• Lucas Geiger said OpenLibra is going to hijack Libra, but in a "non-adversarial" way (Lane Rettig, via Twitter).
    Lucas Geiger said OpenLibra is going to hijack Libra, but in a "non-adversarial" way (Lane Rettig, via Twitter).
    Libra

    OpenLibra plans fork to create Facebook-free version of Libra stablecoin

    A group of blockchain developers threatened to split the Libra cryptocurrency’s blockchain and create a competitor free from corporate control

    October 9, 2019 /

    Facebook’s Libra stablecoin may be years from becoming a reality, but that didn’t stop a group of blockchain companies calling itself OpenLibra from announcing plans to fork the stablecoin. News of the preemptive split came at the Ethereum developer conference Devcon 5 in Osaka, Japan on October 9. Lucas Geiger, co-founder of blockchain infrastructure firm Wireline, described the OpenLibra project, as aimed squarely at the corporate control of Libra. Essentially, OpenLibra would be pegged to the Libra coin, a cryptocurrency which will be backed by a basket of fiat currencies to keep its price level. Using the tagline “lock the door open,” the newly launched OpenLibra website called itself an…

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  • Not a photo of PayPal potentially leaving its partnership with Facebook's Libra. Instead, this is the PayPal float at the Dublin LGBTQ Pride Parade, June 29, 2019 (photo by William Murphy via Wiki commons).
    Not a photo of PayPal potentially leaving its partnership with Facebook's Libra. Instead, this is the PayPal float at the Dublin LGBTQ Pride Parade, June 29, 2019 (photo by William Murphy via Wiki commons).
    Libra

    Libra Association won’t deny reports PayPal pulling out

    Facebook’s crypto project partnerships show signs of buckling with increased government pressure

    October 4, 2019 /

    The Libra Association would not quite deny reports that digital payment service PayPal is withdrawing from the group, designed to oversee Facebook’s highly controversial, proposed cryptocurrency.

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  • The libra logo on a cellphone sitting on some coins. What else do you need to see? (via Shutterstock)
    The libra logo on a cellphone sitting on some coins. What else do you need to see? (via Shutterstock)
    Libra

    From privacy regulators to Walmart, Facebook’s Libra faces growing threats

    The US, EU, Canada, and Australia demand data protection guarantees; Walmart patents its own cryptocurrency

    August 6, 2019 /

    In a joint statement on August 6, data protection regulators from the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, and Australia came head-on, issuing a joint statement slamming the Libra project and Facebook for failing to address the fledgling cryptocurrency’s privacy risks.

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  • Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) questioning Facebook's David Marcus on Libra before the House Financial Services Committee, July 17, 2019 (via C-SPAN).
    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) questioning Facebook's David Marcus on Libra before the House Financial Services Committee, July 17, 2019 (via C-SPAN).
    Libra,  United States

    News analysis: Less-hostile House politicizes Facebook Libra debate

    Facing questions about speed and power, David Marcus refused to make promises about the cryptocurrency

    July 18, 2019 /

    Facebook’s David Marcus got a warmer reception from the House yesterday than he did in the Senate on Tuesday. Not that it was friendly, but the questions focused more on the power Facebook would gain from its Libra cryptocurrency, and getting Marcus to commit to working at the pace of Washington, D.C., not Silicon Valley.

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