Messaging app Kik will say goodbye on its ninth birthday

The 300 million-strong messaging app Kik will shut down on October 19, exactly nine years since the first message was sent on its platform, according to messages that have been verified by Kik.

Additionally, the Kik X beta period will stop on September 27. Kik X was an update to the popular messaging app that was going to introduce some new, undisclosed features.

It was first revealed earlier this week that the Kik app was destined to close as a direct result of Kik’s ongoing battle with the SEC, which claims the token sale ICO of its cryptocurrency Kin was an unregistered securities offering. Kik vehemently denies the claims, and has spent $5 million on the fight so far.

A quarter of Ethereum nodes run on Amazon Web Services

A new report challenges just how decentralized blockchain platforms really are. According to blockchain management platform Chainstack, over 60 percent of all Ethereum nodes rely on cloud-based services, with 25 percent running on just one provider: Amazon Web Services (AWS). 

This won’t come as a surprise to many working in the blockchain industry. The ease at which you can spin up a node on AWS, compared to buying all the equipment necessary to run such operations, makes it a no brainer. Especially for those running more powerful nodes recording millions of transactions per day on high-performance blockchains, like EOS or Tron. 

But until now, there has been little data quantifying the extent to which the decentralized industry is running on highly-centralized cloud-based services. And, looking at Chainstack’s nifty bit of data analysis, the results are not looking good.

Here are the biggest stories in the cryptoverse:

• Oxfam readies Dai-based disaster relief program.
• Russia races to impose taxes on crypto.
• Total Ether locked in DeFi continues to rise.  
• Binance helped UK police investigate $50 million crypto fraud.

Incognito Node promises to earn bitcoin while you sleep

What you need to know

The Incognito Node, which begins shipping next month, is a plug and play device that resembles a triangulated Alexa and claims to passively earn multiple cryptocurrencies. 

Grandmas and cats will love it, Incognito’s marketing bumph says triumphantly. 

Why it's important

But crypto forums aren’t so sure and pundits are asking: If it worked as well as Incognito claims, why would they even sell it?

Under-the-radar Incognito boasts offices in Vietnam, the U.S. and Malta, and claims the device will earn users an average of $30 a month.

Pirate Bay raises $1 million in Bitcoin

Infamous torrent site The Pirate Bay has received more than $1 million in Bitcoin donations according to research by Trustnodes on Tuesday. The torrenting site started accepting Bitcoin donations in May 2013.

Trustnodes totted up the achievement by tracing funds from wallets publicly identifiable as being owned by The Pirate Bay. In total, it estimates The Pirate Bay received a total of 134 Bitcoins, with donations spread around several wallets. At today’s value ($8,116), that’s worth a little over a million dollars. 

Read more here.