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Blog - Blockchain

May 16, 2022

Polygon Marketing Lead Aishwary Gupta on building blockchain solutions

Last week host Derek E. Silva joined Aishwary Gupta, Marketing and Operations lead at Polygon. We took a deep dive into all things Polygon to discuss the Web3 defi ecosystem, building dApps to scale, and how they are bringing the world to Ethereum.

Apr 20, 2022

Welcome to Orchid, Fantom frens!

Orchid’s decentralized VPN is now live on Fantom network! Now you can fund an Orchid account using FTM on Fantom’s EVM-compatible blockchain.

Apr 11, 2022

Tim Beiko on the future of Ethereum

The Ethereum network has famously been undergoing its transition towards The Merge (formerly Eth2.0) for several years. When will it be completed? And what are the most important objectives?

Apr 5, 2022

Gas Fees Explained: a Deep Dive into Ethereum’s Transaction Fee Structure

Ethereum gas fees play a key role role in the functioning of the network. But they also pose scalability challenges.

Mar 29, 2022

Welcome to Orchid, Aurora Frens!

Orchid’s dVPN is now live on Aurora on NEAR! That means anyone can use the Orchid dApp by funding it with ETH on Aurora.

Mar 21, 2022

Orchid CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse on How Decentralized Tech Fights Monopolies

\“Often, people think about decentralization as a hedge against government control,\” said Orchid CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse (Seven), speaking at ETHDenver, the largest and longest-running Ethereum community event in the world.

Mar 8, 2022

Welcome to Orchid, Gnosis Frens!

Orchid’s dapp now supports the Gnosis chain! We invite the community to try making an account on the Gnosis chain and funding with xDAI, connecting it to Orchid’s VPN app and seeing how Orchid’s L2 nanopayment system works.

Mar 7, 2022

Author Isaiah Jackson on Privacy, Freedom, and Bitcoin

“I love Bitcoin, because every upgrade that we have takes us further into the future,” said Isaiah Jackson, best-selling author of Bitcoin and Black America. He was speaking on this week’s episode of the Priv8 Podcast, which features an exclusive talk between Isaiah and tech journalist Naomi Brockwell.

Feb 23, 2022

Will Quantum Computing Impact the Blockchain Space?

Quantum computing promises the ability to perform computations at speeds that are orders of magnitude beyond those of current computers. But what does quantum computing mean for the future of blockchain?

Feb 10, 2022

Join Orchid at ETHDenver 2022!

The Orchid team will be at ETHDenver, will you? Don’t miss talks from Orchid CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse (Seven) and Head of Technology Jay Freeman. Jay will also be a mentor and a hackathon judge.

Feb 9, 2022

A Post-Mortem on the London Hard Fork

Ethereum has long been considered the backbone of the decentralized application (dApp) world. As the first-ever blockchain with smart contract capabilities, it has the longest-lasting and most sizeable community of builders and users. And despite the fact that many more smart contract-enabled blockchains have appeared on the scene in the past several years, Ethereum is still the chain of choice for many dApp developers, non-fungible token (NFT) creators, and DeFi users. OXT itself is an ERC-20 digital asset, and we have previously outlined our reasons for choosing Ethereum.

Jan 20, 2022

Orchid Nanopayments Now Streaming on 8 Blockchains

Dapp and smart contract updates enable Orchid accounts on eight EVM-compatible blockchains.

Jan 17, 2022

Jonathan Dotan on Decentralized Storage and Vulnerable Datasets

“Decentralized technologies are ideally suited for storing vulnerable data sets,” said Jonathan Dotan, founder of Starling Labs. He was speaking to Orchid’s Derek Silva on this week’s episode of the Priv8 Podcast on restoring digital trust and protecting human rights with Web3 technology.

Jan 14, 2022

OXT is Listed on Vauld

OXT, Orchid's native digital asset, has been listed on Vauld, a Singapore-based digital asset platform that offers crypto lending, borrowing, and trading solutions. OXT will be fully integrated with Vauld’s borrowing, INR trading, and USDT trading capabilities. Vauld users can also earn interest on their stored OXT at a rate of 1% APY, and borrow OXT with a 0.5% interest rate.

Dec 7, 2021

OXT is Listed on Crypto.com

OXT, Orchid's native digital asset, is now available on Crypto.com, a cryptocurrency exchange that supports trading, investing, staking, wallets, NFTs, and more. Currently, Crypto.com's platform offers more than 150 digital assets to more than ten million users located across the globe.

Dec 6, 2021

Author Glenn Greenwald on the Critical Importance of Free Speech

“Free speech is the primary tool to combat the excesses of tyrannical power,” said best-selling author and constitutional lawyer Glenn Greenwald. He was speaking to Orchid CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse (Seven) at the Priv8 Virtual Privacy Summit in November.

Nov 22, 2021

Decrypt Executive Editor Jeff John Roberts on How Web3 is Changing Society

“Discussing Web3 often feels like the parable of the blind scientists and the elephant,” said Jeff John Roberts. “It's just too big and too hard to see all of it. That's where we are right now—and it’s really exciting.”

Nov 12, 2021

Announcing Eight New Speakers for Priv8

Eight additional speakers will join an already-deep bench of experts at Orchid’s Priv8 Virtual Privacy Summit on Monday, November 15. These leaders include tech journalist and producer Naomi Brockwell, author Shiv Malik, Rivet founder Greg Lang, blockchain researcher Jonathan Dotan, crypto journalist Leigh Cuen, and technologist Chjango Unchained. Orchid CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse (Seven) and community manager Derek Silva will round out the roster of speakers.

Nov 11, 2021

Willy Woo and Greg Osuri to Speak at Priv8 on November 15

We are thrilled to announce that Bitcoin market analyst Willy Woo and Akash Network CEO Greg Osuri will speak at Orchid’s Priv8 Virtual Privacy Summit. Priv8, a first-of-its-kind event focused on digital privacy, is a venue for experts to share their experiences, predictions, hopes, and advice with like-minded people around the world. Willy and Greg join a growing slate of distinguished speakers, including journalist, analyst, and author Glenn Greenwald.

Nov 8, 2021

Orchid CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse Speaks at Web Summit 2021

On Thursday, November 4th, Orchid CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse (Seven) spoke at Web Summit, an annual technology conference that brings together tech founders, thought leaders, and media outlets from around the globe. His presentation focused on the proliferation of digital currencies, and how people can safeguard their rights in the face of growing financial censorship.

Nov 2, 2021

BlockTower Capital’s Ari Paul Joins Priv8’s Expanding Roster of Speakers

We are thrilled to announce that Ari Paul of BlockTower Capital will speak at Orchid’s Priv8 Virtual Privacy Summit. Priv8, a first-of-its-kind event focused on digital privacy, is a venue for experts to share their experiences, predictions, hopes, and advice with like-minded people around the world. Ari joins a growing slate of distinguished speakers, including journalist, analyst, and author Glenn Greenwald.

Nov 1, 2021

Author Gian Volpicelli on the Digital Yuan and the Politics of Crypto

Most people think of cryptocurrency as technological innovation. But Gian Volpicelli, Senior Editor at Wired UK and author of Cryptocurrency: How Digital Money Could Transform Finance, sees it as a political matter.

Oct 29, 2021

Purse.io’s Christopher Jeffrey Will Speak at Priv8

We are thrilled to announce that Christopher Jeffrey of Purse.io will speak at Priv8 Virtual Privacy Summit, presented by Orchid and Handshake. Priv8, a unique event focused on digital privacy, is a venue for experts to share their experiences, predictions, hopes, and advice with like-minded people around the world. Christopher joins a growing slate of distinguished speakers, including journalist, analyst, and author Glenn Greenwald.

Oct 28, 2021

Impervious’s Matthew Zipkin Joins Priv8’s Expanding Roster of Speakers

We are thrilled to announce that Matthew Zipkin of Impervious will speak at Priv8 Virtual Privacy Summit, presented by Orchid and Handshake, on November 15. Priv8, a unique event focused on digital privacy, is a venue for experts to share their experiences, predictions, hopes, and advice with like-minded people around the world. Matthew joins a growing slate of distinguished speakers, including journalist, analyst, and author Glenn Greenwald.

Oct 25, 2021

MobileCoin Founder Joshua Goldbard joins Priv8’s Growing List of Speakers

We are excited to announce that MobileCoin Founder Joshua Goldbard will speak at Priv8 Virtual Privacy Summit, a unique event focused on digital privacy presented by Orchid and Handshake. Priv8 is a venue for experts to share their experiences, predictions, hopes, and advice with like-minded people around the world. Joshua joins a growing slate of distinguished speakers, including journalist, analyst, and author Glenn Greenwald.

Oct 11, 2021

OXT is Listed on LATOKEN

OXT, Orchid’s native digital asset, is now listed on LATOKEN, an exchange that serves more than 1.5 million registered users. The platform, which hosts more than 240 digital assets, has been listed among CoinmarketCap’s Top 20 largest exchanges since March of 2019.

Oct 11, 2021

The Golem Foundation’s Julian Zawistowski on DAOs and Decentralized Governance

The technology behind Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, or DAOs, has been lauded for its ability to support the creation of user-defined organizational structures. But many questions remain about how DAOs can protect individual privacy while maintaining structural order.

Sep 29, 2021

Vast Bank Makes OXT Available to FDIC-Insured Checking Account Holders

OXT, Orchid’s native digital asset, has been selected as one of just eight digital assets available for direct purchase by FDIC-insured checking account holders at Vast Bank, N.A. United States authorities recently approved the Oklahoma-based institution as the first federally chartered bank to offer customers the ability to buy, sell, and store digital assets using a checking account.

Sep 28, 2021

Orchid’s Travis Cannell Speaks at Messari Mainnet 2021

Orchid’s Head of Product, Travis Cannell, was a featured speaker at Messari Mainnet, a premier event in the blockchain space. Travis led a workshop on the Orchid app and its user-friendly onboarding process on the third day of the event, which took place from September 20th to 22nd in New York City.

Sep 27, 2021

Noizd’s Jason Rieff on Decentralizing the Music Industry

The ethos of cryptocurrency has always included a broad anti-establishment streak. And for several years, the principles of decentralization have primarily been used to disrupt power structures in the financial sector. But this year, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) exploded onto the cultural scene, taking decentralization into a whole new area: the music industry.

Sep 20, 2021

Creaton’s Alexander Klus on Artistic Censorship and Privacy Protection Online

Independent creators have struggled to find ways to monetize their work in the age of the Internet. Earlier this year, some artists benefited from the emergence of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other decentralized technologies, but challenges inherent in Web 2 design — namely, censorship and lack of privacy — remain widespread.

Sep 17, 2021

The Revolution will be Decentralized: Privacy in the ‘dWeb’

Over the past several years, decentralization has rapidly emerged as a crucial force driving the future of digital technologies. Spurred on by the growth of blockchain applications in finance, gaming, collectibles, and many other sectors, decentralized technology is becoming more central to our economy and to the digital infrastructure that underpins it.

Sep 13, 2021

OXT is listed on KuCoin

OXT, Orchid’s native digital asset, is now listed on KuCoin, a digital asset exchange that allows users to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrencies like BTC, ETH, and KCS. KuCoin’s platform serves more than eight million users located across the globe.

Sep 1, 2021

What the London hard fork means for Ethereum and Orchid

Ethereum has garnered a reputation as the most popular blockchain network for decentralized application (dApp) development. The network has the most dApps and the largest community of developers. Among other things, these were essential factors in the Orchid team’s decision to select Ethereum as the basis for its decentralized VPN marketplace.

Aug 12, 2021

What does the new U.S. infrastructure bill mean for privacy?

On August 10, the United States Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act bill. The legislation goes beyond simple roads and rails: it contains a number of new rules that stand to affect America’s approach to the Internet generally, and blockchain and crypto specifically.

Aug 10, 2021

Orchid’s Derek Silva answers questions from the CoinDCX community

In July, Orchid’s Derek Silva answered a series of questions in an ask-me-anything (AMA) session in the official Telegram channel of CoinDCX, one of India’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

Aug 9, 2021

IoTeX’s Raullen Chai on Privacy in the Internet of Things

In the future, “everything will become part of the Internet of Things (IoT)” said Raullen Chai, co-founder and CEO of IoTeX, a decentralized network that supports IoT technology.

Aug 4, 2021

What do NFTs mean for privacy?

As blockchain and crypto have continued to gain attention and popularity over the past year, non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have surged into the spotlight.

Jul 28, 2021

Crypto meets the metaverse: the implications for privacy

The Internet is many different things to many different people. The Internet is a workplace; it is a source of entertainment and experiences. It is a source of connection – and division.

Jul 22, 2021

Orchid CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse Speaks at ETHcc 2021

On July 19th, Orchid co-founder and CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse (Seven) spoke at ETHcc, Europe’s largest annual conference on Ethereum’s technology and community.

Jul 14, 2021

Breaking Down 5 Widespread Myths about Crypto

In April of 2021, The New York Times declared “we’re all crypto people now.” It’s true – over the past year, digital currencies have entered the collective consciousness as never before.

Jun 29, 2021

What Does Ethereum 2.0 Mean for Orchid?

One of the biggest stories of 2020 in the blockchain space was the much-anticipated launch of Ethereum 2.0.

Jun 1, 2021

The Localization Lab's Dragana Kaurin on Building Tech for Marginalized Populations

"To be able to meet people's needs, you need to ask the question: 'what do you need?'" said Dragana Kaurin, human rights researcher and founder of The Localization Lab. She was speaking to Derek Silva, the host of Orchid's Priv8 podcast.

May 24, 2021

Electric Capital’s Avichal Garg on Programmable Money & the Future of Finance

“Over the next 20 to 30 years, [decentralization] will eat up everything that has to do with money and moving value around,” said Avichal Garg, managing partner at Electric Capital, a VC firm that focuses on early-stage blockchain, cryptocurrency, and fintech startups.

Apr 28, 2021

Orchid CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse Speaks at Collision 2021

On April 22, Orchid co-founder and CEO Dr. Steven Waterhouse spoke at Collision Conference, one of the largest tech conferences in the world.

Apr 20, 2021

Bill Barhydt on ‘Cutting the Cord’ from Traditional Banks

Bill Barhydt is reimagining the future of banking.

Apr 19, 2021

OXT, the Orchid digital token, is now available on Revolut

OXT, the Orchid digital token, is available to buy, sell, and trade on Revolut, bringing the promise of online privacy to more people than ever before.

Apr 12, 2021

Emin Gün Sirer on the Asteroid Heading for Technological Dinosaurs

As an expert in peer-to-peer and decentralized, blockchain technologies, Emin Gün Sirer sees a technological revolution coming.

Mar 22, 2021

Marvin Tong on Battling the “Data Empire” with Privacy and Decentralization

Marvin Tong wants to revolutionize decentralized blockchain technologies by ensuring that user data is kept private on-chain.

Mar 9, 2021

Rohan Grey joins Priv8’s expanding roster of speakers

We are thrilled to announce that Professor Rohan Grey of Willamette University will speak at Orchid’s Priv8 Virtual Privacy Summit.

Mar 8, 2021

Miko Matsumura on Creating “Immortal Software”

Miko Matsumura is passionate about open source software and its power to drive evolution by solving human problems.

Nov 10, 2020

What’s the best VPN for crypto users?

VPNs were developed to address users' innate desire for privacy -- and therefore, personal autonomy. And though it serves a different use case, cryptocurrency appeals to this same core need.

Nov 9, 2020

Decrypt Reporter on Making Omelettes with Bert the Robot

Bert was talkative and expressive but he failed his audition to win a job helping to make omelettes. He dropped eggs all over the kitchen floor. Bert was actually one of three robots seeking employment as part of an experiment conducted by Adriana Hamacher during her Master in Science studies into machine-human interactions.

May 5, 2020

Orchid Is Hoppy to Announce Participation in Consensus: Distributed

The Orchid team will be returning to Consensus this May –– and in a whole new format!

Apr 8, 2020

How Orchid improves privacy using a public blockchain

Orchid is an incentivized privacy network, Open Source project, and consumer VPN service aimed to deliver new levels of privacy. But what does privacy mean? How private is Orchid, which relies on pseudo-anonymous payments on Ethereum?

Oct 9, 2019

Orchid’s Network: Random Selection + Stake Weighting

When you wake up in the morning and flick on a light switch, do you pause to think about how many tiny fractions of a penny that electricity costs? Or do you just flick on the light so you don’t bump your head?

Oct 9, 2019

Orchid: A New Approach to VPNs

We’re building a next-gen VPN market powered by probabilistic nanopayments, with a design emphasizing these core tenets: scalability, decentralization, usability, simplicity, and extensibility.

May 7, 2019

Orchid Labs May 2019 Update

Orchid Labs’ mission is to build open source software that keeps the Internet open and accessible — a natural resource for everyone, everywhere.

Nov 1, 2017

Supporting a decentralized, uncensored Internet for every person on the planet

What makes a better Internet possible? At Orchid Labs, our goal is to ensure that every person on Earth can have access to an open, decentralized, and uncensored Internet.