Bitcoin: online currency

Bitcoin is an unregulated, uncontrolled online currency – worth more than 500m pounds, it’s the world’s fastest growing. It can be used to buy drugs, move money across the world, or get rich quick. The people behind Bitcoin speak to the Guardian’s James Ball at their home in a squat*  (занедбаний будинок) in central London.

As a new user of Bitcoins, you only need to choose a wallet that you will install on your computer or on your mobile phone. Once you have your wallet installed, it will generate your first Bitcoin address and you can create more whenever you need one. You can disclose (відкривати) one of your Bitcoin addresses to your friends so that they can pay you or vice versa (навпаки), you can pay your friends if they give you their addresses. In fact, this is pretty similar to how email works. So all that is left to do at this point is to get some bitcoins and to keep them safe.  Read more at www.bitcoin.org/en/how-it-works

* A squat is an empty building that people are living in illegally, without paying any rent or any property tax.