Elaine Ou

Bloomberg Opinion Columnist

Elaine Ou is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. She is a blockchain engineer at Global Financial Access in San Francisco. Previously she was a lecturer in the electrical and information engineering department at the University of Sydney.

Latest

Bitcoin Mining at Russian CryptoUniverse Farm

Bloomberg Opinion

Elon Musk Is Pulling Bitcoin Where It Loathed to Go

In earlier days, the prospect of centralized mining would be enough to turn participants away.

June 5, 2021

June 5, 2021

OpinionElaine Ou

Elon Musk Is Pulling Bitcoin Where It Loathed to Go

In earlier days, the prospect of centralized mining would be enough to turn participants away.

Bitcoin Mining at Russian CryptoUniverse Farm

May 28, 2021

May 28, 2021

OpinionElaine Ou

Cybersecurity Secrecy Keeps Doors Open for Hackers

Companies and governments need to talk more honestly in public about digital vulnerabilities, or the problem will keep getting worse.

Cybersecurity Secrecy Keeps Doors Open for Hackers

February 28, 2021

February 28, 2021

OpinionElaine Ou

Bitcoin Whales Are a Mixed Blessing

Institutional investors will help stabilize the price, but also remove the protective benefits of decentralization.

Tesla To Start Accepting Bitcoin As Form Of Payment

February 5, 2021

February 5, 2021

OpinionElaine Ou

Facebook's Oversight Board Is a Convenient Flak-Catcher

Following the example of Congress, the media and the SEC.

US-VOTE-IT-POLITICS-MEDIA

January 12, 2021

January 12, 2021

OpinionElaine Ou

You Can’t Keep Rage Off the Internet

Big Tech has pushed Trump off major platforms. But it’s getting easier to build new ones.

Twitter Permanently Suspends President Donald Trump's Twitter Account

January 8, 2021

January 8, 2021

OpinionElaine Ou

Googlers of the World, Unite! Oh, Wait ...

Some of the planet’s best-paid workers are forming a union to promote social causes. The solidarity part will be tricky.

Justice Department Announces Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google

September 21, 2020

September 21, 2020

OpinionElaine Ou

Bans Against TikTok and WeChat Would Backfire Anyway

Users could easily find ways to evade U.S. security restrictions, introducing security problems of their own.

Trump Widens China Tech Attack, Banning Tencent's WeChat, TikTok

August 9, 2020

August 9, 2020

OpinionElaine Ou

Facebook and Twitter Should Borrow an Idea From TikTok

Big tech companies would be smart to let users see how they moderate content in real time.

Trump Widens China Tech Attack, Banning Tencent's WeChat, TikTok

April 2, 2020

April 2, 2020

OpinionElaine Ou

Apps to Track Infections Can Speed Return to Normal Life

There’s a way to take people’s temperatures remotely without violating anyone’s privacy.

SINGAPORE-HEALTH-VIRUS

March 24, 2020

March 24, 2020

OpinionElaine Ou

Sheltered in Place? Make Masks

Homemade protective equipment sure beats the alternative.

US-HEALTH-VIRUS-MASKS

March 4, 2020

March 4, 2020

OpinionElaine Ou

Tech Companies Can Track Your Panicky Coronavirus Searches

Companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon have their fingers on the pulse of public sentiment about Covid-19.

San Francisco As Virus's Global Spread Threatens To Breach Tight U.S. Containment

January 27, 2020

January 27, 2020

OpinionElaine Ou

Sonos Should Give Up Hardware-Only Business Model

There’s a reason so many companies are practically giving hardware away.

Inside A Sonos Inc. Store Ahead Of Earnings Figures

January 13, 2020

January 13, 2020

OpinionElaine Ou

The Internet Should Hide Your Data, Not Share It

Internet security, like vaccination, should aim to protect the whole herd.

Facebook Privacy Flaw Exposes Private Photos

January 7, 2020

January 7, 2020

OpinionElaine Ou

The Internet Has Become a Cluttered, Proprietary Mess

A truly open web may be a quixotic quest, but it would be a godsend.

Obama Outlines Policy For Open And Free Internet

November 5, 2019

November 5, 2019

OpinionElaine Ou

One Tether Trader Didn't Cause the Bitcoin Bubble

The idea that a lone whale fueled a yearlong Bitcoin bull run is a little silly.

File: Crypto Losses Near $700 Billion In Worst Week Since Bubble Burst

October 24, 2019

October 24, 2019

OpinionElaine Ou

Facebook Could Do to Banks What It Did to Newspapers

Libra isn't just another cryptocurrency. It's a bid for power.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Testifies To House Financial Services Committee

September 30, 2019

September 30, 2019

Tech Can Rescue Us From Big Brother

We’ve placed our trust in institutions, and now they’re abusing it. There is a better way.

Tech Can Rescue Us From Big Brother

August 8, 2019

August 8, 2019

OpinionElaine Ou

Tech Companies Want Out of the Censorship Business

They shouldn’t be expected to police tightly anyway. Better to have the extremists in the public square than banning them to fester in a corner.

Facebook Said to Boost IPO By 25% To 421 Million Shares

June 20, 2019

June 20, 2019

OpinionElaine Ou

I Tried Using Facebook’s Libra Blockchain. It Didn’t Work.

This premature release of the cryptocurrency code must be a sacrificial lamb offered up to regulators.

FILES-US-IT-LIFESTYLE-CURRENCY-FACEBOOK

May 17, 2019

May 17, 2019

OpinionElaine Ou

Treat Facebook Like Big Tobacco

Government should scrutinize and publicize the harms of social media – not use antitrust regulation to encourage even more platforms.

Facebook Hosts Annual F8 Developer Conference In San Jose