Google and the latest news in the crypto world

Google has entered into an agreement with the US Department of Justice after losing data related to BTC-ea crypto exchange that was investigated and shut down by the FBI for alleged money laundering in 2017.

In addition, Google is also launching a new service in the blockchain world linked to Ethereum nodes to help developers create new applications in Web3.

But let’s go in order

Google and the settlement with the US Department of Justice on the crypto exchange

Google has agreed to settle with the US Department of Justice over the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange case, which it was asked to hand over data in its possession.

In accordance reportsin 2016, the FBI investigated BTC-e for alleged money laundering and served a search warrant on Google, which was supposed to transfer data on the crypto exchange.

Unfortunately, due to Google’s optimization algorithmsthat moved data around the world, the company was unable to clearly define what information it was required to provide.

It was only in 2018 that Google reportedly signed a letter praising the adoption of the law to clarify the company’s obligations. At that moment the data originally requested by the Department of Justice was lost.

A complication that, however, did not stop the FBI from shutting down the crypto exchange for criminal purposes, but one that had lingered with the tech giant.

Google: the crypto exchange case to improve the program

In order to settle, Google had to declare that it will ensure timely and complete responses to legal processes such as subpoenas and search warrants.

Not only that, the company also stated that it takes a number of measures to avoid such legal complications in the future.

While Google later told the court that it has spent more than $90 million in resourcessystems and personnel just to implement improvements in the legal process compliance programthe US Department of Justice said:

“This agreement demonstrates the Department’s determination to ensure that technology companies, such as Google, provide prompt and complete responses to legal processes to ensure public safety and bring offenders to justice.”

Google Launches “Blockchain Node Engine” for Ethereum Developers

A new Web3 project developed by the Mountain View company.

Google today announced the launch of a new project, called “Google Cloud’s Blockchain Node Engine,” designed for developers using Ethereum who want to create products dedicated to the Web3 industry.

Specifically, this Blockchain Node Engine is nothing more than a node hosting service that aims to “minimize the need for operations on the nodes” itself.

In fact, companies operating in Web3 need dedicated nodes to execute transactions, implement smart contracts and read or write blockchain data with reliability, and this will now be possible thanks to this new Google Cloud feature.

At the time of the launch of this service, Ethereum will be the only blockchain supported by the Blockchain Node Engine, but the blog post published today by the company suggests that other networks may soon be added.

The benefits of Google Cloud’s Blockchain Node Engine

Managing a node is a time-consuming process that involves several procedures such as installing an Ethereum client (eg geth) and waiting for the node to sync with the entire blockchain, which can take days.

However, as explained in the post, Google Cloud’s Blockchain Node Engine can make this process faster and easier, allowing developers to deploy a new node in a single operation, while specifying the desired network, i.e. whether to use the mainnet or the testnet.

Another advantage is linked to security to sprevent unauthorized access to nodes and DDoS attacks.

Google Cloud always monitors nodes and restarts them during power outages if necessary.

Accept cryptocurrency payments in 2023

Recently, news was leaked that Google will begin accepting cryptocurrency payments for its cloud services through a partnership with Coinbase.

Starting in 2023, everything customers of Google’s cloud services will be able to use crypto, calculate that some of them are already crypto companies.

The new integration will be possible thanks to Coinbase Commerce’s solution which adds crypto payments to websites.