Dash Defeats 51% Attacks in Latest Update, Enables Instant Transactions
Dash is an important cryptocurrency with a long history. When Evan Duffield and his collaborators began the DarkCoin project as X11, he had assessed several issues with what he’s always referred to as “the Bitcoin project.”
Privacy Is A Feature, Not A Single Purpose
One issue he believed was addressable was the near-transparency of the blockchain. Using various “shuffling” features, DarkCoin could make it difficult to know a lot about a given transaction unless you were involved.
DarkCoin became “Dash,” which is short for “digital cash,” in 2015. Duffield gave an interview to CCN at the time:
One of the problems that any project based on Bitcoin suffers is the potential for 51% attacks. In its latest release, Dash has essentially solved the problem by relying more heavily on its Masternode network in addition to proof-of-working miners. The effect is that the entire network can now instantly confirm transactions.
Current Dash Core CEO Ryan Taylor recently told CCN that Dash’s privacy features are but one part of the experience. He prefers to view the project as a “financial user experience.” He said:
“The Dash network today is not one-dimentional. Dash delivers a user experience second to none in the cryptocurrency space today. Transactions are instant, practically costless, and incredibly secure. We have the most effective governance and funding model in the industry, the longest-running in the industry in fact. The cost to attack the Dash network exceeds even that of Bitcoin because of recently introduced security enhancements.
