Category Cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin

Bitcoin Part 1 – Byzantine Generals and Pseudonyms or: What is Bitcoin?

In preparation for my upcoming presentation at the American Translators Association’s 56th conference in Miami with the title “Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies – Illegal Money or a New Global Payment Option?,” I am going to write a series of blog posts on the topic. To anticipate the answer to the question in the title of the presentation: Bitcoin is both, or neither, depending on how you look at it.

Now, that’s not a very satisfying answer, so let’s start at the beginning:

What IS Bitcoin?

Actually, let’s go back even further: What is the IDEA behind Bitcoin?

The idea behind the Bitcoin protocol is to facilitate virtual transactions without a trusted intermediary.

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