The ever-controversial John McAfee is hitting the headlines as soon as extra, however this time he’s below the highlight for crypto plagiarism.
The group behind privateness coin PIVX alleged McAfee for copying a 2018 whitepaper. They additional contend that McAfee’s Ghost coin has additionally appropriated quite a few key options. This consists of cash specs, characteristic units, in addition to protocols.
As an skilled, devoted group that has been pioneering and tirelessly creating a privateness centric Proof of Stake blockchain since 2016, #PIVX is extraordinarily dissatisfied to see @officialmcafee @GhostbyMcAfee $ESH $GHOST blatantly plagiarizing the Sept 2018 PIVX whitepaper. pic.twitter.com/fdwhr6E6ea
— PIVX (@_PIVX) May 17, 2020
Run-ins With the Authorities
McAfee resigned from anti-virus agency, McAfee Associates in 1994. The agency went public a number of years later, and he offered his remaining shares to internet a reported $100 million.
Since then he has been embroiled in plenty of controversies together with as a “person of interest” in reference to the homicide of American expatriate Gregory Viant Faull, unlicensed drug manufacturing, unlawful gun possession, and on expenses of tax evasion.
In 2016, and once more for 2020, McAfee launched a presidential marketing campaign with the slogan “don’t vote for McAfee.” His platform is predicated on libertarian values that search to decrease the function of presidency.
McAfee’s Goes From Fringe Participant to Crypto Pioneer
All through this era, McAfee has latched onto the crypto scene, citing his perception within the nascent know-how as the explanation. His early involvement was restricted to doubtful tweets and in endorsing pump and dump schemes.
However on the tail finish of final 12 months, he launched McAfeeDEX, an Ethereum-based “no restrictions” decentralized crypto exchange.
“Requires no title, no paperwork, no e mail, no bank information. Transaction particulars non-public. Nothing monitored. Nothing recorded. No restrictions. No itemizing charges. 0.25% transaction charges. Utterly decentralized.“
No information exists for the variety of customers or buying and selling quantity, which is off-putting for a lot of potential customers. It’s potential this resolution was intentional as an anti-authoritarian stance.
Beforehand, McAfee was an evangelist for Bitcoin. However earlier this 12 months, he got here out as saying Bitcoin is “the true shitcoin,” by declaring its outdated know-how.
Some consider this was a direct response to his famed prediction that Bitcoin would hit $1 million by the top of this 12 months, and the unlikelihood of this taking place.
Whichever Bitcoin Maximalist got here up with the time period “Shitcoin” for all different cash;
Was good.
However everyone knows that the way forward for Crypto rests with the Alt Cash.
Bitcoin –
Previous, clunky, no safety, no good contracts, no DAPs ….
Is the true Shitcoin.
— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) January 29, 2020
Not content material with establishing a decentralized exchange, McAfee took crypto privateness to the subsequent stage when he introduced the launch of Ghost coin in April of this 12 months.
Ghost is described as a decentralized Proof-of-Stake coin that makes use of an escrow pool to protect and erase transaction historical past. With that, transactions are verified utilizing zero-knowledge proofs.
PIVX Takes a Swipe at Ghost
The Ghost whitepaper was launched on Might 15th. Nonetheless, the group behind PIVX has since hit out pointing to similarities with an previous 2018 PIVX whitepaper.
“We discovered a number of cases the place @officialmcafee used precisely the identical wording, construction and content material circulation discovered within the 2018 PIVX whitepaper. This may be seen right here (pages 2, 7 within the GHOST whitepaper)…”
Additional investigations by PIVX present, along with the whitepaper similarities, coin specs for each cash are additionally similar. In whole, PIVX declare that 20 out of 26 pages of their whitepaper are straight plagiarised.
First launched on January 31st, 2016 PIVX didn’t fare nicely over crypto winter. From its $16.20 peak over the last bull run, it collapsed to a $0.18 low – a 99% drop.
Whereas some tasks have since seen shoots of restoration, PIVX continues to be languishing at ranges near its low. Presently, it’s priced at $0.28.
PIVX Weekly chart. (Supply: tradingview.com)
What’s extra, throughout this era, the PIVX market cap has slid dramatically. As soon as ranked because the 48th largest with a market cap of $609 million, it’s presently ranked 173 with a market cap of simply $16 million.
Taking this into consideration, others have jumped to McAfee’s’ protection claiming PIVX itself is a clone of Dash, and these outbursts are nothing however makes an attempt to capitalize on McAfee’s marketability.
