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OPSEC FEATURE ARTICLE

Protect Your Digital Footprint: 10 Essential Privacy Extensions and Anonymous Browsing Tips

This week we cover essential tips to protect your data while browsing and provided a curated list of 10 powerful browser extensions to help you take control of your digital footprint.

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🏆 FEATURE STORIES

• Peruvian Bull, a finance & monetary economics writer, dissects how ‘The Golden Bull Market’ is emerging as Bitcoin surges to new all-time highs, fueled by Trump's Bitcoin and crypto reform promises, MicroStrategy's massive BTC purchases, and increasing global liquidity driving capital into the asset class (Nov 14 | 8 min read).

• James Van Straten, senior analyst at CoinDesk, argues why replacing bonds with Bitcoin in the traditional 60/40 portfolio significantly boosts returns, especially in an inflationary environment, highlighting Bitcoin's superior performance over bonds and gold (Nov 14 | 3 min read).

• Petter Englund, a sound money advocate, analyzes the five stages of Bitcoin conviction, namely 'denier', 'skeptic', 'investor', 'technocrat', and 'maximalist', illustrating how the journey reflects a deepening understanding of Bitcoin’s potential to disrupt traditional economic systems (Nov 14 | 10 min read).

• Rhinobitcoin, a Bitcoin financial services company, explores Bitcoin's transformation from a store of value to a potential unit of account, examining the inherent challenges and its capacity to redefine finance by providing a decentralized, inflation-resistant alternative to traditional fiat currencies (Nov 13 | 4 min read).

• Matt Huang, co-founder of Paradigm, posts a note, ‘Bitcoin for the Sovereign’, arguing that its value is currently undervalued due to increasing adoption by sovereign nations, creating a game-theoretic shift where nations must adopt BTC to remain competitive, similar to the historical adoption of gunpowder (Nov 14 | 1 min read).

• Naomi Brockwell of NBTV Media unveils the ‘Priv/Acc Manifesto’ and calls for a revolution in privacy, urging individuals to reclaim control over their data and combat the growing surveillance state through accelerated adoption of encryption, decentralized networks, and privacy-enhancing technologies (Nov 18 | 5 min read).

• Bram Kanstein, host of the Bitcoin for Millennials podcast, argues that Bitcoin redefines the valuation of human productivity by aligning finite energy and time with its verifiably scarce supply, offering a fair, inflation-resistant standard that preserves value and incentivizes quality production (Nov 13 | 10 min read).

• Sam Baker, research analyst at River Financial, publishes a report exploring how the US dollar's role as the global reserve currency is shifting, with Bitcoin emerging as an alternative, signalling the onset of a ‘Dual Money Era’ (Nov 14 | 17 min read).

• Christian Catalini, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Lightspark, argues that a Bitcoin strategic reserve could undermine the US dollar's global dominance, weaken institutional credibility, and lead to economic instability in the US, especially in light of the ongoing debt debate (Nov 15 | 2 min read).

• Onkar Singh, a writer for Cointelegraph, unpacks OP_VAULT, a Bitcoin security enhancement proposed by James O’Beirne (BIP 345), which employs the concepts of ‘covenants’ and a ‘vault’ mechanism featuring a clawback option to safeguard funds against unauthorized access and theft (Nov 17 | 6 min read).

• Andrew Poelstra, director of research at Blockstream, unpacks ColliderScript, a groundbreaking Bitcoin covenant method that utilizes hash collisions to enable covenants without new opcodes, offering an expensive but potentially quantum-secure solution (Nov 14 | 10 min read).

• Aleksandar Svetski, Bitcoin maxi and founder of Satlantis, recounts his personal journey through various belief systems (‘pills’), from naive environmentalism and futurism to Bitcoin maximalism and a disillusioned ‘black pill’ perspective, ultimately arriving at a hopeful ‘white pill’ outlook emphasizing personal agency and building a better future (Nov 14 | 15 min read).

• Velar, a Bitcoin-focussed DeFi infrastructure company, examines why the ETH/BTC ratio has plunged to its lowest point in over three years. Exploring how markets naturally converge on a single form of money, and why Bitcoin's unwavering commitment to fixed supply and true decentralization gives it an insurmountable advantage (Nov 18 | 9 min read).

• Andrea Carnimeo of Blockdyor reviews Rigly, which provides a secure and transparent platform for easily renting Bitcoin hashrate through auctions and instant purchases, making mining accessible to both novices and experienced miners without KYC requirements (Nov 12 | 18 min read).

• James O’Brien, a Bitcoin developer, explores Bitcoin’s leadership challenges in driving consensus changes, highlighting the tension between meritocracy, scalability, self-custody, and the evolving dynamics of Core developers and decentralized decision-making (Nov 14 | 6 min read).

• Natalie Smolenski, a senior fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, examines the evolution of state power in America, emphasizing how centralized banking, taxation, and bureaucracy have undermined the founders' vision of individual rights and limited government (Nov 14 | 5 min read).

• Fiatrevelation, a pseudonymous Stacker News user, posits that Bitcoiners hold a social responsibility that extends beyond the mere accumulation of Bitcoin; they ought to function as ‘social nodes,’ taking on the role of educators and guides for new users, emphasizing personal empowerment (Nov 15 | 9 min read).

• Neutronpay, a Bitcoin payments company, explains how Bitcoin's success and persistent growth result from a sustainable long-term strategy—an ‘infinite game’—rather than a pursuit of short-term profits, with its scalability significantly enhanced by the Lightning Network, and confronting public scepticism through education and transparency (Nov 13 | 6 min read).

• Lendasat unpacks their novel an groundbreaking Bitcoin-collateralized lending protocol that eliminates custodial risk by using Discreet Log Contracts (DLCs) and Hash Time-Locked Contracts (HTLCs) for trustless, escrow-less loans (Nov 15 | 6 min read).

• Delken, ‘chief wordcel at Azuro Protocol’, argues in the prologue of his ‘The End to Fiat Serfdom’-series that Bitcoin presents a necessary check to fiat currencies, offering a decentralized, transparent, and secure alternative that protects individual wealth and ensures government accountability in a world of unstable fiat systems (Nov 12 | 9 min read).

• Delken releases Part 1 of the ‘The End to Fiat Serfdom’-series, arguing how Bitcoin's neutrality, born from its creator’s deliberate absence, offers a credible alternative to fiat systems, ensuring a decentralized, universally accessible store-of-value that empowers individuals without reliance on centralized control (Nov 18 | 8 min read).

• Brandon Black, also known as @reardencode on Twitter, releases the slides he used to make the case for making changes to Bitcoin by introducing an idea he calls ‘Collaborative Harm Reduction’ in a talk at the OP_NEXT conference (Nov 8 | 6 min read).

• Che Kohler of The Bitcoin Manual outlines the dangers of trading Bitcoin with leverage, highlighting how it can rapidly destroy your portfolio by amplifying both gains and losses, often leading to financial ruin (Nov 13 | 7 min read).

• Che Kohler also explains the ‘Bitcoin Banana Zone’, a metaphor for Bitcoin's volatile post-halving cycles, highlighting chaotic price swings, market dynamics, and investor behavior while emphasizing the importance of cautious, long-term holding (Nov 8 | 9 min read).

• Teemupleb, a Bitcoin project reviewer, reviews how Blitz Wallet simplifies Bitcoin transactions by seamlessly integrating Lightning, Liquid, and e-cash layers, offering a user-friendly, self-sovereign experience tailored for both new and experienced Bitcoin users (Nov 15 | 4 min read).

• ZmnSCPxj, an anonymous Bitcoin developer, proposes a protocol for pluggable channel factories in Lightning Network nodes, leveraging existing splicing processes to enhance off-chain channel functionality, reduce barriers, and support multiparty Bitcoin transactions efficiently (Nov 11 | 4 min read).

• Atlas21, a Bitcoin news website, releases a guide on secure seed phrase storage methods, including paper, metal engraving, laminated paper, safes, encrypted files, and innovative options like BIP39 Colors and border wallets, ensuring Bitcoin wallet safety and redundancy (Nov 18 | 5 min read).

• Atlas21 also highlights 4 reasons why companies should consider Bitcoin for their balance sheets, highlighting its role in diversification, capital protection, inflation hedging, liquidity, and long-term growth potential, as seen with firms like MicroStrategy, Tesla, and Block (Nov 15 | 4 min read).

• Marco Argentieri of Ark Labs explains how the Ark Protocol revolutionizes Bitcoin scalability by enabling low-cost and private off-chain transactions while addressing Lightning Network limitations, in an interview with Bitcoin Magazine’s Frank Corva (Nov 13 | 5 min read).

• Mark Mason of BTC Inc explores the strengths and limitations of price models like Stock-to-Flow and Bitcoin Power Law, emphasizing real-time metrics and macroeconomic factors for smarter, adaptive Bitcoin investment strategies (Nov 13 | 3 min read).

• Rene Pickhardt, a Lightning developer, explores how economic rational behavior and network topology lead to channel depletion in the Lightning Network, highlighting the correlation between fee potential maximization and channel depletion patterns (Nov 15 | 5 min read).

• Sebastian and Joko of BitBox explain the key differences between soft and hard forks in Bitcoin, explaining how soft forks tighten rules while hard forks remove them, affecting the consensus rules of Bitcoin (Nov 14 | 9 min read).

• Mark Mason of BTC Inc explains how Bitcoin’s deflationary nature makes homeownership achievable for younger generations priced out by rising housing costs, offering a savings tool that outpaces inflation and fiat currencies (Nov 14 | 3 min read).

• ICYMI: Source Node, a Bitcoin philosopher, highlights the importance of fostering connection and trust in the Bitcoin community, urging Bitcoiners to prioritize supportive communication and education to overcome ideological barriers and promote widespread adoption (Jun 22 | 6 min read).

• ICYMI: Petter Englund, a sound money advocate, argues that Bitcoin’s design inherently prevents the wealthy from dominating the system, offering a transformative path forward by addressing the flaws of the current economic system (Oct 2 | 10 min read).

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🛠️ TOOLS & PROJECTS

• Azteco partners with Bitkey to improve Bitcoin access for billions of people worldwide by offering frictionless, globally available Bitcoin vouchers.

• Bitkey introduces an inheritance feature, enabling seamless, secure bitcoin transfers to future generations with full control and privacy for wallet owners.

• Coinkite takes down open-source BTClock project from GitHub over trademark infringement claims, citing similarities to its BLOCKCLOCK design and functionality.

• Blitz Wallet becomes the first non-custodial Lightning wallet to enable MoneyBadger’s integration, enabling Bitcoin payments at South Africa's Pick n Pay stores.

• Strike expands global referrals, offering 100 USDT in fee-free stacking for Bitcoin purchases, excluding the UK.

• Fold now allows users to send gift cards as Bitcoin rewards, enhancing holiday shopping with boosts and over 140 brand options.

• StashPay, a Bitcoin wallet for freelancers and nomads, releases its Android app as an APK, prioritizing user control over Google Play risks.

• OpenSecret, formerly known as Mutiny, now offers a suite of security tools to provide private encryption by default to protect both end users and app developers.

• Maple AI by OpenSecret offers end-to-end encrypted, private chat that ensures both personal and business conversations remain secure, empowering users with unmatched privacy and control.

• ZEUS introduces ZEUS White, a white glove node management, point of sale, and enterprise solution designed to streamline Bitcoin integration for businesses.

• SatSale is a lightweight Bitcoin payment processor with the option of connecting to your own Bitcoin node or Lightning network node.

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