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In brief Mozilla is testing Smart Window, a separate, opt-in Firefox window for chatting with an AI assistant while you browse. You pick the model and can turn the whole thing off; Firefox’s one-click AI kill switch arrived earlier this year. It extends Mozilla’s existing sidebar chatbot and leans on “user choice” as the pitch against browsers built by AI companies. Mozilla is testing a new “Smart Window” in Firefox—a separate, optional window where you can chat with an AI assistant of your choice while you browse. The company is inviting users onto a waitlist to try it first.The window…

Bitcoin wallet manufacturer BitBox has told users it was able to fix “severe vulnerabilities” with its hardware wallet’s firmware, and reassured users that no funds were taken. Yet it still urged users to upgrade carefully.  Writing in a blog post Tuesday, the Swiss company said that one of the vulnerabilities would have allowed an attacker to manipulate users into installing firmware that could lead a criminal to steal funds.  Users should update firmware through the official BitBoxApp, ideally by clicking the in-app update prompt rather than searching for it, BitBox said.  We just released the Dixence security update.During our internal…

The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed its own framework for crypto asset offerings, pressing ahead while landmark legislation stalls.  The regulator unveiled “Regulation Crypto Assets” on Tuesday, a tailored offering regime it says will let token issuers raise money in the U.S. without falling foul of securities laws. Tuesday’s proposal carves out two exemptions from registration under the Securities Act of 1933. The first is a one-time exemption allowing issuers to raise up to $5 million in crypto over four years. The second permits up to $75 million in any 12-month period, but comes with financial statements and ongoing…

In brief OpenAI said Aug. 7 it slowed Astra’s rollout after internal tests showed cyber capabilities it can’t rule out as “Critical”. Prediction market traders are betting big on an Astra release by Sept. 30. The model, reportedly OpenAI’s GPT-6, hasn’t been given a public date. Prediction market traders are pretty sure OpenAI is cooking, and it’s next big AI model could be coming sooner than you might think.A market for the most likely release date of OpenAI’s upcoming model Astra, the company’s internal name for GPT-6, gives a 59% chance of launching by September 15 and roughly 72% by…

Bitcoin can be understood through an analogy with real estate.16 Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), has compared investing in bitcoin to buying real estate in downtown Manhattan during the early stages of its development. As population, commerce, and cultural activity concentrated in the city, demand for limited land surged, dramatically increasing property values. Many of the world’s wealthiest families built their fortunes by owning scarce real estate. When something limited is in high demand, its value rises. As the saying commonly attributed to Mark Twain goes, “Buy land—they’re not making it anymore.” Scarcity plays a…

In brief Citi expects to launch digital asset custody later this year, starting with Bitcoin. The service will let institutional clients access traditional and crypto custody through the same framework. Citi Token Services already supports 24/7 transfers of tokenized deposits in select markets. Citi is preparing to add Bitcoin custody alongside traditional assets as the banking giant builds out its digital asset infrastructure.Announced on Tuesday, the service will be part of Custody+, a suite of custody and settlement tools. The bank said clients will be able to access traditional securities and crypto custody through the same framework.Myriad: Bitcoin’s next move?…

Bitcoin’s price is down nearly 50% since its October record. But investors shouldn’t worry, the world’s largest asset manager has said, and the cryptocurrency still plays a role as “a global monetary alternative.”  In a report Monday, Robert Mitchnick, global head of digital assets at the firm, said that the ongoing rise in U.S. and global government debt and deficits hasn’t slowed.  BlackRock has argued alongside other Bitcoin proponents that the oldest and biggest cryptocurrency can be a hedge against governments printing money.  JUST IN: $15 trillion BlackRock reports they’re still bullish on Bitcoin despite the -50% decline from its…

Citi will debut a bitcoin custody service later this year. The top bank said Tuesday that its Custody+ product will allow institutional investors to custody both traditional assets and bitcoin within one framework, rather than needing separate systems.  The bank first announced plans to debut a digital asset custody service last year. It said at the time that it had been developing the service for several years.  Citi is the latest American bank to move deeper into the digital asset space following friendlier legislation and pro-crypto approach from U.S. regulators.  “Custody+ is a clear example of this investment as we…

A mental health provider is agreeing to pay more than $3 million to resolve claims that tracking pixels on its website shared patient data with third parties without consent. According to the settlement portal, LifeStance Health Group says it is agreeing to settle the class action lawsuit that alleged tracking pixels allowed Google and Facebook to access personally identifiable data, potentially violating HIPAA and Arizona’s Consumer Fraud Act. The company has not admitted wrongdoing. LifeStance Health Group is a mental health provider that offers therapy and psychiatric medication services at more than 600 locations around the United States. The firm…

In brief A Bitcoin wallet holding 8.54 BTC, first funded on June 13, 2011, moved its coins for the first time in 15 years on Aug. 16. The position is now worth about $538,000 for a roughly 461,981% gain if sold. It follows a trend of ancient Bitcoin wallets suddenly coming to life. A Bitcoin stash that had sat frozen since the network’s earliest days has moved for the first time in more than 15 years, the latest in a string of ancient wallets flickering back to life.According to Galaxy Research’s blockchain monitoring, a Bitcoin address beginning in “1Emi” holding…

In brief Chainalysis Government Solutions filed a bid protest on July 27 challenging ICE’s roughly $94.6 million sole-source contract awarded to rival TRM Labs. TRM Labs intervened on July 28 to defend the award alongside the government; Chainalysis’s core complaint remains under seal to protect trade secrets. ICE justified the award by saying a roughly six-day market-research window found none of the eight responding companies could match TRM’s capabilities. Chainalysis has taken the U.S. government to court over a nearly $95 million Immigration and Customs Enforcement contract awarded to competitor TRM Labs without an open bidding process, pitting the two…

In brief Ethereum Foundation researchers want Frame Transactions and FOCIL prioritized for the Hegotá upgrade. Frame Transactions and related proposals could let privacy pools pay their own fees without relying on third parties. Developers are considering 66 proposals for the 2027 upgrade, with FOCIL currently the only confirmed addition. Ethereum developers are considering changes that could let privacy pools pay their own transaction fees, reducing their reliance on third-party services that can expose wallet activity.In a post on X on Monday, Ethereum Foundation researcher Toni Wahrstätter said the Protocol Architecture team wants to prioritize two proposals for Hegotá, the major…