Microsoft-owned search engine and advertisement platform Bing noted that it blocked over five million cryptocurrency-related ads last year in its “Ad quality year in review 2018” report published on March 25. Bing notes that the pseudo-anonymity of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) “made cryptocurrency a prime target for fraudsters and scam artists to defraud end-users.” Bing claims that this is the reason for the ban of cryptocurrency-related content from its advertising platform that resulted in over five million ads being blocked. Bing also notes that its ban against weapon advertisement resulted in over 18 million ads being blocked alongside over …

The head of the Finance Committee of France’s National Assembly, Eric Woerth, is suggesting a ban on anonymous cryptocurrencies, or so-called privacy coins. Woerth expressed his position in a recent report on crypto assets and blockchain technology. In a forward to the report, Woerth considers the introduction of a ban on digital currencies that provide greater anonymity to users, stating: “It would also have been appropriate to propose a ban on the dissemination and trade in [cryptocurrencies built] to ensure complete anonymity by preventing any identification procedure by design. [...] This is the case for a certain number of [cryptocurrencies] …

An Indian government panel has reportedly suggested a new legal framework within the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that completely bans cryptocurrencies in the country. English-language Indian media outlet CNBC TV18 reported on the framework on Dec. 6. The article cites an unnamed source as noting that “the panel has categorically said that all such currencies should be treated as illegal” and that “any kind of dealing in such currencies should be treated as [such].” CNBC TV18 notes that the Indian government had created a panel to create “norms” for digital currencies — headed by Secretary of the Department of …

A South Korean blockchain startup, Presto, will reportedly file a constitutional appeal over the county’s ban on Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), South Korean economic media outlet Sedaily reports Dec. 6. Presto claims on its website that it provides a “total solution to development teams from website building to token issuing.” The startup was reportedly trying to run a Decentralized Autonomous Organization-based Initial Coin Offering (DAICO) in South Korea for the first time. As Cointelegraph explained in a dedicated guide, DAICOs aim to improve the ICO fundraising method by integrating some features of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). This fundraising method enables …

On November 3, renowned Bitcoin advocate, Andreas Antonopoulos, took to Twitter to claim that URL shortening service, Bit.ly (Bitly), had blocked crypto-related links from his upcoming book. Cointelegraph has reached out to Bitly, and learned that the links “had been inadvertently blocked,” while the company has reportedly resolved the issue. Nevertheless, crypto-related bans still exist in mainstream media. ‘Why are you blocking links to cryptocurrency sites?’ Antonopoulos, author of several well-known guides to cryptocurrencies, including “Mastering Bitcoin”, called out Bitly on Twitter, revealing details of the block. The company allegedly blacklisted over 200 links featured in “Mastering Ethereum,” Antonopoulos’ new …

The head of an Indian nonprofit trade organization said cryptocurrency is “illegal,” and urged businesses to obey the law, local news daily the Hindu reported Thursday, Oct. 25. Debjani Ghosh, the president of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), was cited by the Hindu saying that cryptocurrencies are illegal from NASSCOM’s perspective. NASSCOM is a nonprofit trade association of over 2,000 member companies for the Indian IT and business process outsourcing industries. “It is [the] law of the land and hence, we have to work with it,” Ghosh claimed about cryptocurrency’s ‘illegal’ status. She added, “If we …

Beijing Sci-Tech Report (BSTR), China’s oldest media publication covering the tech industry, has announced it will offer subscriptions payable with Bitcoin (BTC), local media outlet Guangming reported Sunday, September 30. An evidently rare occurrence from China, were government pressure has forced crypto exchanges and Initial Coin Offering (ICO) operators to halt activities over the past year, BSTR says it wishes to promote blockchain and crypto use through “practical actions.” “[S]ubscribers can pay subscription fees to the specific bitcoin receiving address of the newspaper to complete the subscription,” Guangming confirms. The product on offer is an annual subscription to the publication’s …

China has led the way in terms of harsh regulations to quash cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. They were the first country to institute blanket bans on ICOs and exchanges, and have never taken to the decentralized and liberal freedoms that comes from cryptocurrencies. However, that does not mean that China is opposed to the potential revolutionary technology that comes from cryptocurrencies and their underlying base — blockchain. In fact, China is building toward being a nation that separates the decentralized cryptocurrencies from the underlying blockchain. But, in the latest calls from regulators, the bullishness on blockchain has come under some scrutiny …

The Supreme Court of India has ruled not to grant interim relief to those affected by the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) ban on banks' dealings with crypto-related businesses, Quartz India reports today, July 3rd. The Supreme Court has thus yet again refused to stay RBI’s April 6 circular, which had directed all banks to extract themselves from existing relationships with crypto exchanges and traders within three months, due to take effect July 6th. The central bank’s controversial blockade has prompted both public and industry-led petitions, with some appealing to the courts on the grounds that the decision is unconstitutional. …