Did the Apes just Poke the Bear?

Gensler v. ApeCoin. Hello, Miami. And Yes, You're Being Tracked.

👋🏽 Hello everyone, gm gm, WELCOME BACK to another edition of the Overpriced JPEGs newsletter, where we’re catching you up on the world of web3, NFTs, and the metaverse. 

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🧸 Staking ApeCoin, Unless you’re in America, Russia, Cuba, Iran…

• U.S. among list of countries geo-blocked from staking ApeCoin

• There are easy ways to bypass it & ApeCoin itself has not-so-subtly hinted at them

• Is Yuga poking a bear? Gensler’s stance is clear: proof-of-stake crypto tokens are securities & in a turf war with the CFTC he wants to emerge calling the shots

• Gensler’s in the hot seat after missing what was happening at FTX; he’s likely on the hunt for a high-profile win

• Meanwhile, white label marketplace provider Snag Solutions, beat out bigger players to build the custom site for Yuga’s (non-Punk/Meebits) NFTs

If you’re new here, we welcome you to join 147,122 bright + avid readers by subscribing here:

🦊 The Privacy Paradox

• MetaMask developer ConsenSys clarifies their policy on collecting user data - sparking some frustration

  • The policy applies only to users of MM’s default RPC (hint: if you had to google RPC, they’re collecting your data)

• Despite confusion, Joe Lubin reminds us: web3 still > web2

• Cardano’s IOG reveals Midnight, a privacy-focused blockchain

• CZ chimes in: someone, somewhere, is always collecting (and selling) your data

💵 Puttin’ the Money in Gmoney

• Gmoney doxxed this week & introduced asset lending program to unlock liquidity for physical goods

  “‘Let’s say a pair of Jordans are sitting in your closet. The only way you can access capital without selling them to somebody is to go to your local pawn shop, which is going to give you an insane loanshark rate,’” gmoney [explains over Zoom.] ‘By creating 24-hour liquidity with NFTs, a Jordan expert living in Southeast Asia can agree to a loan.’”

🐳 Art Basel: 20th Anniversary Edition

• Miami club owners breathe sigh of relief as whale season Art Basel returns this week w/record number of galleries and art for rich people

• Here’s your party cheat sheet, events with a digital art focus, and token-gated shindigs

• Tezos artist Quasimondo minting AI portraits of attendees in real time exhibition

• Prep for your trip (or curb your FOMO) by learning the history of Art Basel and how digital artists kicked off a revolution

• Belgium declares BTC, ETH + other cryptocurrencies are not securities

• Fidelity tosses crypto a lifesaver; offers retail Bitcoin trading accounts

• Several State regulators investigate Genesis Capital for security law violations

• Crypto-focused firm Hodl Law PLLC sues the SEC; alleges failure to: 1) Clarify jurisdictional authority over digital assets; and 2) Define whether digital assets are securities

• Putin calls for blockchain-based international payment system independent of banks + external interference

  CryptoChèrie @Crypto_Cherie

  I miss when this was all I ever saw about Putin #Memes

  

• New Yorker dropped a lengthy profile on Yam Karkai + WoW’s evolution

• Home Depot + Ticketmaster register NFT / web3 trademarks 

• Ticketmaster, which recently enabled NFT tickets, registers NFT & web3 trademarks

• Lawyer argues T-Swift concert tickets are securities + Ticketmaster should register w/SEC to enjoy the “robust investor protections of crypto markets” 🤣

• Big week for DeGods as they drop staking + Frank doxxes

• Manifold royalties aren’t being enforced on OpenSea; leaving folks confused

• TIME’s Keith Grossman leaving legacy media to lead web3 onboarding firm MoonPay

• Twitter alternative Post News gets a16z funding

• Grand Theft Auto maker Rockstar Games bans crypto & NFTs from its “role play servers” (fan- and developer-made GTA spinoffs)

• Apple said to have blocked updates to Nouns App for externally linking to NFTs 

• ICYMI: AOC and Elon seem to have made up this week 😉

• As far as project founders go, Frank from DeGods is the total package. He’s hungry, business savvy, and oozes vibes - it’s no wonder he’s built the #1 project on Solana and doing sizable volume even by ETH standards. In this banger of an episode, Carly and Frank chat for a meaty 2 hours about the possibility of deGods and y00ts moving to ETH, how to build hype for a project, and what constitutes a rugpull.

• No recap last week, but in the spirit of Giving Tuesday, Crypto for Charity’s Ben Simon offers tips on how (and why you’ll want) to make those end-of-the-year charitable contributions in crypto over cash.

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