News

Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao Gets 4 Months In Prison

US prosecutors had initially recommended a three year jail term.

Published

7 months ago

May 1, 2024

binance founder changpeng zhao gets 4 months in prison

A federal judge in the United States has handed out a four month prison sentence to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (known as “C.Z.”). Prosecutors had recommended a three year term after Zhao pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act back in November 2023.

The DOJ accused Zhao of turning a blind eye to criminal activity on the crypto exchange and ignoring its legal obligations “in the pursuit of profit”. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also noted that Zhao’s “willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform”.

The U.S. government accused Binance of refusing to comply with sanctions and failing to report transactions related to drugs and child sexual abuse. Prosecutors claimed that Zhao had told Binance employees it was “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” while saying that if Binance had obeyed the law, it wouldn’t be “as big as we are today”.

To avoid a longer jail term, Binance agreed to forfeit $2.5 billion and settle a $1.8 billion fine. Zhao also paid $50 million from his own fortune as part of the settlement.

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The Binance founder’s sentence is much shorter than the 25 years recently given to crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX. Zhao played a prominent role in Bankman-Fried’s downfall after Tweeting in November 2022 that his company would liquidate all FTX holdings. The posts not only destroyed FTX but rocked the wider crypto community, likely attracting attention from the U.S. government.

With Zhao heading to prison, DOJ lawyer Kevin Mosley remarked: “This wasn’t a mistake — it wasn’t a regulatory oops […] breaking U.S. law was not incidental to his plan to make as much money as possible. Violating the law was integral to that endeavor”.

News

Samsung Smart Glasses Teased For January, Software Reveal Imminent

According to Korean sources, the new wearable will launch alongside the Galaxy S25, with the accompanying software platform unveiled this December.

Published

2 days ago

December 4, 2024

Nour Nasir

samsung smart glasses teased for january software reveal imminent

Samsung appears poised to introduce its highly anticipated smart glasses in January 2025, alongside the launch of the Galaxy S25. According to sources in Korea, the company will first reveal the accompanying software platform later this month.

As per a report from Yonhap News, Samsung’s unveiling strategy for the smart glasses echoes its approach with the Galaxy Ring earlier this year. The January showcase won’t constitute a full product launch but will likely feature teaser visuals at the Galaxy S25 event. A more detailed rollout could follow in subsequent months.

Just in: Samsung is set to unveil a prototype of its augmented reality (AR) glasses, currently in development, during the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event early next year, likely in the form of videos or images.

Additionally, prior to revealing the prototype, Samsung plans to introduce…

— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) December 3, 2024

The Galaxy Ring, for example, debuted in January via a short presentation during Samsung’s Unpacked event. The full product unveiling came later at MWC in February, and the final release followed in July. Samsung seems to be adopting a similar phased approach with its smart glasses, which are expected to hit the market in the third quarter of 2025.

A Collaborative Software Effort

Samsung’s partnership with Google has played a key role in developing the smart glasses’ software. This collaboration was first announced in February 2023, with the device set to run on an Android-based platform. In July, the companies reiterated their plans to deliver an extended reality (XR) platform by the end of the year. The software specifics for the XR device are expected to be unveiled before the end of December.

Reports suggest that the smart glasses will resemble Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in functionality. They won’t include a display but will weigh approximately 50 grams, emphasizing a lightweight, user-friendly design.

Feature Set And Compatibility

The glasses are rumored to integrate Google’s Gemini technology, alongside features like gesture recognition and potential payment capabilities. Samsung aims to create a seamless user experience by integrating the glasses with its broader Galaxy ecosystem, starting with the Galaxy S25, slated for release on January 22.