Google överväger betalningar med Bitcoin
2014-01-25
Det ryktas om att Google ska börja med Bitcoin. Här är två artiklar i ämnet. Spännande fortsättning följer
Mvh
Thomas
Från Extreme Tech:
The first thing to know about Bitcoin has nothing to do with how it works or what the current value of one is — of primary importance is the fanatical devotion Bitcoin users have to the mother of all cryptocurrencies. Many fans of Bitcoin promote the anonymous internet money at every turn, encouraging others to use it as a way to combat everything from government overreach to unethical banking practices. This is why cryptocurrencies are still a thing. Bitcoin enthusiasts scored a major victory when Overstock and Zynga started accepting Bitcoins recently, and that prompted one fan to start asking other internet companies what their plans were. Surprisingly, the one organization he got anywhere with was Google.
Updated: Google has since issued a statement that it isn’t looking to incorporate Bitcoin — but as far as we can tell, the email conversation isn’t being contested. Basically, Google probably is investigating Bitcoin, but isn’t quite ready to publicly jump on the train.
It was an email to Google+ head honcho Vic Gundotra that got a response. Gundotra forwarded the message to the Google’s commerce team, and a manager there confirmed that the company is indeed investigating how Bitcoin could be incorporated. Mountain View has been careful to say that there are no immediate plans to accept Bitcoin, but Ariel Bardin, VP of Google Payments did request the original emailer start a Google Moderator discussion to see what users wanted Google to do with Bitcoin. The entire exchange was detailed on the Bitcoin section of Reddit.
Bitcoin has been on a steady rise over the last year, more than doubling in value over a few months. Even recent law enforcement actions against Tor network sites (where Bitcoin is very popular) and China’s crackdown on the currency haven’t dampened enthusiasm much — a single Bitcoin is still worth over $900. A year ago one Bitcoin could be exchanged for a mere $20.
The question remains, what would Google do with Bitcoins? The overwhelming majority of Google’s business comes from Adsense, so clearly taking payments for ads in Bitcoin would have the largest impact and would make Bitcoin fans extremely happy. However, Google has to police its Adsense content very well to keep scams and illegal goods out. Having a paper trail aids in accountability, but Bitcoin is anonymous by design. As such, Google’s involvement with Bitcoin, if any, is likely to be more modest.
Now that the word is out, though, I expect Google to do something if only to get brownie points from privacy advocates. Google sells various consumer digital goods like apps, music, and books through Google Play, and many of the suggestions pouring into the Google Moderator page are asking the company to enable Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in Google Wallet, and thus its entire content ecosystem. However, the act of paying 0.000012 BTC for an app lacks elegance, which is important in a consumer-facing venue like Google Play. Don’t expect a Bitcoin logo will be popping up in the Play Store any time soon.
A solution that satisfies all parties might be to allow Bitcoin transfers directly into Google Wallet. It would be a quick way for users to make Bitcoins “real” and only requires that Google change one of its systems to accommodate virtual money. The Google Wallet debit card might finally get some traction as the fastest way to spend Bitcoins in the real world.
Google looks into accepting Bitcoin, but realistically its options are very limited | ExtremeTech.
En artikel från Sweclockers:
Google överväger betalningar med Bitcoin
Allt fler hakar på trenden med kryptovalutor, men än så länge är de faktiska användningsområdena begränsade. Många betraktar de virtuella mynten som finansiella instrument och spekulerar i värdet medan andra försöker tjäna pengar genom att generera nya mynt. Samtidigt får den största valutan Bitcoin ständigt ny konkurrens av allt fler, mycket snarlika, betalningssystem.
Detta får värdet på Bitcoins att fluktuera kraftigt, vilket ställer till det för den som vill använda valutan för att handla varor och tjänster. Alla avskräcks dock inte från systemets baksidor och nu framkommer det att även Google fått upp ögonen för de omtalade virtuella mynten.
I ett e-post till användaren JasonBored på Reddit uppger Googles plattformschef att företaget undersöker möjligheterna att använda Bitcoin som betalningsmedel, som svar på ett förslag om att internetjätten ska omfamna kryptovalutan. Något som ytterligare understryker att Google tar Bitcoin på allvar är att även Sridhar Ramaswamy, ansvarig för Google Wallet, adderades till konversationen.
Google är inte ensamma om att ha Bitcoin på radarn. De senaste månaderna har flera stora internethandlare valt att börja ta emot betalningar med kryptovalutan, bland annat den amerikanska datorbutiken Tiger Direct och överskottsbutiken Overstock.com. Det är dock fortfarande långt kvar innan virtuella mynt ens kan närma sig samma acceptans som traditionella valutor.
https://www.sweclockers.com/nyhet/18222-google-overvager-betalningar-med-bitcoin