Fun

Google’s inclusion of Bitcoin wallet balances sparks privacy debate

News Feed - 2024-03-29 06:03:02

Amaka Nwaokocha14 hours agoGoogle’s inclusion of Bitcoin wallet balances sparks privacy debateWhile some applaud the move toward mainstream adoption, privacy-centric Bitcoin supporters have raised concerns about centralized data aggregation.4351 Total views27 Total sharesListen to article 0:00NewsOwn this piece of crypto historyCollect this article as NFTJoin us on social networksGoogle has expanded its features to allow users to search wallet balances across multiple blockchains, such as Bitcoin, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Optimism, Polygon and Fantom. When entering the wallet address, search results display the token balance by network along with the last updated time.


Users can search three Bitcoin address formats — P2PKH, P2SH and Bech32 — and view current balances and recent transactions.


Incorporating Bitcoin data into search results boosts Google’s accessibility to on-chain activity, leveraging its extensive daily search volume. 


While some praise Google’s new feature as a move toward mainstream adoption, privacy-centric Bitcoin supporters have raised concerns about centralized data aggregation and its impact on privacy.An example of a Google Bitcoin wallet search. Source: Google


Google’s latest feature comes after it introduced Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domain search results, allowing users to check wallet balances with readable domain names like “vitalik.eth” for Ethereum wallet addresses.


Google’s recent expansion builds on its initial introduction of Ethereum wallet balance searches in May 2023. In 2022, Google integrated a crypto feature enabling some Ethereum wallet addresses to have their Ether (ETH) balances tracked by the Google search engine, saving the need to make the trip to Etherscan.


Related:Amazon takes minority share in ChatGPT rival Anthropic AI


The addition of wallet searches marks a shift in the tech giant’s attitude. Google prohibited Bitcoin-related advertisements in 2018 but recently reversed its stance, allowing spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) advertisements following their approval in the United States in January.


ETF products from notable asset managers like BlackRock now appear in search results.


In October 2022, Google partnered with Coinbase to allow its customers to pay for cloud services with crypto.


The tech firm also initiated a countdown to the Ethereum Merge event — Ethereum’s transition from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS) in 2022 — by featuring animated pandas moving in sync.


In 2023, Google Cloud joined forces with Web3 startup Orderly Network to create user-centric developer tools for decentralized finance (DeFi) to lower the barrier of entry into the decentralized world.


The collaboration aimed to address DeFi’s major hurdles: entry barriers and security issues, which have been long-standing challenges in the ecosystem.


Magazine:Doctor Who materializes in Web3 — Tony Pearce’s journey in time and space# Bitcoin# Cryptocurrencies# Google# Technology# Adoption# Google ChromeAdd reaction

News Feed

David Attlee1 hour agoRoblox integrates XRP as payment methodXsolla and BitPay now support Ripple’s digital currency for in-game purchases.987 Total views63 Total sharesListen to article 0:00NewsJoin us on social netwo
Zcash founder joins Shielded Labs, pushes for hybrid PoS upgrade
Martin Young5 hours agoZcash founder joins Shielded Labs, pushes for hybrid PoS upgradeZooko Wilcox is now the new head of product at Shielded Labs and wants to speed up the protocol"s upgrade to a hybrid PoS consensus m
Bitcoin.com Launches Brand New Crypto Casino BitSpinCasino.com
Bitcoin.com Launches Brand New Crypto Casino BitSpinCasino.com Bitcoin.com sponsors the launch of a brand new crypto casino BitSpinCasino with support for gaming with various crypt
Digital Yuan Giveaway: China’s Shenzhen City Hands Out 10 Million Yuan in Central Bank Digital Currency
Digital Yuan Giveaway: China"s Shenzhen City Hands Out 10 Million Yuan in Central Bank Digital CurrencyA major Chinese city is giving away 10 million yuan in the country’s cen
Gaming Giant Ubisoft Mentions Blockchain in Recent Earnings Report
Gaming Giant Ubisoft Mentions Blockchain in Recent Earnings Report Ubisoft, one of the biggest gaming companies in the entertainment world, mentioned blockchain as one of the key p
Bitcoin Is Now World’s 8th Most Valuable Asset — BTC Now Targets Silver’s $1.31T Market Cap
Bitcoin Is Now World"s 8th Most Valuable Asset — BTC Now Targets Silver"s $1.31T Market Cap The price of bitcoin had crossed the $60K zone at 1:30 a.m. (EST) early Friday morning
Value Locked in Defi Slips 10% in 4 Days, Ethereum TVL Dominates at 58%
Value Locked in Defi Slips 10% in 4 Days, Ethereum TVL Dominates at 58% Four days ago, the total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (defi) was coasting along at $255.84 bi
Crypto stocks surge alongside Bitcoin price rally
Vince Quill3 hours agoCrypto stocks surge alongside Bitcoin price rallyCrypto stocks’ strong performance was largely attributed to growing bets that Donald Trump will win the presidential election.1575 Total views10 To
Ore wins Solana hackathon despite disrupting Solana’s network in April
Brayden Lindrea3 hours agoOre wins Solana hackathon despite disrupting Solana’s network in AprilA sudden rise in Ore mining transactions was one of the main culprits behind Solana’s April congestion issue, where up t
New Data Shows Red Hot US Inflation Highest in 30 Years — Analyst Says Rising Inflation Could Hit a ‘Tipping Point’
New Data Shows Red Hot US Inflation Highest in 30 Years — Analyst Says Rising Inflation Could Hit a "Tipping Point" Inflation continues to remain hot in the United States as supp
Q2 earnings: AI sector enters flat spin as consumer disinterest in chatbots intensifies
Tristan Greene5 hours agoQ2 earnings: AI sector enters flat spin as consumer disinterest in chatbots intensifiesDespite unbridled optimism and massive spending, generative AI is still a solution looking for a problem.465
Valkyrie Will Launch On-Chain Defi Fund Next Week
Valkyrie Will Launch On-Chain Defi Fund Next Week Valkyrie Investments, one of the biggest cryptocurrency asset managers, has announced it will launch a so-called on-chain defi fun