Alex Atallah

A recent report from Bybit's Lazarus Security Lab, "Blockchain Freezing Exposed," provides a technical analysis of fund-freezing mechanisms in blockchain protocols. The investigation was prompted by a community debate after the Sui Foundation intervened to freeze assets following a hack. Key findings from the report: - The team analyzed 166 different blockchains. - 16 chains were confirmed to have existing, built-in fund-freezing capabilities. - An additional 19 chains were identified as having the potential to support such functions in the future. The report categorizes these abilities into three main types: hardcoded freezing, config file-based freezing, and on-chain smart contract freezing. The document highlights a central discussion point: while this capability "runs counter to the core principle of decentralization" , it has also been used as a tool for "swift remediation of financial damage" by preventing attackers from moving stolen assets. This presents a significant trade-off between protocol-level security interventions and the philosophical foundations of decentralization. What are your thoughts on this technical trade-off? 💬 #Blockchain #CryptoSecurity #Decentralization #Fintech #RiskManagement

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I spoke to Daphné Leprince-Ringuet from Sifted about the work Synthesia is doing on security and trust. You can find her article linked in the comments. I made two arguments that often get lost when people talk about these issues. First, that application layer companies approach this problem space differently than a research lab or a foundational model developer. Our focus on shipping products rather than training models means we’ve built our security systems, processes and policies in a way that’s different from what model developers do. As a result, we spend our time thinking about the practical misuse of AI video in the context of employee training, sales enablement or customer support, rather than fundamental risks such as preventing the kind of CBRN disasters that keep model developers awake at night. Secondly, Synthesia sells enterprise products and services so our approach to AI security is rooted in slightly different principles compared to companies developing consumer AI solutions. For us, building security follows well-established governance principles described by global standards such as ISO 42001, ISO 27001 or ISO 27701, rather than the rules set by a consumer app store. Despite these differences, I still believe values matter, whether you're building an AI app or training an AI model, and whether you're targeting businesses or consumers. And when it comes to values, Europe has an advantage and a reputation when it comes to building trust.

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I’ve finally wrapped up the guide. When I first got into the tech space, I stumbled into Ethereum and blockchain infrastructure. ZK sounded like another buzzword, something overly technical and disconnected from the real world. I didn’t get it. But I was wrong. Learning about cryptographic technologies like ZK, MPC, and FHE changed everything. These aren’t just abstract concepts. They are how we bridge Web2 and Web3. They unlock a future where privacy, security, and accuracy are the default, not an afterthought. This tech isn’t just for cryptographers. It’s for builders, creators, and everyday users, especially those in communities often left behind. It’s how we fight bias, surveillance, and digital exclusion. With the rise of AI, this space matters now more than ever. If you’re curious about how these technologies actually work and what they can do, I put it all in a guide that’s simple, clear, and made for everyone. Still giving early access before the public release in a few days. DM me or drop a comment if you want to read it. It’s a 10 to 15 minute read.

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From yesterday Claude Code and Claude Desktop show you optout message for data sharing for teaching their models Good that there is such choice but damn this probably creates a headache for companies adopting it. It shares chat contents that can contain documents and code and other IP and confidential stuff. And employees may by accident leave it turned on and not know they are sharing confidential information. I can only imagine what kind of mess that could mean for companies in terms of policies of how to allow such tool use at work with internal information...

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It's crazy how quickly things evolve in AI world. A few weeks ago I was setup OpenClaw, then Nanoclaw (ht: 👾 Andrew Draper) and now Claude has essentially replicated everything natively. With Claude Channels (released yesterday) you can now setup a private messaging channel with your agents - they can push messages to you and you can chat with them like a personal assistant. Here's how you set it up: 1. Install Claude - ideally on a remote server. I have it on a DigitalOcean droplet with 2 GB of memory - only $12 / month. You can use whatever you like - there are less expensive options available. 2. Install my open source agent framework from https://lnkd.in/eSBRDwh2. Don't know Git? That's what Claude is for - just ask Claude to install it. 3. Setup a Claude channel following instructions at https://lnkd.in/e7uBZ_YA. Don't know how to do that? Just ask Claude to do it! 4. You can now send messages to your main agent, which can dispatch things to more customized agents. It's not hard to do - I guarantee you'll be able to get this done. Chatbots were helpful - having a personal assistant one message away to help you get things done is taking AI to the next level.

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I spoke w/ Juan Benet for the latest ep of the slow hunch. Juan is best known for creating IPFS and Filecoin—two foundational technologies in the decentralized web. Through Protocol Labs, Juan wants to use decentralized protocols to unlock new ways of organizing capital, governance, and research -- a vision USV backed more than a decade ago. Juan is one of the deepest thinkers I know, so naturally this conversation has a wide aperture -- we touched on internet history, crypto network design, public goods funding, and the future of intelligence itself. Hope you enjoy!

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the okura's privacy blockchains can provide verifiable records in a more secure way and more decentralized infrastructure to counterbalance those current security issues. okura labs is still in semi-strealth mode, stay tune for our testnet launch. https://lnkd.in/gadv-5fb #ai #blockchain #aipqblockchain #pqblockchain #postquantum #security #privacy #okrualabs #okurablockchain #qubit #okura #ginza #stealthmode #asia #japan #hk #startup #data #securitylayer #dataprotection #cybersecurity

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