Surviving Off Crypto When Cash Fails

Surviving Off Crypto When Cash Fails

This story is part of War in Ukraine, CNET's coverage of events there and of the wider effects on the world.

Artyom Fedosov was confused when his cab driver announced his credit card had been declined. Luckily, the 27-year-old Ukrainian photographer had a backup card. But when he offered it, that one strangely didn't work either. In a last-ditch effort, Fedosov went to an ATM to try to withdraw money from his debit account. The machine rejected him too.

"That's how I found out," Fedosov told me in a recent interview via Zoom, "I'd lost access to my savings."

This "terrifying" moment was in late February, days after Russia's invasion into Ukraine. Fedosov wasn't in his home city of Kiev, but rather in Kazakhstan. It was supposed to be a weeklong stay at the end of a photography trip to the Middle East, but Russia's invasion meant Fedosov could no longer go home.

Since his ill-fated taxi ride, Fedosov been living off cryptocurrency. He found a bitcoin ATM in Kazakhstan, which allowed him to exchange fragments of the cryptocurrency for Kazakhstani tenge. He has since opened a bank account in Kazakhstan, funded exclusively by selling cryptocurrency, and moved to Germany. To bolster his funds, Fedosov is also selling photographs as NFTs -- people buy them in ether, which he converts to cash -- and he expects that will fund a few more months' worth of expenses.

Fedosov is one of approximately 5.5 million Ukrainians who own cryptocurrency. His ability to live off bitcoin and ether is music to the ears of cryptocurrency proponents. They point out that situations like Fedosov's, when the financial system stutters or fails, are the precise reason bitcoin was created. Using a cryptocurrency wallet -- as opposed to going through an intermediary exchange like Binance -- holders can access their cryptocurrency with nothing more than an internet connection and a 12-word seed phrase.

Fedosov opened a bank account in Kazakhstan, which he funded by selling his cryptocurrency. 

Artyom Fedosov/Twitter

Millions of Ukrainians and Russians lost full access to their money in the days following the invasion. Hoping to access ATMs, queues of people snaked around city blocks in both countries. Banks quickly placed restrictions on cash withdrawals. This was particularly acute in eastern Ukraine, where much of the fighting is taking place. The central bank of Donetsk, a region of 2 million people which has declared itself autonomous from Ukraine, limited citizens to withdrawals of just $130 a day. There are anecdotal reports of people in the east being completely unable to withdraw their savings or access their credit. 

"It was crazy," said Fedosov. "In the beginning, the rules would change several times a day."

Thankfully, banks' worst fears have so far been unrealized. Most Ukrainians, including ones abroad like Fedosov, have regained at least limited access to their funds. Yet the situation is still fraught. The central banks of both Russia and Ukraine have placed restrictions on foreign currency withdrawals. Ukraine's biggest commercial bank, PrivatBank, issued a plea on Twitter, asking for armored trucks with which to transport cash to ATMs. In the days following war's outbreak, Russians fearing what sanctions would do to the ruble chose to plow money into bitcoin. (The ruble is down around 30% to the dollar since the invasion.) 

"Bitcoin is kind of the perfect war asset, unfortunately," said Sam Callahan, an analyst at Swan Bitcoin. "You have wealth stored in your head with 12 words, it's a lot different than even gold or art, hung up in the banks or in vaults. People can cross the border with nothing that can be confiscated, and with 12 words in their head have their wealth."

Callahan's statement would be contentious in traditional finance circles. Critics say that cryptocurrencies are too volatile to act as hedges against inflation, much less the collapse of a monetary system. But after two years of dizzying price movements, it's a reminder that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were designed to be more than speculative assets. 

Already, cryptocurrency has had an outsized role in the war. The Ukrainian government has managed to raise over $60 million for the resistance effort merely by posting its bitcoin and ether wallet addresses on Twitter. Millions more have been raised for local charities and NGOs. Not all crypto prospects are positive, though. Some are concerned that Russian oligarchs will use cryptocurrency to evade the historic sanctions the West has placed on Russia. Just like global charities are likely to emulate Ukraine's crypto fundraising, Fedosov worries that repressive regimes in Iran and Syria would follow Russia's example if the country could evade Western sanctions using bitcoin and ether.

Callahan says this is unlikely. The combined market cap of bitcoin and ether is around a trillion, too little for a country as large as Russia to meaningfully circumvent sanctions. Some oligarchs may be able to move some funds around, though Callahan argues it would be difficult to convert large quantities of money from cryptocurrency to fiat without alerting blockchain analysis firms. Still, he concedes that bitcoin can be used by those with nefarious intent. 

Fedosov has been selling his photography as NFTs, which he says has given him funds to live "for an extra few months."

Artyom Fedosov

"It's an open-source network, it's going to be used by enemies, it's going to be used by friends," he said. "It'll be used by drug traffickers, but it'll also be used for charities. A knife can be used by a surgeon, it can also be used by a murderer."

Fedosov's story is a fortuitous one. He has about $5,000 in ether, he says, because just three months before the invasion he decided to convert money to ether in order to begin trading NFTs -- nonfungible tokens, which are recorded on a blockchain . He only has bitcoin because, back in 2017, Fedosov worked for a Dutch company and said it was easier and quicker to be paid his salary in bitcoin. In the years since moving to a new job, the leftover fraction of a bitcoin in his wallet increased in value from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. 

Back then, Fedosov thought bitcoin was a novel alternative to traditional money. Now he thinks it may be just as reliable -- and is thankful he didn't happen to spend his last chunk of bitcoin all those years ago.  When asked how he had crypto to fall back on, he simply replied: "It's pure luck, actually."

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NFTs explained: Why people spend millions of dollars on JPEGs

NFTs explained: Why people spend millions of dollars on JPEGs

Take a quick look at the image to the right. What, if anything, could convince you that image is worth $9 million?

Richerd/OpenSea

What you're looking at is an NFT, one of the first ever created. It's part of the CryptoPunks collection, a set of 10,000 NFTs released in 2017, a time when much of the world was still finding out what bitcoin is.

Most likely you've already rolled your eyes, either at the $9 million figure or at the very idea of NFTs themselves. The response to nonfungible tokens hasn't changed much since March when they first started exploding. The public at large has reflexively dismissed them as environmentally harmful scams. The bigger the sale, the more brazen the injustice. 

Which brings us back to the above pixelated chap. Its owner is Richerd, an affable Canadian software developer. He started building cryptocurrency software around 2013, but eventually tired of it. After discovering NFTs earlier this year, Richerd bought CryptoPunk #6046 on March 31 for $86,000 in what he said was the biggest purchase he'd ever made in his life.

Richerd, who has over 80,000 followers on Twitter, last month claimed that his CryptoPunk was priceless to him and wasn't for sale no matter the price. The very next day his determination was tested when an offer came through for 2,500 ether, or $9.5 million. It was made not because Richerd's CryptoPunk is worth that amount -- similar NFTs now go for about $400,000 -- but rather because his bluff was very publicly being called. It was a challenge, but it was still a legitimate offer. If Richerd clicked "accept", 2,500 ether would have flowed into his wallet.

Richerd rejected the offer. 

"Well, obviously, the day before I said 'I'm not selling it for any price,' so if I sell it for that price, I'd be going against my integrity," Richerd told me over a Zoom call. "On top of that, I've used this CryptoPunk as my profile pic, as my brand. Everyone knows that's me."

Not too long ago, Richerd's explanation would have sounded insane to me. How divorced from reality would someone need to be to offer eight figures on a picture that looks like a Fiverr job? How scandalously misguided would a person need to be to rebuff that offer? After I spent a few months researching and following NFTs, however, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest. In fact, it makes a whole lot of sense.

There are 10,000 NFTs in the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection. Here are three examples. The middle one is owned by Jimmy Fallon.

Yuga Labs

Bitcoin millionaires

Here is one quick fact that explains why NFTs are bought for the equivalent of a CEO's salary: Bitcoin is estimated to have made over 100,000 millionaires. It's no surprise that NFTs became a phenomenon in March. That's when bitcoin hit $60,000, up over 500% from just six months prior. 

When you see a headline or a tweet about some preposterous sum being spent on an NFT, it's easy to become bewildered over how absurd that purchase would be for you. What's easy to forget is that very expensive things are almost exclusively bought by very rich people -- and very rich people spend a lot on status symbols. 

Take Bored Ape Yacht Club, for example. It's a collection of 10,000 ape NFTs, all with different traits that make some rarer than others. Rare ones have sold over for over a million bucks, but common variants go for around $200,000. (At the time of launch back in April, BAYC developers sold the NFTs for $190 each.) BAYC, owned by the likes of Steph Curry and Jimmy Fallon, is what you'd call a "profile pic collection." The main purpose of the images is to be used as your display photo on Discord, where most NFT business goes down, or on Twitter, Instagram or wherever else. 

To recap: $200,000 minimum for a profile picture. 

In isolation, that's insane. But place it on a spectrum of how wealthy people spend money, and it becomes less staggering. You can right click and save a JPEG, so why spend money on it? Well, you can buy a nice house in a safe neighborhood almost anywhere in the world for $1 million, yet celebrities regularly snap up $20 million mansions. You can find a fashionable dress for under $500, yet brands like Chanel build their business on selling ones for 20 times that amount.

Up to 100,000 people became millionaires when that green line shot skyward. 

coinmarketcap.com

We accept that rich folks buy extravagant items offline. Is it so inconceivable they would buy extravagant things online, too?

"In the real world, how do people flex their wealth?" said Alex Gedevani, an analyst at cryptocurrency research firm Delphi Digital. "It can be buying cars or watches. How scalable is that versus if I buy a CryptoPunk and use it as my profile picture?"

Obviously, status symbols aren't specific to the rich. All of us indulge in some way or another, be it buying a $20,000 new car when a $7,000 used vehicle will do, or buying a $30 T-shirt when Walmart sells basics for under $5. What most status symbols have in common is that they have a specific audience in mind. The banker sporting his Rolex and the chief executive stepping into her Bentley don't care that I think either of those purchases is excessive. They have a small but powerful group of people they're trying to influence. So, too, with NFTs. 

In the case of Richerd, he runs his own business, Manifold, where he helps show digital artists like Beeple how they can use blockchain technology to make art that could only exist as NFTs. Being a part of the most sought-after NFT collection helps in those circles. And when he says his brand is built on his Punk, he's not exaggerating -- a group of investors even named their organization after him.

"Anybody who owns a CryptoPunk believes certain things," Richerd explained. "Either you've been in the community for a long time so you believe in what these are, or you've paid a lot of money to get in, which shows conviction.

"I want to show my conviction. This is one of those projects that makes you put your money where your mouth is." 

A bit of trouble

NFTs are polarizing. There's a small group of people who believe in the underlying technology (tokens that prove ownership of a digital good), but there are many more who regard it as a hoax. Just as the second group struggles to see any value in NFTs, the first group can sometimes be defensive about the technology's imperfections.

And make no doubt about it, there are a lot of issues with NFTs. 

First is the confounding inaccessibility. There's a reason software developers tend to do well in crypto and NFT trading: Setting up blockchain wallets and other required digital apparatus is difficult. Even just buying and selling can be perilous. Send money to the wrong wallet address by accident, and it's gone forever.

Then there are the fees. Imagine you're interested in dipping your toes into nonfungible waters and you have $1,000 you're willing to lose. If you're minting a new NFT during a public sale you'll usually spend between $120 and $400. Not too bad -- until you factor in the transaction fees. Most NFTs are built on the ethereum blockchain, which is notoriously inefficient. The more people using ethereum, be it through trading altcoins or buying NFTs, the higher the fees. At a good time you'll spend about $100 per transaction, though double or triple that amount is common. Suddenly that $1,000 doesn't go very far. 

This is especially troublesome for NFTs, which are infamous for causing "gas wars." It's possible for 100,000 people to buy shiba inu coins at once, since there are a quadrillion in circulation. But when 10,000 people try to buy an NFT, it results in a massive spike in transaction costs as some users outbid each other to speed up their purchase. It may only last a minute or two, but a lot of damage can be done in that time. People spending over $10,000 on a transaction fee isn't rare. People losing $1,000 on a failed transaction isn't, either.

This is what it looks like when someone spends $4,000 on a failed transaction. It's rare, but not rare enough. 

Etherscan screenshot by Daniel Van Boom

Ethereum's inefficiency also contributes to the other major criticism of NFTs, the massive amount of energy they consume. Note that this is something of a semantic issue: NFTs aren't bad for the environment as much as ethereum is. Other networks, like Solana, use a fraction of the power. Ethereum developers are expected to implement an upgrade next year that will make mining it consume 1% the energy it currently does. At this moment though, while no one can say precisely how much energy ethereum consumes, we know it's a lot. (Bitcoin, despite getting all the headlines, is even less efficient than ethereum, which is why almost nothing is built on its blockchain.)

And finally, there's the fact that most people trading NFTs are doing so to make a profit. Scams are everywhere, and prices are volatile. Most of the people who create, buy and sell NFTs are ignorant or uninterested in the technology. If there is a technological leap taking place, it's likely to be obscured by the dizzying price movements.

"I'd call it a bubble," Gedvani said, "because the amount of speculators that are entering the market is outpacing genuine creators." 

But a bubble can pop and leave something better in its wake. Think of Pets.com. It had a peak valuation of $290 million in February 2000 but by November of that year, as the infamous dot-com bubble began to burst, it had already closed shop. It's used as a cautionary tale for speculative trading in bubbles. But the impulse to invest in Pets.com evidently ended up being justifiable. That particular venture was misguided, but the e-commerce trend it was flicking at was legitimate. Seven-figure pixel art may not be forever, but proof of digital ownership, which is what NFTs are really about, may be. 

A big 2022

Where NFTs will end up is anyone's guess -- and anyone who claims to know is probably trying to sell you something. What we do know is that the amount of people buying NFTs is almost definitely about to grow.

It's estimated that around 250,000 people trade NFTs each month on OpenSea, the biggest NFT marketplace. In the short term, CoinBase will soon open its own NFT marketplace, for which 2 million users are on the waiting list. Robinhood has similar plans.

More importantly, giant companies that already make money outside of the crypto space want in. Niantic, the company behind Pokemon Go, has just announced a game in which players can earn bitcoin. Twitter and the company formerly known as Facebook plan to integrate NFTs into their platforms, and Epic Games says it's open to doing so too. Envision a world where instead of buying skins in Fortnite, you buy an NFT for those skins that you own -- meaning you can trade it for outfits and weapons in other games, or sell it once you're done with it. (Epic said it won't integrate such a mechanic into Fortnite, but that may not stop competitors.) 

Richerd reckons the flood of people soon to enter the NFT marketplace will create a broader diversity of digital products sold for different audiences. Your neighbor might not want to spend $200 -- much less $200,000 -- on a profile picture, but maybe they'll be willing to spend $10 on a one-of-a-kind skin, or on a product in Facebook's Metaverse. But though the space may change, he remains confident that CryptoPunk #6046 is safe for a while yet. 

"Even if every NFT falls," he said, "CryptoPunks will be the last one."

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Twitter could cut back on hate speech with suspension warnings, study says

Twitter could cut back on hate speech with suspension warnings, study says

Since Twitter launched in 2006, it's become a giant networking event, bar hangout, meme-generator and casual conversation hub stuffed into one. But for every 280-word-long timely news update and witty remark, you'll find a violent, hateful post.

Among the crew of experts strategizing to disarm the dark side of Twitter, a team from New York University ran an experiment to test whether warning accounts that hate speech will result in suspension is a functional technique. Turns out, it could be pretty effective.

After studying over 4,300 Twitter users and 600,000 tweets, the scientists found warning accounts of such consequences "can significantly reduce their hateful language for one week." That dip was even more apparent when warnings were phrased politely.

Hopefully the team's paper, published Monday in the journal Perspectives on Politics, will help address the racist, vicious and abusive content that pollutes social media. 

"Debates over the effectiveness of social media account suspensions and bans on abusive users abound, but we know little about the impact of either warning a user of suspending an account or of outright suspensions in order to reduce hate speech," Mustafa Mikdat Yildirim, an NYU doctoral candidate and the lead author of the paper, said in a statement. 

"Even though the impact of warnings is temporary, the research nonetheless provides a potential path forward for platforms seeking to reduce the use of hateful language by users."

These warnings, Mikdat Yildirim observed, don't even have to come from Twitter itself. The ratio of tweets containing hateful speech per user lowered by between 10% and 20% even when the warning originated from a standard Twitter account with just 100 followers -- an "account" made by the team for experimental purposes.

"We suspect, as well, that these are conservative estimates, in the sense that increasing the number of followers that our account had could lead to even higher effects...to say nothing of what an official warning from Twitter would do," they write in the paper.

At this point you might be wondering: Why bother "warning" hate speech endorsers when we can just rid Twitter of them? Intuitively, an immediate suspension should achieve the same, if not stronger, effect.

Why not just ban hate speech ASAP?

While online hate speech has existed for decades, it's ramped up in recent years, particularly toward minorities. Physical violence as a result of such negativity has seen a spike as well. That includes tragedies like mass shootings and lynchings.

But there's evidence to show unannounced account removal may not be the way to combat the matter.

As an example, the paper points out former President Donald Trump's notorious and erroneous tweets following the 2020 United States presidential election. They consisted of election misinformation like calling the results fraudulent and praise for rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. His account was promptly suspended.

Twitter said the suspension was "due to the risk of further incitement of violence," but the problem was Trump later attempted to access other ways of posting online, such as tweeting through the official @Potus account. "Even when bans reduce unwanted deviant behavior within one platform, they might fail in reducing the overall deviant behavior within the online sphere," the paper says. 

Twitter suspended President Donald Trump's Twitter account on Jan. 8, 2021. 

Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET

In contrast to quick bans or suspensions, Mikdat Yildirim and fellow researchers say warnings of account suspension could curb the issue long term because users will try to protect their account instead of moving somewhere else as a last resort.

Experimental evidence for warning signals

There were a few steps to the team's experiment. First, they created six Twitter accounts with names like @basic_person_12, @hate_suspension and @warner_on_hate. 

Then, they downloaded 600,000 tweets on July 21, 2020 that were posted the week prior to identify accounts likely to be suspended during the course of the study. This period saw an uptick in hate speech against Asian and Black communities, the researchers say, due to COVID-19 backlash and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sifting through those tweets, the team picked out any that used hate language as per a dictionary outlined by a researcher in 2017 and isolated those created after January 1, 2020. They reasoned that newer accounts are more likely to be suspended -- over 50 of those accounts did, in fact, get suspended. 

Anticipating those suspensions, the researchers gathered 27 of those accounts' follower lists beforehand. After a bit more filtering, the researchers ended up with 4,327 Twitterers to study. "We limited our participant population to people who had previously used hateful language on Twitter and followed someone who actually had just been suspended," they clarify in the paper. 

Next, the team sent warnings of different politeness levels -- the politest of which they believe created an air of "legitimacy" -- from each account to the candidates divided into six groups. One control group didn't receive a message.

Legitimacy, they believe, was important because "to effectively convey a warning message to its target, the message needs to make the target aware of the consequences of their behavior and also make them believe that these consequences will be administered," they write.

Ultimately, the method led to a reduction in the ratio of hateful posts by 10% for blunt warnings, such as "If you continue to use hate speech, you might lose your posts, friends and followers, and not get your account back" and by 15% to 20% with more respectful warnings, which included sentiments like "I understand that you have every right to express yourself but please keep in mind that using hate speech can get you suspended." 

But it's not that simple

Even so, the research team notes that "we stop short, however, of unambiguously recommending that Twitter simply implement the system we tested without further study because of two important caveats."

Foremost, they say a message from a large corporation like Twitter could create backlash in a way the study's smaller accounts did not. Secondly, Twitter wouldn't have the benefit of ambiguity in suspension messages. They can't really say "you might" lose your account. Thus, they'd need a blanket rule. 

And with any blanket rule, there could be wrongfully accused users. 

"It would be important to weigh the incremental harm that such a warning program could bring to an incorrectly suspended user," the team writes. 

Although the main impact of the team's warnings dematerialized about a month later and there are a couple of avenues yet to be explored, they still urge this technique could be a tenable option to mitigate violent, racist and abusive speech that continues to imperil the Twitter community.

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Get a DJI Mavic Pro with remote for $699

Get a DJI Mavic Pro with remote for $699

CNET's Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter!

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Get your smart-home lighting off to a smart start by saving 40 percent on this kit.

Philips

Cheeps! Seems like many of you enjoyed yesterday's roundup of early Black Friday deals at Best Buy (traffic was through the roof), so let me add one more that should have made the list: The Philips Hue A19 Starter Kit for $59.99 (reg. $99.99).

You get four "smart" LED bulbs and the Hue bridge, all of them adjustable and manageable via voice and app. (To be fair, Amazon just matched that price, and according to CamelCamelCamel, it's the first time the kit has ever been priced below $100.)

Speaking of yesterday, I also shared the very tempting DJI Sparkdrone for $400. It's a pretty capable little guy, but one designed mostly for selfies and other near-area flying.

Alas, the big-brother Mavic Pro starts at $999 -- not exactly affordable for most folks.

Phone not included.

CNET

Okay, but could you swing $699? Because the official DJI Ebay store has the refurbished Mavic Pro with remote for $699 shipped -- by far the lowest price I've seen for this highly celebrated quadcopter.

First things first: a refurbished drone? That must mean "crashed and glued back together," right? Nah, these are fully inspected and certified to be good as new, and they come with a full one-year warranty, same as new Mavic Pros.

Second: You may find this model selling new for maybe $50 more, but chances are good it won't come with a remote. Trust me when I say you want the remote.

The Mavic Pro is capable of pretty much all the best drone tricks, including following you around, flying to and from waypoints and so on. It can capture 4K video via its built-in gimbal-assisted camera, and it will avoid obstacles so it's less likely to have an unfortunate encounter with a tree.

I especially like the fold-up arms, which make the Mavic much easier to toss into a bag or backpack. The controller also folds up into a nice, compact little bundle.

Take note though, extra batteries are crazy-expensive (around $150 apiece), and there's definitely a learning curve if you want to take advantage of the various flight modes. (Watch the how-to videos, they help a lot.)

Obviously this is still a pricey item for most folks, but it's also a huge discount on arguably the best consumer drone currently available. It was too good not to share!

Give your desktop or laptop the speakers it deserves.

Klipsch

Bonus deal: If you use your PC for anything that involves audio -- games, movies, music -- you owe it to yourself to hook up some good speakers.

Like these: For a limited time, and while supplies last, BuyDig has the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX-certified desktop speaker system for $109 shipped. That's after applying coupon code CHEAPSKATE40 at checkout. Price elsewhere: at least $130. Price when they hit the market back in 2003 (!): $180.

Indeed, the ProMedias have been around forever, and with good reason -- they're awesome. You get two pro-grade satellites and a robust subwoofer. Check any online store and you'll see an average user rating of around 4.5 stars. Are they on the pricey side overall? Yep. Are they worth it? That's your call.

This pocket-friendly speaker does it all: Bluetooth, line-in, microSD card and FM radio.

Archeer

Bonus deal No. 2: Admit it, I've cut wayyyy back on Bluetooth speaker deals. But the holidays are coming, so don't be surprised if I fall off that particular wagon.

Starting now: For a limited time, and while supplies last, you can get the Archeer Ultra Slim Portable Pocket Speaker for $15.32 when you apply promo code Z6SELL9F at checkout. (This is a rerun, last time it was $19.53.)

I really dig this model. It's not much larger than your average smartphone, yet it delivers pretty decent sound. It's also an FM radio. At this price, it's kind of a no-brainer gift item, either for yourself or someone else.

Black Friday deals : See every Black Friday 2017 deal we've found so far.

Holiday Gift Guide : CNET's full gift guide, including dozens of products priced under $25, $50 and $100.

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Crypto Security: Protect Your Coins and NFTs From Being Stolen

Crypto Security: Protect Your Coins and NFTs From Being Stolen

With crypto prices in free fall, crypto firms laying off thousands of workers and coins that are considered "stable" losing all their value, it's more important than ever to secure your remaining portfolio. 

The current crypto crash isn't the only way people are losing their money. There have been an increasing number of scams that give thieves access to your accounts and crypto assets. Just recently in May, Seth Green had several NFTs worth over $300,000 stolen, after the actor connected his crypto wallet to a scam website pretending to be a credible NFT project.

Protecting your crypto means taking some of the same steps you'd use to safeguard your other digital accounts, such as creating and using strong passwords. However, crypto accounts have unique characteristics like seed phrases that require additional security. Also, the crypto industry still lacks the regulatory framework necessary for the retrieval of your crypto assets if they're stolen.

In this story, we'll cover several ways you can protect your cryptocurrency and NFTs from being purloined and explain why it's worth taking the time to properly secure your digital assets from being stolen. For more on crypto, learn five questions every investor should ask about cryptocurrency and the latest details on bitcoin's wild price swings.

Always follow these two basic password security rules

One of the easiest ways to protect your digital assets is with strong passwords. Ideally, you want your passwords to be at least eight characters long and include random capital letters, numbers and other special characters. If you can make your password longer, however, you should, because the longer the password, the harder it is to crack, in theory.

If you're worried about remembering all of your long, complicated and unique passwords, consider using a password manager, which makes it simple and secure to store and use your passwords from one place. We recommended choosing a password manager with encrypted storage and two-factor authentication for extra security.

Also, when creating an account, never repeat your passwords. If one of your accounts is compromised, your others will also be at risk.

A strong password is vital to keeping your digital assets secure.

James Martin/CNET

Use a hardware crypto wallet for your most treasured assets

Your crypto wallet serves as the gateway to your crypto assets. "Hot" wallets such as software or mobile apps operate online, while "cold" wallets are hardware devices that work offline. Crypto wallets don't hold the actual coins or tokens -- they store the private keys that prove you own your crypto assets and let you buy, sell or trade on blockchains.

Anytime you purchase cryptocurrency or NFTs, they must be stored somewhere. Most people keep their assets in a digital wallet or marketplace, such as Coinbase or MetaMask, because they're free and easy to use, but for your most valuable holdings, you may want to consider a physical wallet.

A hardware, or cold, wallet allows you to store cryptocurrency and NFTs on a physical drive, which you can connect to a computer to access. Hardware wallets are generally more difficult to hack into, so they're a preferred option when storing digital assets that are especially high in value.

The Trezor One hardware wallet ($48.49) works with bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin and a variety of other cryptocurrencies.

Trezor

Here's more on the different types of crypto wallets.

Keep the seed phrase for your crypto wallet secure and offline

In addition to a password, most crypto wallets use a seed phrase for additional security. This seed phrase acts like a master password and is created whenever you set up a new wallet. A seed phrase is made up of 12 or 24 words that you can use to sign in to your account on other devices, or recover your account if you forget your password.

While this seed phrase provides additional security, it also comes with risk -- anyone who learns your seed phrase could potentially steal all the crypto assets recorded in your wallet. While you might be tempted to store your seed phrase somewhere online, it's crucial to write it down -- offline -- to prevent anyone from accessing it. 

Once you write down your seed phrase, store it in a safe or lockbox, so that it's not easy for anyone else to access. Specialized seed phrase hardware tools, like Cryptosteel and Crypt Keeper, can securely store your 12 or 24 words in a portable system that's protected from fire and flooding.

If your seed phrase is either lost or stolen, but you still know your password, immediately log in to your wallet and generate a brand new seed phrase.

This is an example of a randomly created 24-word seed phrase.

Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Be wary of frauds in direct messages on Discord

Discord is one of the unofficial homes of crypto and NFT communities. It's where many crypto enthusiasts go to discuss upcoming NFT projects, cryptocurrency prices, real-life events and even personal lives. Fans of NFT projects use Discord to form communities -- but it's also where hackers and thieves go to compromise accounts.

Here's how it works: A hacker may directly message you, pretending to be part of a project that you're following and interested in. The DM looks official and usually claims that you can mint an NFT that's difficult to get, at a relatively cheap price, and includes a link to follow. But when you click the link, connect your wallet and attempt to purchase the NFT, your wallet is drained of all your NFTs and crypto. And there's really no way to get it all back.

The most important research you can do to avoid falling for a fake NFT website is to use verified channels to find the correct website when attempting to mint or purchase a newly created NFT. Even if you receive a link from what seems like a credible source, use multiple online sources like Google, Twitter and Opensea to verify that you have the correct URL for the project.

An even simpler method to avoid falling into a scam is to disable DMs on Discord. On your mobile device, launch the Discord app, tap your profile picture on the bottom right, go into Privacy & Safety, and toggle off Allow Direct Messages From Server Members. You'll no longer receive direct messages on Discord.

Discord is where people go to discuss cryptocurrency and NFTs, as well as prey on potential victims.

Discord

Don't fall for support scams on Twitter

Like Discord, Twitter is a hunting ground for hackers looking to swindle unsuspecting victims into giving away their assets.

On Twitter, anytime someone mentions "stolen account," "lost password" or even "MetaMask," an army of hackers may respond, offering to help recover stolen assets or restore access into accounts. Hackers may then ask for your seed phrase via DM and use it to steal your crypto or NFTs. 

If you need support, go straight to the official customer service site on Twitter. Never give anyone your seed phrase, ever, even if an account is verified -- sometimes hackers have access to verified accounts. And never share your screen.

Not even Elon Musk can stop these Twitter scammers.

James Martin/CNET

For more about cryptocurrency security, learn whether it's possible to insure bitcoin and how the Securities and Exchange Commission is taking on crypto fraud.

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Gentleminions on TikTok: Why People Are Putting on Suits to Go See 'Minions'

Gentleminions on TikTok: Why People Are Putting on Suits to Go See 'Minions'

Tons of teenagers are heading on theaters dressed to the nines, all to see the latest Minions flick, Rise of Gru. The Gentleminions craze -- a trend from TikTok that sees young men put on suits and sit for screenings -- has been in headlines for ushering teens into Minions screenings and for reportedly prompting disturbances at some theaters. You may have spotted the trend on social media or even crossed paths with a tie-clad moviegoer while seeing the family flick in person. Whatever brings you here, you probably have questions.

Minions: The Rise of Gru debuted on Friday after delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It had the best opening for an animated film during the pandemic, securing a four-day total of $125 million during the long holiday weekend. Here's what to know about the Gentleminions trend, including what it is, why teens are taking part in it and the controversy surrounding this dedicated swath of Minions moviegoers. 

What is the Gentleminions trend?

According to viral TikTok videos, the Gentleminions trend involves donning a nice suit, gathering with some buddies willing to do the same and striding confidently into a Rise of Gru screening. You do look dapper, after all. 

@bill.hirst 🍌#fyp#minions#banana♬ original sound - billh

It gets even more absurd. Some snuck in bushels of bananas, while others joined a circle of people bowing to a Minion mascot outside of a theater. It's hard to tell just how many people have participated in the trend, because the videos aren't grouped under one TikTok sound or hashtag. Lots of videos, like the two mentioned above, use the song Rich Minion by rapper Yeat. TikToks tagged with #Gentleminions have overall amassed 28 million views.

@adultcollegeman we actually got in bro 💀💀💀 #fyp#minions#riseofgru#banana#fypシ#minionssquad💫 @jidion @minions ♬ Rich Minion - Yeat

It isn't entirely clear why suits are the choice here. The 12-year-old version of Gru that appears in the movie is dressed in all black, but his top looks more like a more casual jacket with buttons (aka, not a suit jacket). The adult version of Gru wears a jacket with a zipper. The minions, as we all know, rock overalls. 

On July 1, Universal voiced support for the Gentleminions craze via Twitter: "To everyone showing up to @Minions in suits: we see you and we love you," the studio wrote.

A large portion of the audience for the movie during its opening weekend -- 34% -- was between the ages of 13 and 17, according to exit polling service PostTrak. The Hollywood Reporter, which reported the PostTrak stats, said the last film in the franchise, Despicable Me 3, had 8% by comparison. 

@archie.barber

the streets may of called me despicable but my money still gru 💯

♬ Rich Minion - Yeat

Why are teens taking part in the trend?

Some teens participating in the trend seem excited to see another Minions/Despicable Me film after a prolonged wait. (Despicable Me 3 premiered five years ago, in the summer of 2017). Users wrote in their videos that they "waited five years for this" and that "the five year wait is over."

One Gentleminons participant told Variety: "I'm sure a majority of people in my generation -- because we grew up with the 'Despicable Me' movies --  now have nostalgia and enough money to see it on our own." 

I'd also imagine it's also fun to participate in a meme and recruit your friends for some innocent shenanigans. At its purest level, the trend seems like an excuse to get friends together for a movie. Unfortunately, some participants appear to have taken a more disruptive route.

Has the Gentleminions trend caused issues at theaters?

Gentleminions participants are reported to have caused disturbances in at least two theaters. According to the BBC, a theater on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel canceled screenings of the film after moviegoers following the trend participated in "vandalism, throwing objects and abusing staff." The news outlet also reported that a UK cinema stopped admitting "unaccompanied children wearing suits" to Minions screenings, and cinema staff said attendees had been making loud noises during the film.

"It's been absolutely heartbreaking," the Guernsey theater's manager told the BBC. "We've had families who won't even go back into the screen when we've tried to sort it out, families leaving before the film has even started, and of course the children have been in tears."

During my social media scroll, I did come across two videos that appeared to show attendees jumping up and down during a screening and yelling loudly in a movie theater bathroom. 

What is Rise of Gru about?

According to Universal, Minions: The Rise of Gru shows how a 12-year-old Gru first met his quirky yellow henchmen. When Gru gets himself in hot water after angering a supervillian group called the Vicious 6, the minions step in to help. 

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Forced Off TV, Pakistani Journalists Build New Audiences on YouTube

Forced Off TV, Pakistani Journalists Build New Audiences on YouTube

When Imran Riaz Khan lost his job as an anchor at Pakistan's Samaa TV a week ago, he joined a growing list of journalists who've found themselves out of work amid the country's political turmoil. 

Luckily, Riaz Khan has a YouTube channel with 2.6 million subscribers to fall back on. 

Over the past two years, Riaz Khan carefully cultivated his online viewership, racking up more than 650 million views as he held forth on Pakistan's often combustible politics. As an effort to oust the prime minister mounted, views to his channel spiked. 

"The other day you, the new government, removed me from my position," Riaz Khan told his viewers in a video posted on April 12, accusing the new government of threatening to arrest him. "Do you think I'm going to be silent? I will talk and I will continue to say whatever is right."

Emails to the PML-N party, which runs the new government, bounced back. The party didn't respond to efforts to reach it through social media.

A new administration means upheaval in Pakistan's punchy media world. So when the opposition succeeded in ousting Prime Minister Imran Khan, a charismatic former cricket star, Riaz Khan and other presenters who'd supported his administration found themselves out of jobs. Rather than dusting off their resumes, however, Pakistan's TV journalists are turning to YouTube and other online platforms to reach the country's growing number of internet users.

Pakistani journalist and commentator Imran Riaz Khan.

YouTube screenshot by CNET

They will have plenty to talk about. Pakistan has been in the throes of political upheaval since Khan was removed from office. Earlier this week, the former prime minister held a rally of his supporters in Peshawar, a city of 2 million. More than 100 members of his political party resigned from the National Assembly, the lower house of the country's parliament. Continued unrest seems likely, providing material for news presenters who have migrated to YouTube and other online platforms.  

Reporters using the internet to reach an audience after finding themselves on the wrong side of the government isn't unique to Pakistan. In Nicaragua, Confidencial was forced off air last year but found an audience of 350,000 on YouTube. Venezuelan reporter Sergio Novelli used his Facebook presence to kickstart a YouTube channel. 

But the trend is pronounced in Pakistan, the world's fifth most populous country. Prominent presenters, including Nusrat Javed, Murtaza Solangi and Maleeha Hashmey, have lost their positions based on their reporting and viewpoints.

How media is controlled

Talat Hussain, a former presenter for Geo News, says the government, which buys lots of ads to promote its initiatives to the people, can pull ad money from channels, forcing them to take undesirable anchors off air. The government can also tell cable operators to take a channel off air or use threats of legal action to push out unwanted voices, he says. 

Hussain would know. The TV reporter was let go during Khan's administration after he began questioning the legitimacy of the prime minister's 2018 election victory. That, he says, "didn't sit well" with Khan's government, prompting Geo News to fire him.

Pakistani journalist Talat Hussain.

YouTube screenshot by CNET

When Hussain was let go, he tried to move to print publications, but the Pakistani government followed him there as well, he says. The Pakistani government pressured Gulf News and The Independent Urdu not to publish his work, according to Hussain. 

So Hussain started seriously looking at his YouTube channel. Now he works the channel, which has 198,000 subscribers, and his Facebook page like a business. Hussain also works as a consultant.

"I get my YouTube production seven days a week," Hussain said, adding that he hadn't missed a day in two years. "You got to be consistent in order to build a strong base that is interested in listening to you."

Imran Khan's party, PTI, didn't respond to requests for comment. Neither Geo News nor The Gulf News responded to a request for comment. The Independent Urdu didn't provide a comment.

Rise of internet in Pakistan

Though television remains popular, the population is increasingly coming online, in part because of smartphones. A little more than a third of Pakistan, about 83 million people, is online and internet usage is growing smartly. 

That means TV presenters turning to online platforms are finding a larger audience. 

Imran Khan at a 2008 rally.

Arif Ali/Getty Images

Since starting his YouTube channel in January 2020, Essa Naqvi, who formerly reported for two of Pakistan's biggest TV channels, has grown an audience of 116,000 subscribers.

"More people know me from my YouTube channel," Naqvi said. "That's strange."

Part of the appeal may be that Navqi's videos are in Urdu, drawing viewership from more than 9 million Pakistani expats. About 60% of his viewers are outside of Pakistan, with the US being his biggest market. The UK, India, UAE and Saudi Arabia are also big markets for him. 

Of course, news on YouTube is a mixed bag. Journalists discussing sensitive topics can quickly find their content demonetized, cutting their revenue. The popular video platform has also been a source of misinformation, prompting more than 80 fact-checking organizations to call on YouTube to do a better job moderating content. 

YouTube tries to balance free expression by the creators of its videos with the needs of advertisers that place promotions within that content, the service said in a statement. The company says it allows for full monetization when topics are discussed in a news or educational context. It acknowledged that its algorithmic content moderation can make mistakes and said it allows video makers to request a review by a person.

People in power also use YouTube effectively. Imran Khan's party had a sophisticated team putting together videos and posts across its social media channels, which helped it win a following among expats, urbanites and younger voters. 

No editorial oversight

Pakistani journalist Essa Naqvi.

YouTube screenshot by CNET

Not all YouTube news outlets have the same experience and training as Hussain and Naqvi, and may lack the editorial checks found at print or television organizations. Haqeeqat TV, for example, often leans into a tabloid presentation of images and videos narrated with talking points. It doesn't identify or show its presenter. 

Haqeeqat TV says it's a legitimate news outlet and notes that other print and electronic publications cite its stories when it breaks news.

"Our content has been checked by our team and verified by reliable sources," a representative said in a direct message on Twitter.

Sajjad Malik, a Pakistani journalist who wrote a thesis on the role of media in Indian and Pakistani relations, says the adoption of YouTube is good for the displaced journalists but could be bad for the profession. To prevent that, he says, the country's YouTube presenters should create a standard by which they all abide. 

"If you are giving people trash, then you're not going to survive and ultimately it will bring a bad name for journalism," Malik said.

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Android 11: You can install Google's new OS on these phones today. Here's how

Android 11: You can install Google's new OS on these phones today. Here's how

Android 11 is ready for your phone, as long as it's compatible. And if it isn't yet, it could be soon -- phone brands will want to fast-track Google's new operating system for their top phones. The Android 11 update brings a slew of new features, including a screen to control your connected devices, redesigned media controls, improved notifications and a new messaging feature called Bubbles, which you'll either love or hate. 

As is usually the case with major Android updates, how soon you'll receive the update depends on who makes your device. Google has said that Android 11 is rolling out to its Pixel 2 and newer phones in that range, along with OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme phones right now.

Own a Pixel? You're a few taps away from Android 11

Open the Settings app on your phone and, on a Pixel phone at least, tap System > Advanced > System update > Check for update. If your phone doesn't find the update right away, be patient. As is always the case with Google, the update is slowly rolling out, so it might take a few days before it shows up on your phone -- just keep checking. 

Once your phone finds the update, just follow the prompts to install it like you would any other update. I recommend having your phone plugged into a charger and a strong Wi-Fi connection to ensure the process is as smooth as possible.

Android 11 will arrive just like a normal update on your Android phone. 

Jason Cipriani/CNET

There's an open beta for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro 

If you have a OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro, the company has launched an open beta of its OxygenOS 11 update, which includes Android 11. Anyone who wants to check out the new features before it's officially released needs to visit the OnePlus forums, where instructions and details are posted. The installation process won't force you to reset your device or lose any data, but it is a beta, so proceed with caution. 

I installed the update on a OnePlus 8, following the steps outlined in the post, and it took around 30 minutes to complete. You can download the file directly on your OnePlus phone and use the OnePlus file manager app to move it to the root storage folder, or download it on your computer and transfer the file to your phone in order to install it. 

You can go back to a more stable version of OxygenOS if there are too many issues with the beta, but be warned, that will wipe all data from your phone. 

Get an early look at Android 11 on your OnePlus phone. 

Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

What about Nokia, Xiaomi, Oppo? 

Not every phone-maker has publicly announced their rollout plans for Android 11, but we do know that Nokia has confirmed it will release Android 11. 

Oppo will officially announce its ColorOS 11 update on Sept. 14 via a livestream, and has also opened a limited beta for the Find X2, Find X2 Pro, Reno3 (4G) and Reno3 Pro (4G). 

Xiaomi posted on Twitter that the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro would be the first devices to get Android 11, and the company has also launched a beta program for early adopters. 

We will continue to update this list as more device-makers announce their plans for rolling out Android 11 to their respective phones. 

What do you do if you were in the public beta?

You shouldn't have to do anything special if you've been testing Android 11 on a Pixel phone through Google's public beta program. Once the update is available for your phone, you'll update to the official version of Android 11 and "graduate" from the beta program.

You can double-check that you're no longer enrolled in the beta program on the beta website: Your device should say "Opt in" under it. 

I've been testing Android 11 for a while now, and have found some features that will change the way you use your phone. There's also some significant improvements to privacy features included in the update. For more general, but still just as great, Android tricks, check out these hidden features. 

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What is Signal? Everything you need to know about Elon Musk's app recommendation

What is Signal? Everything you need to know about Elon Musk's app recommendation

Tech mogul Elon Musk -- known as widely for slinging cars into the sun's orbit as he is for advocating against COVID-19 safety measures -- took to Twitter earlier this month to slam Facebook over its latest privacy policy updates for its supposedly secure encrypted messaging app WhatsApp. Musk instead recommended people choose encrypted messaging app Signal. 

The tweet was then retweeted by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Shortly after, Signal tweeted that it was working to handle the surge of new users. 

The Signal app was downloaded almost 1.3 million times on Jan. 11, according to data from Apptopia, a tracking firm. The app had been downloaded an average of 50,000 times a day prior to Musk's tweet. A Signal spokesperson said the report undercounted the number of downloads the service is experiencing.

Signal also attributed a temporary outage later that week to the surge in new users. 

"While we have been working hard all week to keep up with all the new people switching over to Signal, today exceeded even our most optimistic projections. We are working hard to resolve [the issue]," the spokesman told CNET in an email. 

Musk's Twitter endorsement also incidentally led shares in the biotechnology company Signal Advance to soar, despite the fact that it is completely unrelated to Signal, which is not a publicly traded company. 

This isn't the first time Musk has publicly sparred with Facebook over privacy concerns. In 2018, he not only had his own personal Facebook page removed, but those of his companies Tesla and SpaceX. His take on the long-fought battle between Signal and WhatsApp isn't off-base, though. 

Both of the encrypted messaging apps have been found to have security bugs over the years that have been resolved. For years, WhatsApp has openly collected certain user data to share with parent company Facebook. Its latest policy change just expands that. Signal, on the other hand, has a history of fighting any entity that asks for your data, and adds features to further anonymize you where possible. 

Read more: Signal vs. WhatsApp vs. Telegram: What to know before you switch messaging apps

Soon after Musk's tweet, WhatsApp published an FAQ aimed at clarifying its data collection policy, emphasizing that neither it nor Facebook can see users' private messages or hear their calls. Following mounting privacy concerns, WhatsApp announced Friday it would delay the rollout of its new policy by three months.

"We're now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms. No one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8. We're also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We'll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15," the company said in a blog post. 

Here are the basics of Signal you should know if you're interested in using the secure messaging app. Plus, here are all of the differences between Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram.

Signal is a typical one-tap install app that can be found in your normal marketplaces like Google'sPlay Store and Apple'sApp Store, and works just like the usual text messaging app. It's an open source development provided free of charge by the non-profit Signal Foundation, and has been famously used for years by high-profile privacy icons like Edward Snowden.

Signal's main function is that it can send text, video, audio and picture messages protected by end-to-end encryption, after verifying your phone number and letting you independently verify other Signal users' identity. You can also use it to make voice and video calls, either one-to-one or with a group. For a deeper dive into the potential pitfalls and limitations of encrypted messaging apps, CNET's Laura Hautala's explainer is a life-saver. But for our purposes, the key to Signal is encryption.

Despite the buzz around the term, end-to-end encryption is simple: Unlike normal SMS messaging apps, it garbles up your messages before sending them, and only ungarbles them for the verified recipient. This prevents law enforcement, your mobile carrier and other snooping entities from being able to read the contents of your messages even when they intercept them (which happens more often than you might think). 

When it comes to privacy it's hard to beat Signal's offer. It doesn't store your user data. And beyond its encryption prowess, it gives you extended, onscreen privacy options, including app-specific locks, blank notification pop-ups, face-blurring anti-surveillance tools, and disappearing messages. Occasional bugs have proven that the tech is far from bulletproof, of course, but the overall arc of Signal's reputation and results have kept it at the top of every privacy-savvy person's list of identity protection tools. 

For years, the core privacy challenge for Signal lay not in its technology but in its wider adoption. Sending an encrypted Signal message is great, but if your recipient isn't using Signal, then your privacy may be nil. Think of it like the herd immunity created by vaccines, but for your messaging privacy. 

Now that Musk and Dorsey's endorsements have sent a surge of users to get a privacy booster shot, however, that challenge may be a thing of the past.

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