Throughout the day, we receive a large amount of information. Some of it we assimilate, and some of it we discard since it may not be of interest to us, and therefore we do not need to retain it. For this, we rely on critical thinking.

The media, different sources, people, data we read. All these are responsible for providing us with daily information, which may or may not interest us, and we can value it and accept it or not.

And what is critical thinking? The definition of this concept encompasses the ability we have to analyze and evaluate the information we receive on a given topic. With this analysis, we can arrive at the most reasonable and justified position on that particular topic.

How do we develop this type of thinking? In this Educar21 infographic, created by Gesvin Romero, we show you the 5 characteristics of the critical thinker.

1. Formulates problems and questions with clarity and precision.
2. Evaluates relevant information and use abstract ideas to interpret effectively.
3. Concludes solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards.
4. Thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought.
5. Creates solutions to complex problems and communicates them effectively.

What Is The Importance Of Critical Thinking? 

You don’t consistently use critical thinking in your day-to-day life because that would detract from your energy for the important things. Therefore, much of what you do daily is automatic, such as, for example, breathing.

However, whether work-related or personal, important decisions should not be left to automatic processes. Why? Because critical thinking has a number of characteristics that will help you.

It is a domain-general thinking skill. That is, it allows you to think clearly and rationally to solve problems.

It is critical in the knowledge economy. Today, new flexible intellectual skills are needed. Add to this the ability to analyze and integrate information from different sources in favor of problem-solving.

Improve presentation and language skills. By thinking clearly and systematically, you can better express your ideas. In addition, knowing how to analyze the structure of a text and writing it on paper help you to improve your comprehension skills.

Promotes creativity. New ideas can provide very creative and relevant solutions to certain issues. Critical thinking can analyze them, select the best ones and modify what is necessary.

It is necessary for self-reflection. To structure your life and live it fully, you need to reflect on your values and daily decisions. Thanks to this type of thinking, you will have the necessary tools to carry out a good self-evaluation process.

Empower Critical Thinking

The ability to think critically is in high demand nowadays. If you want to enhance this skill, here is a guide to get you started:

• Ask basic questions. To solve a problem, you need to find the simplest solution and, for that, you can ask yourself easy questions such as: What do you know? How do you know? What is it for? Why? What are you overlooking?
• Analyze your mental processes. Be aware of your cognitive biases and personal prejudices. This way, you will understand how your thinking influences your decisions and proposals for seemingly objective solutions.
• Try to reverse situations. What if A does not cause B, but B causes A? Opening your mind and considering other points of view can help you find the appropriate solution.
• Analyze existing information. Before making a decision, gather existing information in that area. If someone else has already laid the groundwork for something, it will be easier for you to reach a conclusion that is not wrong.
• Think for yourself. You must add your thoughts to research and reading, as they are your most powerful tool. You can rely on the work of others but never give up your thinking. Sometimes you may err in your reasoning, but you will also learn from that, which will help you avoid it in the future.

How to Apply Critical Thinking at Work: Examples

When it comes to making a decision, critical thinking can help you choose the best one if you are torn between two proposals. To do this, you have to set aside your interests and find a solution that satisfies the objective you are pursuing.

To get here, you have to identify the cognitive bias.

Another clear example in which the importance of critical thinking can be appreciated is when it comes to fostering a critical spirit without being critical. How to do it? Quite simply. A critical person exposes a problem or alerts you to a need. On the other hand, the critical person only expresses their opinion because they consider it very important. 

This can be transferred to the work field. There you should focus on whether the criticism responds to a problem or need or if it is just a personal opinion.

In short, critical thinking is essential in day-to-day life because a person who uses it will be able to analyze social problems and reflect on them. Thus, it is a fundamental pillar to inform and debate biases and prejudices.

Ripple and Bitcoin are two popular cryptocurrencies serving different purposes. While both present a rosy picture to attract investors’, which one should be added to one’s portfolio? You can never know the right answer if you don’t know the prime differences between the two. To help you make wise crypto trading decisions, we’ve listed below the essential differences between the two that every investor should know. So let’s head quickly to the differences shared below. 

Both have Different Methods to Validate Transactions

Ripple uses a unique distributed consensus mechanism that allows participants to verify the authenticity of transactions by conducting a poll. It allows for almost instant confirmations without the need to contact a central authority. XRP is still decentralized, and it is more reliable and faster than its rivals. 

This means that XRP consumes very little energy compared to Bitcoin, which is considered an energy hog. Bitcoin, on the other hand, relies on a proof-of-work mechanism to validate transactions that takes a few minutes. Even Dogecoin uses the same transaction validation mechanism as Bitcoin yet consumes lesser energy. If both Ripple and Bitcoin are not interesting to you, the DOGE to INR price chart may entice you to invest. 

XRP is Cheaper and Faster than Bitcoin

Bitcoin transactions confirmations can take many minutes due to the complex and intensive mining nature, leading to high transaction costs. But XRP transactions can be confirmed in seconds and are generally very cheap. 

Ripple vs. Bitcoin – Real-World Examples

If you’re shopping from a retailer that accepts cryptocurrencies as an alternative payment method to fiat currencies, you can select to pay for your shopping order via the accepted fiat currency or Bitcoins. But if you have to make a cross-border payment of $100 to your acquaintance, your bank will issue instructions through the SWIFT system to facilitate the international money transfer after paying the necessary fees. This will allow the recipient to be credited with the equivalent amount of their accepted fiat currency. It may result in high fees at both ends, and processing can take up to a few days.

Enter Ripple, the payment and settlement system with a currency, XRP. 

Ripple’s payment system uses XRP to transfer assets over the Ripple Network. Using it, you can instantly convert $100 to the equivalent XRP tokens which can then be transferred instantly to the recipient’s Ripple account. He will then be able to either convert the token to USD or another currency of his choosing or keep it as XRP tokens. If you want to make the transfer in INR, you can check the Ripple price in INR before making the necessary amount transfer.

Different Circulation Mechanisms for Bitcoin and XRP

Bitcoins are released to the network when they are found by miners. They don’t follow a release schedule, and their supply is dependent largely on network speeds and the difficulty of the algorithm used for mining them.

The release of XRP is controlled by a smart contract. Ripple had planned to release 1 billion XRP tokens per month, governed by an embedded smart contract. The current circulation is more than 50 billion.

Any unutilized XRP from a given month will be transferred back to an Escrow account. This ensures that there is no possible chance of misuse from an oversupply of XRP crypto coins. It will take many years for all crypto coins to become available.

Final Take on Ripple Vs. Bitcoin

Ripple operates intricately, but the above illustration explains its basics. Ripple is better than Bitcoin for its faster processing times and lower transaction fees. BTC, on the other hand, is more widely known and well-known than XRP. This gives it an advantage in many other areas. Bitcoin is a true public system and does not belong to anyone person, authority or government.

Although Ripple is decentralized, it is still owned and operated privately by the same company. However, both systems have their own cryptocurrency tokens. We would advise investors to carry out their own research before making any investment decision.

Congratulations on your new Android smartphone. You’re probably online now, ready to surf your favorite app stores and find all the best apps. But there are so many great apps to choose from it can be overwhelming to know where to start.

With that in mind, here are some of the absolute best apps you should install the moment you buy a new Android phone.

Adobe Lightroom

If you like taking pictures, this is a must-have app for you. With the user-friendly photo editing tools in Lightroom, you can make your pictures look like a professional-grade products.

Retouch your photos, apply a filter or start editing right where you are with this app. You can even do it all in one place. The best part? It’s free.

Fantasy Football

Fantasy football is the perfect app for football fans. It allows you to play with other people and choose real-life players for your fantasy team. The game rules are similar to how real-life football teams play, but you get to be the coach and build your line-up of star players.

If your players score well in their games, you score points for your fantasy team too. If you relish this game, would you consider leveling up and staking your bets on the teams? If you are up for it, visit bettors.com.gh and learn the best way to get started with real betting.

Google Drive

If you’re in business, Google Drive is another must-have app. It allows you to store documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on the cloud to access them anywhere in the world. 

You can even use it as an online backup for your essential files. With 15 GB of free storage space, you’ll always have plenty of room for your business documents.

Spotify

Let’s face it; music makes everything better. Spotify lets you stream millions of songs for free or listen to music offline using its premium features, giving users access to exclusive music and video content that isn’t available anywhere else. 

Plus, they have a vast selection of constantly updated playlists, so there’s always something new to listen to. If you want more than just songs, Spotify has podcasts too.

TikTok

What would a list of the best apps be without TikTok? This social media platform has been growing in leaps and bounds over the past few years, and with good reason—it’s fun. 

The videos on TikTok range from 15 to 60 seconds up to 10 minutes long and cover everything from comedy to dance to special effects and more. You’ll find plenty of people to follow here, no matter your interest.

Duolingo

Learning a language can seem complicated. But the Duolingo app uses gamification to make it easier than ever to learn a new language from scratch without spending a fortune on classes or books.

It’s a great way to practice your English, French, Spanish, or any other language skills while on the go. It’s also an effective way to learn the alphabet if you are entirely new to a language.

Summing Up

Install these six apps on your new phone, and you’ll be off to a great start. Your new smartphone is already an incredible device. In addition, installing the above apps will make life easier and more fun once you get used to all the features. 

There is no doubt that Blockchain technology is revolutionizing the world as we know it. It can potentially change a variety of industries, including banking, healthcare, and supply chain management.

But what about Africa? What role will Blockchain play in Africa’s future? We will explore some of the forecasts for Blockchain in Africa, and we will also discuss how this innovative technology can benefit the continent economically and socially.

Reduction of Corruption

One of the most significant advantages of Blockchain technology is that it can help to reduce fraudulent activities. It is essential in Africa, where corruption is rampant. With Blockchain, all transactions get recorded on a secure, decentralized ledger. It means that no central authority can tamper with the data.

Improved Healthcare

Another way that Blockchain can benefit Africa is by improving healthcare quality. Currently, there are many challenges in the healthcare system, such as a lack of data interoperability and difficulty in tracking medical supplies. Blockchain can help solve these problems by providing a secure and efficient way to store and share data.

Improved Education

Blockchain would help improve education in Africa. For example, it can create a secure system for storing and sharing academic records. It can create digital tamper-proof certificates that cannot get forged, which would help to prevent fraudulent degrees from being issued.

Women Empowerment

One of the most important ways Blockchain can benefit Africa is by empowering women. In many parts of Africa, women do not get financial services or education. However, Blockchain can help to provide women with access to these services. Additionally, Blockchain can help to create opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

Reduction of poverty

Blockchain can help in the reduction of poverty in Africa. For example, it can create a secure system for distributing food aid. It can also create a digital currency that the unbanked population can use. It would help to improve financial inclusion and trigger economic growth.

Environment Protection

Blockchain can help in protecting the environment in Africa. For example, it can create a system for tracking carbon emissions. It can also create a decentralized marketplace for renewable energy. It would help to promote sustainable development and combat climate change.

More Connection

Blockchain can help create a more connected Africa. For example, it can create a secure system for sharing data between different countries. IT would help to promote trade and cooperation between African nations.

Democracy

Blockchain can help create a more democratic Africa. For example, it can create a secure system for voting. This would help to ensure that elections are fair and transparent.

Conclusion

Africa is poised to become a global economic powerhouse, and Blockchain technology will be a significant driving force behind this transformation.

With its secure, transparent, and efficient platform, Blockchain is well-suited for Africa’s unique needs. It can improve many aspects of life on the continent, from banking to healthcare to education.

So far, only a fraction of this potential has gotten realized. But as Blockchain technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more amazing things happen in Africa.

Hacking a phone has never been easy as it is today. The process does not require any experience or expert knowledge in hacking or technologies. You do not even need to touch the device to hack it and monitor its activities. All you need is a spy app without a target phone! 

That means you can hack a phone and see data shared and received on it remotely and undetected. You do not have to touch the phone to check its information. In this post, we will look at 7 free apps that you can use to hack someone’s phone without touching it.

Spylix: A Reliable and Efficient Spy App

First, on our list of the top seven free apps, you can use to hack a phone is Spylix phone tracker. Spylix is highly efficient and does not require any skill on your part. 

The team that developed the app has done all the hard work and all you have to do is activate the app on your target device to hack it and begin to monitor its activities. Spylix gives you 100% access to the data on your target device. 

Unique Features of Spylix

• Excellent User-friendly Interface

Whether you are experienced in using a spy app or a first-time user, you can use Spylix without any tutorial. It takes only three steps to set up the app and get it working. Its interface is simple and does not require much effort in getting started. Anyone can use the Spylix app to hack their target devices.

• Compatible with Android and iOS

Android and iOS are two popular operating systems and Spylix is fully compatible with them. The app lets you hack into both devices without any issue. 

• No Rooting or Jailbreak Required

Spylix does not need you to tamper with the technology of your target device. Rooting or jailbreaking is a very common process when hacking a phone device. However, you do not need to do it when you want to hack with SMS Tracker. That is why the app is highly regarded as a top consideration among people looking to hack a device. 

Simple Steps to Hack someone’s Phone with Spylix

Step 1: Sign up for a new account with your valid email address at the official website of Spylix.

Step 2: Install and set up the app for the target device. As mentioned, if your target device is iOS, you do not have to install the software. You only need the iCloud credential, which you will provide when prompted. For Android, you need to install a tiny app on the target device and it takes less than two minutes to complete.

Step 3: Start tracking the target device. These are the simple steps to hack a device and start monitoring its activities. 

NeatSpy: Easy and Clean Spy App

NeatSpy is an effective hacking app with numerous features, such as Keylogger, call tracking, SMS monitoring, social media spying, browser history monitoring, and more. It has garnered users from across the world and it is used mainly by parents looking to monitor the phone activities of their children.

It is easy to use and works in stealth mode. That means it cannot be detected by the target. It also does not require jailbreaking or rooting the device before it can work. NeatSpy is compatible with iOS and Android devices.

Spyier: A Promising Spy Application

The Spyier app has been in the market for a while now and it is one of the reputable apps out there. It easily hacks into a target device unnoticed and remains undetected for as long as you want. It does not affect the operations of the device, so you never have to worry that the target will discover it. 

Spyier is great for spying on a cheating spouse because it gives access to the data on the target device. With this app, you can view social media activities, including Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, and more. You can also access the calls, browser history, SMS messages, iMessage, and more. It is also compatible with Android and iOS devices.

ClickFree: A Dependable Hacking Tool 

When looking for a dependable hacking app with a mechanism that gives access to hidden data on a target device, ClickFree is a choice for you. It does not require rooting or jailbreaking and neither do you need any skills or competence to use the app. 

It works by transmitting data from the target device directly to your ClickFree dashboard. Whether you want to spy on an Android or iOS, this app will do a good job of it. 

Spyzie: A Dynamic Hacking Tool

Spyzie has become a favorite of many, thanks to its unique features. For a start, it is easy to install and does not entail any hassle of jailbreaking or rooting. It works in stealth mode while giving you access to the data you want to see. 

With Spyzie, you can hack social media accounts, SMS messages, call history, browser history, and more on the target device. It works with both Android and iOS.

TeenSafe: The Parental Control of the Year

If you have a teenager, you understand how difficult it can be to keep a tab on them. With TeenSafe, you do not have to do that physically. You can hack their phone devices and monitor their phone activities remotely. 

TeenSafe lets you see every data, including incoming and outgoing calls and messages, social media activities, and more on your target device. It is compatible with Android and iOS, so irrespective of the type of phone your teenager is using, this app will hack it seamlessly.

FoneMonitor: Phone Monitoring Par Excellence

Worried that your spouse is cheating on you? FoneMonitor gives you the proof you are looking for. The app allows you to check emails, messages, social media exchanges, and more on your target device. You can access it all remotely and undetected. You do not even have to touch the device to get the data from it.

Conclusion

These are the top seven free apps that you can use to hack someone’s device without their knowledge. They work in stealth mode, which means you do not have to worry that the software will be detected by the target. So, next time you want to hack a phone device, choose any of these seven but we recommend the Spylix the most.

The technology of lighting city streets and interior spaces of different buildings has stepped forward significantly in the afternoon sensations. Today, energy-efficient LED lamps are used.

However, for maximum efficiency in saving energy resources, an IoT smart lighting system is required, which provides complete control over the illumination only at the right time.

What are the main principles of IoT smart lighting?

The principle of operation of any intelligent city street lighting control system is based on the implementation of a simple algorithm:

• A sensor for measuring the level of natural light is installed on each lamp.
• Some fixtures also contain weather change sensors to provide timely power to the lantern in cloudy weather.
• Sensors are scanned by special readers.
• The information is converted into a digital signal and transmitted via damaged wireless communication to the actuating device.
• The reverse transformation of the signal takes place, and the dispatcher receives a notification about the changed conditions in real-time.

Executive devices can also operate in M2M mode when the digital signal is automatically converted into a command, and the lighting control process is carried out without human intervention.

Why LEDs are used for IoT smart lighting?

To automate the lighting of city streets using IoT technologies, only LED lamps are used, due to the presence of several undeniable advantages:

• LED lamps give a greater level of illumination of the space, compared to incandescent lamps or halogen lamps.
• All the energy of such lamps is directed exclusively to lighting the premises or the street, and not to the release of thermal energy.
• The user can always choose the glow temperature – from warm to cold.
• LED lamps are the most economical lighting fixtures in their class.
• Such lighting devices last up to 20 – 25 times longer than any other light source.
• The highest class of luminous flux stability.

LED lighting is effective for both residential and commercial facilities, as the user gets double the savings on the need to replace the lighting sources themselves and on the utilities.

Main advantages of the IoT smart Lighting

The use of IoT technology to control the lighting of rooms or streets gives the user the following advantages:

• Illumination of dark streets and alleys in large cities at the right time significantly reduces the crime rate, as well as increases the efficiency of outdoor surveillance cameras. Such IoT technologies significantly increase the chances of the police to solve crimes.
• High-quality LED devices provide clear illumination of outdoor space, which allows you to get a stable picture on the monitor.
• The inclusion of lighting devices not by the hour, but when necessary, will contribute to the significant savings in electricity, as well as reducing utility bills.
• LED lamps do not heat up, which helps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
• When illuminating city spaces, energy companies register a reduced consumption of energy resources, in the case of illuminating yard areas at residential facilities, owners of apartments or houses get the opportunity to reduce fees for management companies.
• Possibility of a complete shutdown of lighting at night using remote access. The operation of the flashlights is controlled using a stationary computer or a mobile application from anywhere in the world.

The main and only disadvantage of such systems is their high cost, as well as the need to train qualified staff for high-quality and efficient control of illuminated devices on remote devices.

How IoT Lighting Helps Organize Your Workspace?

The lights in many offices are on all the time, regardless of how people use the space. IoT Lighting technologies make it possible to control the illumination of each area of an office building.

The main sources of energy efficiency are sensitive sensors and photovoltaic cells. The lighting of public areas – toilets, meeting rooms, elevator halls, or evacuation stairs turns on exclusively when a person is in the field of action of the human scanner. In addition, such devices are configured to automatically turn off after a certain period, after a person disappears from view.

Advanced systems ensure the transmission of data on the level of illumination in the building to the central control panel of your control station, or an executive device.

The user can add additional lighting control settings in their application. For example, the degree of illumination of a conference hall may depend on the degree of fullness of the space, or the weather through the window.

In many cases, customers indicate in the quotation that it is necessary to integrate the lighting system in offices with fire alarms.

What are smart streets?

Street lights without the proper level of automation can stay on all night long. This leads to significant material costs and increased power consumption.

When using the technology of the Internet of Things, the user has the opportunity to provide control over the operation of street lamps concerning various factors.

At night, without the sunlight, the sensors are responsible for the level of illumination give a command to turn on artificial lighting.

High-precision timers allow you to automatically reduce the intensity of light radiation at a later time of the day when the streets are empty.

Motion sensors allow you to turn on the lamp when a person approaches. At the same time, the sensors can be easily configured in such a way that they will transmit a signal to the actuator only in the presence of a large object, which eliminates their constant activation when it enters the pet scanner’s coverage area.

Quite often, such systems are installed in hospitals, which ensures constant monitoring of seriously ill patients. The staff on duty can monitor the patient from their post, as well as receive an alarm signal on the screen of a computer or tablet.

When using IoT for lighting control, full M2M control is achieved. This provides savings on labor, as well as the absence of the need for precise control over the operation of the engineering network.

Smart lighting is often used in shopping malls, warehouses, and other large strategic facilities. All users note the efficient consumption of electricity, as well as a significant reduction in costs. As such, this advanced technology ensures business development and profitability growth.

It’s 2022, Russia has invaded Ukraine, the world is trepidatious about its future, and there’s talk about the Russian government using cryptocurrency to skirt sanctions. Meanwhile, crypto hacks keep happening and yield ever-growing hauls for the criminals targeting them.

Just this January, Crypto.com acknowledged that an attack on the company saw it lose more than $30 million in Bitcoin and Ethereum, marking one of the latest attacks in a long line of cryptocurrency exchange hacks.

Some of the biggest hacks include:

• Poly Network ($610 million) with an interesting story behind it.
• Coincheck ($532 million)
• MT Gox ($470 million)
• Wormhole ($326 million)
• KuCoin ($281 million)
• PancakeBunny ($200 million)
• Bitmart ($196 million)

This leads one to wonder why these hacks keep happening, and how can the security in self-proclaimed safe solutions be so bad? What do governments say about it? Is there a future for crypto? Well, let’s find out.

The prevalence of cryptocurrency

It is safe to say that cryptocurrency has gone mainstream in a sense that everyone knows about it (not so much as to what it is, really) and mainstream companies and industries are using it to accept payments.

Some of the first mainstream uses include paying for things like extra-secure VPNs that cater to customers who want to remain completely anonymous, or funding accounts in crypto casinos for faster transaction speeds.

However, it is not just online services that use it now. The Philippines’ Central Bank recently approved several crypto exchanges to open under a ‘remittance and transfer companies’ banner, while El Salvador, in a bid to deal with the high number of unbanked people and fiscal issues, straight up made Bitcoin legal tender.

People looking to send money across borders, especially workers in the diaspora sending money back home, prefer to use crypto more and more because of its convenience and low costs.

Barring a worldwide ban, which is unlikely, despite what governments and banking institutions say, cryptocurrency will continue on its current trajectory as an increasingly preferred form of currency.

Crypto security relies on who has access

Some of you may have guessed that the hacks have to do with lax security, which is certainly a big part of it. Blockchain, the ledger technology on which crypto is based, tends to be safe and secure because it is an immutable record of transactions that have taken place.

The problem with security comes in when we ask, ‘who is allowed to transact on the blockchain?’

The answer is ‘anyone with keys matching bitcoins in a specific address.’ So, when you have your keys with you, it is secure. One would need them to get inside the wallet.

However, you may have to hand over the keys for safekeeping in exchanges and with wallet service providers. At that point, you no longer have full control over your currency. If attackers breach the exchange or the wallet, they could get the password and steal the bitcoin.

But that’s not all; the keyholders could be careless with it or use a weak password, exposing them to potential hacks that may sweep up digital files they’ve saved – containing the keys.

How do the hacks happen?

Exchanges are susceptible to hacks because they frequently keep escrow accounts with currencies in so-called “hot wallets,” which are online (connected to the Internet). A “cold wallet,” which is not linked to the Internet and has the keys written down or memorized somewhere, is a more secure but time-consuming way to keep the money.

Criminals take the keys to hot wallets and steal funds using various devious methods, such as masquerading as a reputable business associate to place malware on an exchange employee’s workstation.

The problem with stealing bitcoin is that once it is gone, that’s it! The same things that keep a person secure and anonymous are the same things the hacker will use to get his way. Companies get hacked all the time, even ones with private data that one might think would be kept behind security measures few can breach.

So, if it’s said you can’t get your bitcoin back, how did that weird crypto couple get arrested at the start of 2022?

The weird crypto couple

We will not get into why the couple is weird, but rather talk about how they got caught.

As the story goes, a hacker made away with 119,754 bitcoins from an exchange called Bitfinex. At the time of the hack, the stolen bitcoin was worth about $71 million, but because of increasing bitcoin popularity and prices, the value rose to more than $5 billion.

Remember how we said that the ledger is immutable? This means that the transfers are recorded.

The hacker is anonymous and in control, so laundering that money is not easy. Launderers have to face the fact that the coins are traceable and leave a digital footprint.

The couple accused of the hack, Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, seem to have known what it would take to realize financial gains from their hack.

The affidavit claims that the couple used techniques to move the bitcoin out of a wallet using small but complex transactions spread out over many accounts and platforms, like shuffling a deck of cards, to hide the trail.

However, some things had to go wrong for them to get caught.

How the couple got caught

Morgan and Lichtenstein are also accused of transferring funds to AlphaBay; a dark-web exchange shut down by authorities in 2017. On the dark web, anyone can purchase almost anything they want with cryptocurrency, which is aided by the fact that no one cares where your money came from.

However, it appears that the funds Morgan and Lichtenstein were attempting to launder were too large to be cashed out by purchasing goods. The stolen coins were simply channeled through AlphaBay.

The pair is said to have shifted their cash via a dark-web market and then into other coin exchanges, leaving them in the same situation as when they began: with a large amount of cryptocurrency they couldn’t use.

All these movements could be tracked, even though it wasn’t known who was making them. Law enforcement got lucky and managed to catch the couple because of their digital footprints.

For instance, to get access to the couple’s wallets, where most of the loot was stored, law enforcement had to get a search warrant to access Lichtenstein’s cloud storage account where they found a stored file containing a list of 2,000 virtual currency addresses and their keys.

They also found a connection to AlphaBay from the servers seized in 2017 by the FBI.

Some governments have feelings about crypto

While some governments embrace or are not so openly concerned about crypto and its legal status and use, others, with a lot of influence, don’t have many nice things to say about it.

In February, India’s Central Bank said that cryptocurrency is akin to a Ponzi scheme and suggested it should be banned outright. The sharpest criticism came on the heels of a proposal to tax digital assets, paving the way to consider it legal tender.

In the European Union, the European Bank has taken an approach familiar to many: making their fears about security, which has seen progress on a controlled digital currency that would be centralized, to stop big tech from becoming big tech banks.

It is hard to predict the tone that any legislation or regulation will take. But back to our main topic about security exchanges and their security issues, what can you, as a crypto holder or potential holder, do to stay safe?

Staying safe

Even though the blockchain and its related technologies and security keep advancing, criminals are not asleep at the wheel either. They continue to innovate and develop new ways to break into wallets.

However, there is a way to stay completely safe with minimal risk – the above-mentioned cold storage, which refers to wallets that are not connected to the internet. If they are not connected, they cannot be attacked. The coins are stored in a physical wallet that looks and acts like a USB drive of sorts.

Because of how often wallets get attacked, it is recommended to not keep any digital currency holdings in crypto exchanges. Maybe someday, exchanges can get their act together and find a way to be invulnerable. Until then, you risk being a victim of crypto thieves.

Final thoughts

Taking safety seriously, especially now, is paramount for cryptocurrency holders. Savvy crypto holders recommend moving all holdings to a cold wallet when a transaction is complete.

Even then, you have to trust the crypto exchange you use. Since there is no way to know if any claims made are true, rely on public forums’ reviews or on reviewers experienced in cryptocurrency matters.

At the end of it all, it comes down to due diligence and embracing cold storage as much as possible. Even the so-called safe exchanges are not so safe and should always be treated with a healthy dose of skepticism.