Bill Gates, the philanthropist and former chief executive of Microsoft, is concerned by the crytocurrency craze, saying that the anonymity offered by the new technology has “caused deaths in a fairly direct way”. Speaking during a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), Mr Gates argued that “the government’s ability to find money laundering and tax evasion and terrorist funding is a good thing. Automation“Automation has been driving productivity ever since the industrial revolution including things like tractors and garment making,” Mr Gates said. “Somebody bought them from me online through a credit card, and they cancelled the credit card payment,” he told a conference in India. Mr Gates had one final word of warning for readers of his interview.

Source: The Irish Times February 28, 2018 15:45 UTC