Cryptocurrency: a Primer

许多美国人都听说过加密货币(也被称为“crypto”)。. Most people have probably heard about Bitcoin, 但是有大量的数字货币在流通. Crypto has emerged to be a disruptive force in finance, 在解决这些新出现的问题方面，这部法律的进展也在意料之中. 如果你怀疑你的配偶可能在比特币或其他类型的加密货币中隐藏资产, this information may be helpful. So, 当我们开始探索加密货币的实际和法律影响时, 我们的第一站是简要概述什么是加密. 我们的皇冠足彩网皇冠足彩律师在加密货币方面的专业知识在这一领域非常丰富.

Crypto is virtual currency that can be used, much like the traditional currencies, in transactions for goods and services. The goal is to create a seamless, secure, decentralized currency, that makes transactions quickly verifiable. 这些交易是独一无二的，因为它们通常也用强大的加密方法记录和验证, 在一个分散的分布式账本中(稍后会详细介绍)，这使得他们几乎不可能欺诈或双重支付. Crypto is typically denoted by a digital coin or token, that is not issued by any centralized authority (such as a bank).

So, what is the point of crypto and why does it exist? The concept has roots in anonymity as early as 1983, 当时，密码学家大卫·乔姆首次提出了电子货币作为交换媒介的概念.

However, 现代加密与匿名的关系更小，因为它与去中心化有关, secure, and efficient. In its simplest form, crypto is a form of currency. You use it to buy goods or pay for services. Since it is online and digital, 与需要中间人(通常是银行)的传统货币转账相比，它的操作规模要快得多。. 事实上，它是去中心化的，这意味着它不受银行或政府的直接控制，这意味着用加密货币可以购买的东西没有限制或审查. Moreover, 它为那些无法进入传统银行的人提供了一种金融工具——所需要的只是互联网连接和加密钱包.

To make the transactions secure, most cryptos rely of a distributed ledger technology, an example being Bitcoin utilizing blockchain. 区块链本质上是通过加密方法验证的所有交易的分类账. Most blockchains, as in the case of Bitcoin, are decentralized and operate on a public peer-to-peer network. 这意味着加密使用网络成员的计算能力来验证区块链的新交易. Once a number of transactions are verified, 它们被编译成一个新的块，然后永久地绑定到区块链上. The blockchain will contain a history of all transactions, and because it is distributed to all members, 它对篡改和欺诈具有高度的抵抗力，因为它需要大多数成员都拥有相同的篡改区块链, requiring an insurmountable amount of computing power. For instance,

if one tried to manipulate a block, 该版本的区块链将很快被网络的所有其他成员标记，因为它与所有其他区块链不同.

为了理解关于加密的进一步讨论，需要一些基本词汇:

区块链-通常指的是一个分散的分布式账本，它以一种安全的方式捕获所有交易，具有分散和加密的性质.

公钥/私钥-允许加密交易通过的PIN或密码. 加密交易本质上是公钥和私钥的加密密钥对——公钥就像一个账号, and the private key like the PIN to access the account. 举个例子:如果玩家1试图将4个比特币转移给玩家2, 然后玩家2制作一个新的比特币地址(由公钥和他自己的私钥组成)，然后玩家1可以将比特币发送到该地址并用她的私钥签名. If player 2 then wants to transfer 4 bitcoins to player 3, 然后他将比特币发送到玩家3的地址，并用他自己的私钥签名，这是在玩家1和2之间的交易中生成的.

工作量证明-使用计算能力将新块组装到区块链中, and usually be paid a small crypto award. 矿工是验证执行工作量证明的区块链交易的计算机/个人.

权益证明——一种比工作量证明更低功耗的替代验证协议. Here, the miner is chosen by chance, 那些在网络中押注更多加密货币的人有更高的机会. Think of it almost like a raffle, 除了获胜者可以添加一个新区块并获得交易费奖励.

Wallet – a place to store crypto. 可以是基于硬件(内存/USB)，纸(字面意思是纸)或软件(在线钱包/交易所)的.

Hash – the identifier for a block in the blockchain, 还有计算机产生标识符的操作. Each hash contains information about all previous transactions, which is essential to the immutable concept of the blockchain, to alter one block, 一个人需要改变链中所有之前的区块——这在计算上是不可能的.

Exchange – a marketplace to buy/sell/trade crypto; typically from fiat currency to virtual.

Non-Fungible Token - the NFT is a token stored on the blockchain. NFTs may be conveyed and recorded on a blockchain (e.g., Ethereum) to a new identity. NFTs are commonly stored in a digital wallet (e.g., MetaMask), 大多数(如果不是全部的话)这些钱包将具有将NFT转移到其他人的公共地址的功能, for a transaction fee ("gas"). That transaction will be added to the blockchain, 人们会看到，受让方是该NFT的新所有者.

NFTs are tricky regarding ownership. 问题的关键在于，NFT可以转让，但版权是否转让? Did the holder of the NFT get exclusive title? That is an emerging area of the law. However, in the marital case, 配偶作为非家庭成员所拥有的任何财产都可以公平分配转让. An NFT is property, in our opinion.