovation since the internet,” he said.

Now read: Bitcoin derivatives gain massive interest in Sweden

BY JOHN RAMPTON2 HOURS AGO


In recent years, the way work gets done has begun to shift. Our future world is being built by an army of independent consultants and freelancers who allow businesses and employees to enjoy more freedom.

Freelancers now make up more than 35% of the American workforce and are responsible for a significant amount of the U.S. GDP.Blockchain is a unique technology, capable of decentralizing networks and allowing people to connect.

This decentralization is likely to spur a wave of disruption through its ability to create distributed digital ledgers that act as transparent and living “records of transactions.

”These records are accessible by anyone within the system, and are verifiable by empirical data. With blockchains in place across a variety of industries and niches, we can eradicate many of the frictions that currently exist in financial and business markets.

Since blockchains are still (relatively) new pieces of technology, we are not exactly sure which decentralized applications will survive long term. The only certainty is that with advancement comes disruption, and we are likely to see fundamental shifts in the way many common markets work.

One of the more exciting ways in which blockchain is affecting an industry is in the independent freelancers’ space. Freelancers and independent contractors make up a sizable chunk of the U.S. population: there are currently over 55 million domestic freelancers.

Though this group has been growing significantly over the past several years, they are still plagued with annoying transaction costs and plenty of competition.Blockchains, in theory, will open up new doors for freelancers across the globe. Let’s take a look at a few ways in which this technology might change the future of the freelancer industry.

1. An investment orientationFreelancers are already starting to opt into getting paid with cryptocurrencies. People’s familiarity with and confidence in cryptocurrencies have empowered them to receive payment with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

As cryptocurrencies near mass-market penetration, freelancers are becoming more willing to think about investments rather than a typical focus on salary.

This “investment mentality” is a completely new way for creators to think about their income streams. There will be many fresh opportunities for investment managers and advisors to help these freelancers with their newfound willingness to take risks and focus on letting their wealth grow itself.

2. Data monetizationCompanies like Datum, a marketplace for data built on top of the Ethereum chain, use trust graphs to allow users to store data in a decentralized database and later monetize the information. While the back end of this technology is highly complex, trust graphs use blockchains to create secure, trusted networks for storing data.

Everyday contractors passively collect enormous amounts of personal and professional data. From Upwork reputations to Github statistics, the data that freelancers collect can be put into Datum and made queryable in a blockchain database. All of this data is then stored and made available to anyone who is interested in purchasing it.

Big players, including actor William Shatner, have endorsed Datum as a way for people to take control of their data. This impacts freelancers in a number of ways. First, it allows employers to make more informed decisions about who to hire. Second, all of the data stored in the database will be verified by third-party APIs, meaning it will be impossible for freelancers to gamify reviews and cheat the system.

Finally, freelancers can now earn about $2,000 per year via monetization of their data. This is even how I raised enough money for my latest project Calendar.

3. Verifiable historyOne of the biggest problems facing the freelance industry today is spam and fake reviews.

Smart contracts (a key component of blockchain technology) are stored directly in a trust network, meaning they cannot be changed or hacked without the rest of the network knowing.In this way, blockchains will enable freelancers to worry less about promoting themselves and more about maximizing metrics for clients. Furthermore, companies can rest easier now, knowing that freelancers are not able to tamper with information online.

4. New opportunities to specializeWith any new piece of technology comes an opportunity for freelancers to dig into a new niche and specialize in a field. Future companies are going to need blockchain experts and specialiststo help them set up smart contracts and efficient blockchain systems.

Right now, there are not nearly enough specialists in this space to support any type of expansion in demand on the consumer side.As demand continues to exceed supply, being a blockchain expert will be highly lucrative. For at least the next 10 years, there are going to be plenty of opportunities for anyone who knows how to build digital contract systems.





John Rampton is a serial entrepreneur who now focuses on helping people to build amazing products and services that scale. He is founder of the online payments company Due.


You can discover even more articles like this on Mashable here: http://mashable.com/2017/11/06/blockchain-freelancers/#LLcWmhKJQGqG