Bitcoin network approves privacy update as scrutiny increases

Proponents of Bitcoin, who have long called the taint of illicit use overblown, said the changes could improve how payments to hundreds of people are sent, or how crypto derivatives or bets are made on the network. — Reuters

Bitcoin is gaining more privacy features as concern increases over the use of the cryptocurrency during a recent spate of ransomware attacks.

The most significant update in four years to the computer software that underpins the world’s largest digital token was approved this past weekend with little fanfare. In past years, fights among the groups known as miners who run the network were characterised as a civil war and led to offshoots such as Bitcoin Cash.