What Is Blockchain Technology And Why Should We Care?

GOOGLE CRYPTOCURRENCY AD BAN
In this Dec. 21, 2017, file photo, a Bitcoin logo is shown is displayed on an ATM in Hong Kong. Google says it is going to ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, as well as related content like trading advice and cryptocurrency wallets. Kin Cheung / AP Photo
GOOGLE CRYPTOCURRENCY AD BAN
In this Dec. 21, 2017, file photo, a Bitcoin logo is shown is displayed on an ATM in Hong Kong. Google says it is going to ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, as well as related content like trading advice and cryptocurrency wallets. Kin Cheung / AP Photo

What Is Blockchain Technology And Why Should We Care?

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Bitcoin couldn’t have taken off without blockchain technology, but few people truly understand what that is. Because bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have no physical form, we need to record their transfers with data, and that’s where blockchain technology comes in — it allows those transactions to be secure and anonymous. We’ll speak with Gina Pieters, a lecturer at the Department of Economics at the University of Chicago and a research fellow at the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance. She’ll discuss what blockchain technology is, why it’s important, and how it’s regulated.