The next WATCH talk, called Cryptocurrencies: the ideas behind the hype is Thursday, July 21st, from Noon-1pm EDT.

The presenter will be Arvind Narayanan, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Princeton. He leads a research team investigating the security, anonymity, and stability of cryptocurrencies as well as novel applications of block chains. He co-created an online course and textbook on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency technologies. He also leads the Princeton Web Transparency and Accountability Project to uncover how companies collect and use our personal information. His doctoral research showed the fundamental limits of anonymization, for which he received the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Award.

Abstract

Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have been polarizing. Supporters claim that they will fundamentally alter payments, economics, and even politics around the world. Skeptics claim that they are inherently broken and will suffer an inevitable and spectacular collapse. In this talk I will present the key technical ideas behind the new generation of cryptocurrencies — ideas that are novel, deep, and interesting, and span many subfields of computer science, including security, cryptography, distributed systems, game theory, and programming languages. Yet much remains unknown, and I will lay out the key research challenges.

The talk will be held in Room 110 at the National Science Foundation in Arlington, VA. No RSVP is necessary, and no visitor badges are required. It will also be webcast; you can register here.