Dan Pinto is CEO and co-founder of Fingerprint. With over a decade in tech, he is an entrepreneur behind many startups.
getty
Return fraud has always been a cost of doing business in e-commerce. A customer claims a package never arrived. Another says the product was defective. A third insists they received the wrong item entirely. For years, platforms handled these disputes by asking for photographic evidence.
Generative AI has made it easier than ever to fabricate “pixel-perfect” images of damaged, defective or missing goods. Scammers in China have already operationalized this at scale, submitting AI-altered images to extract refunds on products that arrived without a single defect. Even images that were clearly AI-generated still resulted in successful refund payouts because the content review process is too slow and too broken to catch everything.
Catching and stopping this type of fraud is a bit like a game of cat and mouse. E-commerce platforms can build a great image detector, and fraudsters will build a better image generator or overwhelm review systems with hundreds of photos. AI-generated images used in refund claims have increased by more than 15% since the start of 2025, and continue to rise globally.
To combat this trend, e-commerce platforms need to change what they verify. Instead of using a “smarter” photo scanner, companies need to focus on the device that’s submitting the image.
The Shortcomings Of Content VerificationTo understand why content verification is failing, it helps to understand why platforms adopted it in the first place. Companies like Amazon, DoorDash and Lime built image-based verification into their refund and claims workflows as a friction mechanism. Requiring a photo meant effort, with the assumption that only those with a defective product would go through with submitting a claim.
What once required fraudsters hours to edit images can now happen almost instantly with a prompt. What platforms actually need to do now is verify the legitimacy of the person submitting it. A customer with a substantial purchase history, completed orders and no prior disputes has a different risk profile than newly created accounts from the same IP address in a short period of time.
Strategy 1: Layering Context Verification Into Content VerificationThe practical implementation of context verification starts with device intelligence. Device intelligence evaluates a device's characteristics and behavioral patterns in real time before a refund request is approved or even reviewed.
The moment a refund is requested, device intelligence allows platforms to establish a trust context and ask the questions a photo can’t answer:
• Has this device been associated with confirmed fraud elsewhere on the platform?
• Do the device's characteristics match the signatures of automation tools or bot networks?
• Is this device connected to multiple accounts?
• Is the device presenting itself as a mobile app user while running on a desktop emulator?
Technical indicators associated with tools commonly used to industrialize refund fraud leave their own traces that device intelligence can surface to quickly answer these questions before any human reviewer ever looks at a submitted image.
As AI agents’ popularity increases in e-commerce, transactions become harder to verify and content verification alone becomes even less useful as a fraud signal.
The solution is straightforward: Use device context to aid in the refund process.
Strategy 2: Stop Repeat Offenders Before They Strike AgainSerial return fraudsters operate on a simple assumption: Resetting their digital identity—whether by creating new accounts, cloning mobile applications or activating a VPN—means starting with a clean slate. From the platform's perspective, each attempt to reset a digital identity looks like a brand-new customer, but from a device-intelligence perspective, these attempts can be linked.
Device identification that persists across proxy, VPN and incognito browsing sessions makes this pattern visible. A device identifier that remains stable across identity-reset attempts is more reliable than an easily changeable IP address or session cookie. This identifier makes it possible to link dozens of refund requests across different accounts to a single physical device, surfacing patterns that siloed account-level views would miss. For marketplace platforms like Amazon, this means the operator can detect the same fraudster targeting multiple sellers. For individual retailers, a stable device identifier connects fraudulent activity across multiple accounts or sessions within the retailer’s own platform. That link is what turns a single refund request into a visible pattern. By the time a fraudster uploads their AI-generated image, the platform has already seen enough to flag the request.
Strategy 3: Adding Friction To Returns Without Penalizing Loyal Customers Traditional fraud prevention measures typically introduce unintended friction for good customers.
With device intelligence, merchants can still provide frictionless experiences for devices with a strong, clean history of consistent purchase patterns, few prior disputes and clean device characteristics. For devices that lack history, exhibit tampering or automation signals or have other suspicious attributes, the technology can trigger step-up friction, such as an additional verification step or a hold on their account.
This mitigates risk and creates an economic deterrent for bad actors. Fraudsters can operate at scale because the per-attempt cost is low and the yield is high. When an attempted return encounters friction, such as a hold period or a verification call, the time and cost of the attempt rise. When these deterrents are applied, fraudsters who run these schemes at scale cannot afford to spend 20 minutes on a manual verification call for a $20 refund.
The Bigger PictureThe rise of AI-generated fraud is a direct threat to the digital trust that makes modern e-commerce possible. Platforms that continue to rely on easily spoofed visual “proof” risk creating a landscape in which every legitimate customer is treated with suspicion, even as they continue to lose revenue to scammers. The future of e-commerce belongs to the platforms that can efficiently and accurately distinguish between a return requested by a fraudster using a falsified image and one requested by a loyal customer. By expanding our focus beyond what is shown to include identifying the device that shows it, we can leave behind the cat-and-mouse game of content verification.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Dr. Anne Berends is the founder, CEO and CTO of SunLED Life Science, a health-centered technology startup.
getty
For far too long, computer screens and laptops have been designed with a singular focus: work output and productivity for the lowest price and cost of ownership. It doesn’t take long to see what this is doing to the workforce: it’s making them stressed, if not downright sick. Almost three-fourths of US employees experience blurred vision, eye strain and dry, itchy eyes from staring at screens. The same study found that nearly 59% of people said it affected their productivity. Deprivation of natural light is also associated with mental health issues like depression.
As the drive for efficiency isn’t going away, it is time to act on the fact that happier and healthier people are more productive. What if our devices become tools to prioritize wellness? Despite all the advice to step away from screens, the reality is that, even in the best circumstances, we spend hour after hour in front of them. We use our computers, tablets, laptops and phones for work and personal lives hour after hour. We look at our laptops and phones when we wake up or first thing in the morning. Unless you become a hermit, screens are here to stay.
This behavior has not only caused stress and eye strain but also created a level of sunlight deprivation we’ve never experienced before the 20th century. The average American adult spends more than seven hours and four minutes per day looking at screens; Gen Z spends nearly nine hours. Most of that time is spent indoors, away from the natural sunlight our bodies need to thrive. A person born in 2025 is projected to spend 21 years looking at screens. Consequently, our bodies and eyes miss large parts of natural sunlight that are absent indoors, such as near-infrared (NIR) light.
Display and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) research and design teams have spent decades perfecting what we see on displays while missing what the body needs. With unprecedented levels of stress and eye strain, it’s time for OEMs to take wellness seriously and adapt. Doing so won’t just make users healthier and happier; it’s also smart business. Here are four places we can start:
1. Stop The Pixel FixationFor far too long, the display industry has been fixated on pixels, color gamut and aesthetics like ever-thinner bezels. In the race for the highest-quality images, designers worked to optimize brightness, color and efficiency. By omitting near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths present in the solar spectrum, they created a mismatch with our bodies' absorption spectrum. Displays do not emit light in the NIR spectrum, which activates cellular energy production, a process known as photobiomodulation. We must find ways to add this light to displays.
We’ve constantly pushed the resolution on television and computer screens forward—just witness the quick shifts from high definition to 4k to 8k. However, the human eye can no longer see improvements—scientists call it a "resolution limit." Let’s accept that displays look good and instead advance wellness. Display leaders should pivot their priorities from image quality to exposure quality.
2. Design For The World We Live InAs displays become continuous sources of exposure, wellness must become an intrinsic condition. We shouldn’t brush off the side effects of prolonged screen use, and we should encourage people to get away from screens. But as displays become continuous sources of exposure, wellness must shift to an intrinsic condition of design. It’s part of our role as ethical leaders to better design for the conditions prolonged use creates.
3. Displays Should Be Considered Investments In ProductivityWellness has a trickle-down effect: healthier, happier employees do better work and build better companies. If we design displays appropriately, they are not just IT overhead, but an investment in productivity. Design leaders are part of a paradigm shift. The next generation of CIOs will demand hardware that maximizes their human capital. Displays that help workers stay healthy, maintain focus and reduce stress and eye strain will own the enterprise market.
4. Design Is Good BusinessPivoting to wellness is also a prudent business move for display companies. Laptop and monitor markets are saturated, and new sales will be replacement purchases. Roughly 74% of consumers prefer tech products with health and wellness features; companies that add wellness to their devices stand out in a competitive market, even allowing for a price premium. These next-generation displays will be part of the expanding market for health-conscious technology, particularly as companies integrate better technology to shift wellness from a "perk" to an inherent workplace feature.
For far too long, we’ve looked at a display through a single lens: improve the picture. In 2026, displays aren’t defined by pixels or colors but also by their impact on users’ health and performance. It’s time for us to reconfigure displays to support workers. It is not a "next feature." It’s a design decision for the greater collective good.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Es geht um besseres Sehen, schnelleres Erfassen sowie präziseres Operieren und damit um einen großen Gewinn für den Patienten. Damit lassen sich Dutzende Vorträge von Ärzten zusammenfassen, die sich Ende Juni zum ersten europäischen Kongress über „Spatial Computing“ in der Medizin zusammengefunden hatten. Mediziner, Entwickler, Computerwissenschaftler und Ingenieure trafen in Leipzig auf einer Veranstaltung des Fraunhofer-Instituts für Werkzeugmaschinen und Umformtechnik zusammen.
Spatial Computing ist ein sperriger Begriff, der eigentlich räumliches Rechnen meint und von Apple zum Start seiner Computerbrille Vision Pro vor drei Jahren in die Welt gesetzt wurde. Die Rede war von einer nahtlosen Verschmelzung digitaler Inhalte mit der physischen Welt in einem dreidimensionalen Raum. Die Vision Pro hat sich indes so wenig durchgesetzt wie der Begriff Spatial Computing. Beide harren in einer kleinen Nische für dreidimensionale Anwendungen in den Bereichen von VR, virtueller Realität, und AR, erweiterter Realität, im Jargon Augmented Reality. Die Vision Pro ist dafür bestens gerüstet. Sie stellt Fotos und Videos mit 4K für jedes Auge und insgesamt 23 Millionen Pixel zur Verfügung.
Alles gleichzeitig im Blick: Patientendaten, aktuelle Aufnahmen und eine 3D-Darstellung des ThoraxHerstellerWer sie trägt, ist wahlweise abgeschottet von der eigenen Umgebung im VR-Modus unterwegs oder sieht virtuelle, berechnete Objekte, die scheinbar in der realen Welt stehen. Etwa das Alien aus dem Computerspiel im heimischen Wohnzimmer. Zur Besonderheit der Vision Pro gehört, dass sie sich allein mit Blicken und Gesten steuern lässt. Einen Menüeintrag anschauen, Zeigefinger und Daumen zweimal schnell wie bei einem Doppelklick mit der Maus tippen, schon ist ein Kommando ausgelöst.
Nach zwei Operationen unverzichtbar
Diese Computerbrille erobert nun die Operationssäle der westlichen Welt. Als wir nach Leipzig reisten, gingen wir davon aus, dass die Wissenschaftler und Ärzte unterschiedliche Hardware diverser Hersteller präsentieren würden. Das war jedoch nicht der Fall. Was die Pioniere im Bereich im Bereich der Chirurgie präsentierten, lief ausnahmslos auf der Vision Pro.
Professor David S. Baskin, Neurochirurg am Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, blickt auf mehr als 5000 endonasale Eingriffe zurück und beschreibt die Fortschritte der Endoskopie, also der Untersuchung oder Operation mithilfe einer Kamera und Instrumenten, die in den Körper eingebracht werden. Er ist überzeugt, dass die alten, nicht räumlichen Verfahren der Darstellung des Operationsbereichs dem Untergang geweiht seien, weil die Apple Vision Pro nunmehr eine überlegene Darstellung liefere. Bereits nach zwei Operationen halte er sie für unverzichtbar.
Die Vision Pro mit ihrer immersiven Darstellung überwinde die Einschränkungen konventioneller Monitore: Der Operateur müsse einen exakten Abstand einhalten. Das funktioniere im Operationssaal meist nicht, und die Steh- oder Sitzhaltung des Chirurgen sei anstrengend.
Der Chirurg kommandiert, die Maschine kontrolliert: Endoskope plus Vision ProHerstellerMit der Computerbrille könnten außerdem Assistenzarzt und Ausbilder gleichzeitig dieselbe Ansicht sehen. Das sei entscheidend für die Lehre, weil in der Chirurgie subtile Veränderungen von Handposition und -winkel eine große Rolle spielten. Der Ausbilder stehe bequem hinter dem Assistenzarzt, sehe genau, was dieser sieht und macht, und gäbe präzise Anweisungen.
Bisher unerreichte Tiefenwahrnehmung
Ähnlich argumentiert Christy Gaudet vom traditionsreichen deutschen Hersteller von Endoskopen, Karl Storz. In modernen Operationssälen sei die Videoqualität bei minimalinvasiven Eingriffen bislang durch den Monitor und die Position des Chirurgen eingeschränkt. Die Vision Pro erlaube es nun, dass Chirurgen den dreidimensionalen Videostream präzise vor Augen hätten, er bilde einen persönlichen „Cockpit“-Arbeitsbereich.
Wenn jedes Detail zählt: die digitale Krankeakte mit Befunden und Aufnahmen im Blick des ArztesHerstellerKarl Storz nutze Hardware zur Bildverbesserung, anschließend werde das Signal mit WLAN an bis zu drei Vision-Pro-Nutzer übertragen, und zwar mit einer Latenz von unter 100 Millisekunden. Auch Gaudet betont: Die Chirurgen könnten jedes einzelne Pixel wahrnehmen und hätten eine bisher unerreichte Tiefenwahrnehmung und Gewebedifferenzierung im Vergleich zu herkömmlichen Monitoren. Weil mehrere Betrachter exakt dasselbe Bild sähen, würden Zusammenarbeit und Ausbildung deutlich erleichtert.
Andere Chirurgen schildern, dass die Computerbrille zudem viele Informationen zusammenführe, die man bisher nur auf unterschiedlichen Bildschirmen sehen könne. Dazu gehören zum Beispiel die Vitalparameter des Patienten oder Röntgenaufnahmen. Auch sei es möglich, verzögerungsfrei Ärzte anderer Krankenhäuser zur Konsultation hinzuzuschalten.
Während einer Vorführung dürfen wir durch die scheibenförmigen Aufnahmen eines CT scrollen und das Bild intuitiv mit einer Handbewegung drehen: hochspannend für den Laien, vielleicht wegweisend für die Profis.
Risk Disclosure: Guides, news, articles and analyzes on Bitcoinsistemi.com do not constitute investment advice. Keeping in mind that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are high-risk products, you should do your own research for each investment decision. Otherwise, you may come to the point of losing your entire investment. In this context, you should know that you are responsible for the losses that may arise from all your transfers and transactions.
Bitcoinsistemi.com is a news site, does not provide investment advice and does not recommend investing in any projects or digital assets. In this context, the content and content authors on Bitcoinsistemi.com cannot be held responsible for the investment decisions you make.
Crypto as a whole is, I think, at something of an inflection point. With the recent “bull run” either on hold or cut short with prices below 2021 highs, the mounting crypto-speculative mania of the past decade seems to have settled down. That puts a premium on products that deliver, instead of just making big promises.
That includes blockchain-backed gaming, which has been on the horizon since the announcement of Ethereum, and which I’m happy to report is actually becoming a Real Thing. In the past, “blockchain games” have often been hasty cash-ins designed to entice speculators rather than players. But, as an embarrassingly experienced gamer who spent my childhood loading Doom from a DOS command line, I’m happy to report that blockchain games are now emerging fully-cooked: that is, many are at least as enjoyable as games that have nothing to do with crypto.
What follows is a lightning-round of quick reviews of a selection of blockchain games. Each game is judged on standard metrics of gameplay and graphics. But unlike more conventional games, blockchain games should also be evaluated for their onboarding experience and tokenomics.
Onboarding is significant because games are great ways to attract people without crypto experience, and hitting them with a laundry list of complicated tasks before they can play is a great way to lose their interest immediately. And tokenomics matter because they’re hard to get right, and the temptation for developers to be shortsighted and self-interested is strong.
Also worth noting: The reviews below are mostly based on fairly short play time (and few if any of these games are deep enough to demand more.) The reviews are also based on the current state of these games: Roadmaps and projections are all well and good, given the financial stakes, this is a “verify, don’t trust” situation.
Note: I had also planned on reviewing Nifty Island and My Pet Hooligan. But Nifty Island was offline for maintenance when I tried to log in. While My Pet Hooligan (which is in Early Access) looks and feels great offline, it’s a PVP shooter, and the game’s few servers weren’t cooperating when I tried to play.
Hamster Kombat (Mobile/Telegram)Onboarding: A
Gameplay: D
Graphics: A
Tokenomics: D
It’s new, it’s hot, it’s incredibly effective at what it was designed for – but Hamster Kombat isn’t really “a game.” At present, the only ‘gameplay’ proper is clicking one object for points, then spending those points to earn more points. If there’s any actual “Kombat,” it’s completely opaque to me as a new player. Instead, Hamster Kombat, where you play the role of a growth-minded CEO of a crypto exchange, gamifies social engagement, offering in-game “gold” for things like following and promoting the game’s X/Twitter account, or recruiting friends.
The scammy vibes of this pyramid-built-on-nothing element are impossible to ignore, but one thing can’t be denied – it’s working, driving the “game” to huge popularity (see Jeff Wilser’s recent feature on the growth of Hamster Kombat and other TON-based games. The tiny bit of gameplay is impressively addictive (I’m clicking right now …). And, in most other respects, Hamster Kombat is top-tier, with a flawlessly smooth interface and, most impressive of all, a truly effortless onboarding experience that’s integrated directly into Telegram. That both mutes the impression of scamminess, and leads one to believe promises that a real game will emerge from beneath this perpetual self-promotion machine.
Unfortunately, though, gameplay evolution seems to be a low priority for the devs for the moment. The Hamster Kombat roadmap includes gameplay upgrades like “Squad Kombat,” but by far the most focus is on an upcoming airdrop, with a token that is promised to be integrated into gameplay. It seems iffy to release your token before anything resembling an actual game, so between that and the fact that the financial tease is probably leading to a lot of people wasting their lives clicking on a phone, the hamsters get a “D” on tokenomics.
Pixels (Web Browser)Onboarding: C
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A+
Tokenomics: A
Proof that low-hanging fruit can be delicious. Pixels is a resource-gathering and building game, a bit like Farmville, but with a lot more style. Even the writing is good, in its cutesy way, which is really notable. There are also promised and plausible extensions into more active forms of gameplay, such as dungeons, but the simple harvest-cooking-sale loop is already satisfying in itself. There are definitely periods of downtime in the early game, but that’s what you’re signing up for – this is a game you can run in the background and check in on every once in a while (I’m making Popberry Jam while I write this).
The graphics and overall vibes of the game are also excellent. The game is designed in a nostalgic 8-bit style, one seeming reason that Pixels actually has NFT imports. You can play as your Pudgy Penguin or Bored Ape, and the Pixels team has guidelines that allow any collection to submit game versions of PFPs. This unambiguously rocks, increasing the value of the entire Web3 space, and reflecting what seems to be the team’s more general deep alignment with crypto ideas and values. At the same time, there’s an outright downplaying of the possibility of massive growth in token prices, which is equally refreshing.
In what will become a theme, however, I was annoyed by Pixels’ onboarding process, which frankly seems to directly contradict the care and values on display elsewhere in the game. While Metamask login is teased, it no longer works for new players, who must instead download and install a boutique wallet for Sky Mavis’ Ronin Network – an EVM chain that has its own flavor of Wrapped Ether (WETH), but otherwise seems to only handle assets on Mavis’ own Ronin Network. This is an illustration of a common misalignment of incentives in Web3 gaming: there are big incentives to use an attractive game to rope users into your niche network, instead of improving interoperability by using a more widespread public network. It’s a toxic dynamic the industry should be wary of.
Gods Unchained (PC, Mac, iOS, Android)Onboarding: B
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A
Tokenomics: B
It’s time for a horrifying confession: In 2019, I decided to spend money on Gods Unchained NFT cards instead of buying a Cryptopunk. I could have retired by now on a Punk or two, but it is illegal for anyone to make fun of me for my choices. (Mostly, buying a Punk was just incomprehensibly complex back then.)
In 2019, Gods Unchained was a concept rather than a working game, so I am ecstatic to report that not only has it become a game, it has become a really good game, with a blockchain use case that makes sense. It also has really solid user and trading metrics, with more than 200,000 holders recently trading over $250,000 worth of NFT-based cards per day. I also had great luck with matchmaking – casual queues are very short, indicating a lot of players are online actually playing, not just trading.
One possible criticism of Gods Unchained is that it’s, in essence, a copy of Hearthstone, the World of Warcraft-based CCG. Of course, there are other digital card games out there with similar-enough formats and gameplay, but GU has detailed similarities, down to the points and stats of specific (reskinned) cards. Honestly, though, there’s no real shame in that – Hearthstone is an incredible game, and, having familiar mechanics, makes GU quick to jump into.
Gods Unchained also looks and plays great, though its designs and illustrations are quite generic. Specifically, the way the game marks the rarity of cards is pretty opaque, muting one major fun part of playing a CCG.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t downsides. GU becoming part of the “Immutable Passport” ecosystem adds a seemingly pointless layer of intermediation. Why can’t I just sign in with Ethereum via Metamask, where my cards are, and which the game ultimately connects to anyway? Plus, Immutable itself uses Google or email login rather than its own wallet – which seems convenient until you remember this is an entirely superfluous step already. On the other hand, I was surprised by how smoothly I was able to connect back to my pre-Immutable GU account.
Finally, the tokenomics of Gods Unchained barely matter … and that’s great. You earn cards and packs for playing in a way that, again, will be familiar to Hearthstone players. And there are daily quests that can earn you $GODS tokens, which I would assume can be swapped for real money somehow. But, in stark contrast to Hamster Kombat, these are nice bonuses for playing a game that’s inherently rewarding – not bribes for endlessly clicking on a static image.
Guild of Guardians (iOS and Android)Onboarding: A
Gameplay: F
Graphics and presentation: D
Tokenomics: C
I’ll admit up front this is Not for Me, but somehow, this dungeon roguelite auto-battler with actual animation is less engaging than clicking a still image in Hamster Kombat. “Auto-battlers” strike me as bleak artifacts of our era, games that play themselves with the goal of producing player satisfaction without player effort or skill. In the case of Guild of Guardians, the only gameplay seems to be tapping a few heroic special abilities, if you feel like it – but you’ll “win” either way. I wrote this review while the game was playing for me, and I don’t think I missed much.
The game is also aesthetically janky as hell, from middling graphics to truly bad interface and design, and generally feels like it was built by contractors working to an investor spec rather than actual game designers. On the plus side, it was seamless to log in to, and I didn’t get a cringey crypto-based sales pitch. On the other hand, I can’t imagine any human ever caring about this game enough to connect a crypto wallet to it, and its backend tokenomics are utter boilerplate, with a vesting schedule that seems to privilege insiders.
Rumble Racing Star (PC, Mac)Onboarding: C
Gameplay: D
Graphics and Presentation: D
Tokenomics: F
One thing I noticed during these reviews is that many games built or backed in Asia still appear to be in a token-bubble mindset. The homepage of Rumble Racing Star is a good example, starting with an immediate pop-up encouraging users to spin a wheel and win obscure crypto tokens and NFT prizes. At the same time, I was unable to find any meaningful description of the game’s token design from the front page. Where you’d normally find a white paper there’s only a vague gameplay description.
Unfortunately, the game itself reflects this – it’s basic and, to be blunt, janky as hell. At its core it’s a Mario Kart knockoff with lawnmowers for carts, but the tracks, characters, and vehicles are uninspired, and worst of all, the controls are unreliable and “squishy.” This surely isn’t the last we’ll see of blockchain games that haven’t figured out that they have to be good games first – but hopefully, they’re a dying breed.
Risk Disclosure: Guides, news, articles and analyzes on Bitcoinsistemi.com do not constitute investment advice. Keeping in mind that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are high-risk products, you should do your own research for each investment decision. Otherwise, you may come to the point of losing your entire investment. In this context, you should know that you are responsible for the losses that may arise from all your transfers and transactions.
Bitcoinsistemi.com is a news site, does not provide investment advice and does not recommend investing in any projects or digital assets. In this context, the content and content authors on Bitcoinsistemi.com cannot be held responsible for the investment decisions you make.
Risk Disclosure: Guides, news, articles and analyzes on Bitcoinsistemi.com do not constitute investment advice. Keeping in mind that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are high-risk products, you should do your own research for each investment decision. Otherwise, you may come to the point of losing your entire investment. In this context, you should know that you are responsible for the losses that may arise from all your transfers and transactions.
Bitcoinsistemi.com is a news site, does not provide investment advice and does not recommend investing in any projects or digital assets. In this context, the content and content authors on Bitcoinsistemi.com cannot be held responsible for the investment decisions you make.
Binance, a leading crypto exchange, has informed the delisting of spot trading pairs for several tokens, sparking speculations. The tokens are Fusionist (ACE), AC Milan Fan Token (ACM), Book of Meme (BOME), Dymension (DYM), Metal DAO (MTL), Pixels (PIXEL), QuarkChain (QKC), Radworks (RAD), and Renzo (REZ). Among these, QuarkChain (QKC) saw the steepest decline, dropping 12%. This move reflects Binance’s commitment to ensuring market quality, sparking varied reactions across the market.
Binance Announces Delisting Of BOME, ACE, & Others Binance announced on December 24 that it would remove 11 trading pairs. The affected trading pairs include ACE/BTC, ACM/TRY, BOME/BTC, DYM/BTC, MTL/TRY, PIXEL/BNB, PIXEL/FDUSD, QKC/BTC, RAD/BTC, REZ/FDUSD, and TUSD/TRY.
The exchange said that the base and quote assets of these tokens will still be available for trading through other spot pairs. Additionally, the top crypto exchange said that it would terminate its Spot Trading Bots for these pairs on the same date.
Meanwhile, the delisting will take effect at 03:00 (UTC) on December 27. Users should cancel or update their Spot Trading Bots to avoid potential losses. The exchange reiterated that delisting specific trading pairs does not affect the availability of the underlying tokens on its platform.
Will The Crypto Prices Dip Ahead? The Binance delisting announcement has sparked varied market reactions across the 10 affected tokens. Fusionist (ACE) price saw a modest 4% increase, trading at $2.157, with a 24-hour low of $2.015 and a high of $2.218. Similarly, AC Milan Fan Token (ACM) price climbed 4% to $1.634, with lows and highs of $1.566 and $1.645, respectively.
Book of Meme (BOME) price gained approximately 5%, trading at $0.0065, supported by a $450M market cap. Dymension (DYM) price experienced a 6% rise, trading at $1.50, with its 24-hour low and high recorded at $1.40 and $1.542. Metal DAO (MTL) price mirrored the positive trend, climbing 6% to $1.20, driven by a $94M market cap.
Pixels (PIXEL) price saw a 4.6% uptick, reaching $0.16. However, not all tokens benefited, as QuarkChain (QKC) price suffered a steep 12% decline, trading at $0.0112. Minor gains were recorded for Radworks (RAD) at $1.256 and Renzo (REZ) at $0.036, each with a modest 2% increase.
Historically, Binance delistings have had severe impacts on token performance. For instance, Heroes of Mavia (MAVIA) price fell by 28%, OMG Network (OMG) price dropped by 15%, and BarnBridge (BOND) price plummeted by 80% within a month of being delisted. These cases demonstrate how delistings often lead to panic selling, reduced liquidity, and long-term price declines, causing significant concerns for investors in affected tokens.
Kim Asendorf's PXL DEX is an onchain art collection that links NFTs and ERC-20s in a way we've never seen before.
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In recent times, there's been a wave of experiments tying NFTs and fungible ERC-20s more tightly together. Think DN-404, ERC-20z, Apptokens, etc.
But what happens when an artist dives in at this crossroads to make an entirely new kind of onchain artwork?
We got a glimpse at the possibilities here this month, as Kim Asendorf just released his latest series PXL DEX.
— FLAMINGO 🦩 (@FLAMINGODAO) January 16, 2025 Asendorf is a German visual artist who specializes in digital conceptual art. People in the NFT space are most likely to recognize his work via collections like Cargo and SABOTAGE.
His creations challenge viewers to reflect on their relationship with technology, presenting both simple and complex digital worlds for interpretation. This same spirit unsurprisingly animates PXL DEX.
Congrats to @kimasendorf on the release of PXL DEX, thrilled to see dynamic artworks onchain receiving so much positive attention and deserved acclaim.
PXL DECK 175, owned by @matto__matto
2025 looking to be a great year for art on Ethereum 🫡 pic.twitter.com/nVvlX7akBd
— Material Protocol Arts (@material_work) January 22, 2025 Yet PXL DEX stands out in Asendorf's oeuvre in the way that it combines both NFTs and ERC-20 tokens toward achieving dynamism and interactivity.
How PXL DEX worksWhen collectors minted one of the 256 PXL DEX NFTs, they simultaneously minted a corresponding number of PXL tokens (ERC-20).
By default, 50,000 PXL tokens fill the NFT, starting its pixelated animation. Collectors could mint up to 500,000 PXL tokens during the initial minting, plus they can later choose to add more.
Each PXL token represents a pixel within the NFT’s animation, with the number of PXL tokens determines the artwork's density, from faint and minimal to dense and vibrant.
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— marka (@marka_eth) January 21, 2025 Accordingly, collectors can adjust their Deck’s appearance over time by depositing or withdrawing PXL tokens, curating the animation’s complexity.
All elements of the NFTs—animations, metadata, and visuals—are notably stored directly on Ethereum, i.e. fully onchain. There's no reliance on private servers, Arweave, IPFS, etc.
As for the animations, they're rendered in real-time using custom WebGL and shader coding, and they can become so complex that they essentially become impossible to convey.
"At the blockchain level it's technically possible to add infinitely more PXL to a Deck, but eventually it will strain the ability of any computer to render the animation," as the critic and filmmaker Kevin Buist noted in his editorial Tokenizing Pixels.
Why it mattersSpeaking of Buist, he also perfect summarized why PXL DEX is artistically significant in that same editorial:
"Digital art, particularly when made from the ground up with custom code, lends itself naturally to the kind of broad conceptual questions that move past the visual content of a work and straight to the heart of what a thing is and what it does. The animations of PXL DEX are beautiful and entrancing, but this is not a screensaver. This is a series that probes the borders of what screen-based work can be, which also involves the viewer/collector in a way that pushes beyond perception into collaboration."That said, PXL DEX is onchain not just for the sake of being onchain, but specifically to use tokens to enable the very collaboration that the series artistically and foundationally springs from.
But another reason why PXL DEX is significant is because what it will inspire going forward—both in the artist and across the wider cryptoart community.
What I mean with regard to Asendorf is that he's only just beginning to dig into the possibilities here, as he's planning more PXL releases in the future.
"PXL DEX is the first artwork within the PXL ecosystem, an ongoing work series to experiment with pixels as utility tokens," he's explained.
I don't want to rank or say what project is best, but PXL DEX by @kimasendorf is a gorgeous and thoughtful piece of work. Visually stunning, exploring the medium's native capabilities and self-releasing the work. Excited about what's coming this year. pic.twitter.com/gLjIF9elh5
— rudxane (@rudxane1) January 21, 2025 This collection has already become a sensation with more than a few cryptoart and fully onchain connoisseurs, so the prospects of more and potentially larger related experiments is something collector types will want to track in the months ahead.
And then as far as the community goes, it's no stretch to assume that PXL DEX will inspire a new wave of hybrid NFT and ERC-20 projects that are explicitly artistic in nature rather than directly tied to games, PFPs, etc. So that's another thread you'll want to keep an eye on.
This new release may fly under the radar for many as niche. But for those of us who do zoom in, it reminds us that the line between creator and audience is increasingly being blurred in onchain art, and in that blurring, even more experiments and opportunities are on the way.
Ethereum gaming network Ronin has opened its doors for any developer to build new games, decentralized applications, or other projects in its ecosystem as part of a broader “Open Ronin” push.
Previously, Ronin has operated as a curated blockchain, with the Ethereum sidechain building a reputation for prominent crypto gaming experiences and developing a die-hard fan base in the process. Ronin’s RON token has grown to become the second largest gaming chain token by market capitalization at $720 million, according to CoinGecko, since it launched in 2021.
Ronin is the home to the popular farming game Pixels, strategy title Apeiron, as well as the seminal play-to-earn game Axie Infinity—which was developed by Ronin creator Sky Mavis itself. Over the past year, multiple developers have switched to the gaming network citing the “Ronin Effect,” referencing the apparent boost that games see from the Ronin audience.
As part of the Open Ronin announcement, Pirate Nation developer Proof of Play said that the game is expanding from Arbitrum to Ronin, with a Ronin NFT mint planned ahead.
“Over the past four years, we’ve cemented our status as the premier gaming chain, and now we’re evolving once again,” Sky Mavis CEO and co-founder Trung Nguyen said, in a statement. “With Open Ronin, we’re accelerating our growth—unlocking more games, DeFi applications, and dApps than ever before. I believe this moment will be studied for years to come.”
With this move, Sky Mavis has released the Ronin Developer Console as a toolkit to help those building on the network. The toolkit will aid developers in creating simple NFT listings, sponsored transactions (so that players avoid paying gas fees), and in-game marketplaces, plus will provide smart contract templates.
1/ The Golden Age of Ronin Starts NOW!
We have just submitted a transaction to break down the allowlist for deploying contracts on Ronin.
From this moment forward, Ronin is open.
Here’s what this grand opening means for our movement 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/Wmr3Pimaqb
— Ronin (@Ronin_Network) February 12, 2025
“Today marks the dawn of Ronin’s golden age,” Nguyen said. “If you’re building something that will make sense to everyday people, we want you to build it on Ronin.”
Since its inception, Ronin has opted for a closed, curated approach—only accepting developers of projects they deemed high-quality enough. Sky Mavis and Ronin co-founder Jeff “Jihoz” Zirlin told Decrypt this is because there is an “overabundance” of games in crypto, while there remains a lack of gamers. But, even during that mid-2024 interview, he had an eye on the chain going “pervasively permissionless.”
“Now, with a more mature ecosystem and growing market demand, it makes sense to transition into a more self-serve model,” Nguyen told Decrypt in a statement, “allowing more developers and creators to build, experiment, and scale on Ronin while maintaining the quality and success that made it appealing in the first place.”
Zirlin said that by going permissionless, the number of games deploying on the gaming network would accelerate. In doing this, he hopes one of those games would help drive the growth of Ronin—like Pixels did in 2024, and Axie Infinity did during the play-to-earn boom of 2021.
“The endgame is to create an ecosystem that seamlessly blends gaming with ecommerce and payment apps,” Zirlin told Decrypt in 2024. "We believe the path to getting there is by bootstrapping adoption and attention through gaming, and then expanding into payments and ecommerce, thereby disrupting the predatory banking system and credit card industry.”
Edited by Andrew Hayward
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Pixels and Forgotten Runiverse, a pair of crypto games on the gaming-focused Ethereum scaling network Ronin, are teaming up to bring Pixels’ PIXEL token to the Runiverse—the massively-multiplayer online role-playing game or MMORPG that just opened to the public in early access.
Forgotten Runiverse, developed by Biosonic, is based on the lore of the Ethereum NFT collection Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult. The game opted to move from layer-2 Arbitrum to Ronin in July 2024 and will eventually have its own native token, XP, which will act as the ecosystem token for Forgotten Runes.
Social farming game Pixels also made its own move to Ronin in late 2023, driving substantial renewed attention to the Ethereum network ahead of last year’s launch of the PIXEL token. Amid a recent push to open up Ronin to all builders, the two teams are now collaborating.
“We’ve always seen a lot of potential synergy between our teams, as we both are focused on creating interoperable, sustainable Web3 economies, and we’re constantly thinking about how we can work together to push that vision forward,” Pixels founder Luke Barwikowski told Decrypt.
“Honestly, if there’s one thing the industry needs right now, it’s more collaboration,” he added. “Ultimately, this is a win-win for all of us.”
Thanks to the collaboration, Runiverse players will be able to claim PIXEL rewards with Quanta—the in-game currency of the Forgotten Runiverse. PIXEL will also be used for purchasing mana, boosts, and exclusive items within the game.
How the Pixels x Forgotten Runiverse collaboration will work. Image: Pixels/Forgotten Runiverse“By integrating PIXEL into the Runiverse, we’re offering players the chance to engage with a proven token economy inside a new game,” Biosonic COO Shane Bierwith told Decrypt. “This not only adds immediate utility for PIXEL, but also strengthens our own ecosystem as we prepare to launch our native token, XP.”
The teams expect that the integration will not only enhance token utility for PIXEL, but also “offer valuable data to optimize player engagement and play-to-earn strategies.”
“Success, for us, comes down to the data,” said Barwikowski. “We’re all about using big data, AI, and predictive analytics to refine our play-to-earn models and boost reward efficiency.”
“Partnering with Forgotten Runiverse allows us to dive deep into player behavior, optimize our P2E systems, and ultimately improve retention and engagement,” he continued. “By building more insights through this partnership, we aim to develop strategies and data points that we can take to additional teams in the future.”
Bierwith too will be analyzing the data, telling Decrypt that Biosonic will measure “how effectively PIXEL drives repeat engagement, retention, and meaningful in-game spend,” including how many users swap Quanta into PIXEL and how it’s used in the game’s gacha-style rewards system called the Font of Memory.
To commemorate the collaboration, Runiverse-themed quests will launch in Pixels, plus a special Runiverse avatar will be available prior to the official launch of PIXEL in the fantasy MMORPG. That token integration is expected to take place sometime this quarter.
Barwikowski said that this integration with the Forgotten Runiverse team is “just the start.”
“The ultimate goal is to work together and bring Web3 into the mainstream,” he told Decrypt. “At Pixels, we’re committed to sharing our insights and tools to help other games scale and grow because collective progress helps us all in the long-term.”
Pixels has generated more than $20 million in revenue and boasts more than 10 million registered players, according to its team. PIXEL has already been integrated into not only the core Pixels game but also spinoff Pixel Dungeons, which launched in December.
Edited by Andrew Hayward
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In brief Ethereum game Pixels is offering token rewards for players who successfully flirt with AI-powered NPCs, with the top 500 players earning PIXEL tokens and possibly future AIV tokens. Players must purchase a key for PIXEL tokens to access the limited-time flirting challenge, which ends May 22. • This feature is part of Pixels' broader strategy to enhance player engagement through AI integration. Ethereum farming game Pixels is currently offering players the opportunity to earn a token airdrop by flirting with an AI-powered non-player character (NPC)—yes, really.
Players have jokingly branded the experience as a “rizz-to-earn” mini-game, in the wake of the popular but fleeting play-to-earn and tap-to-earn game models.
Players must load up Pixels and head over to Terra Villa before entering AiVeronica’s castle to purchase a key for 100 PIXEL tokens ($5). You can also buy one from the AiVeronica site for 77 PIXEL ($4), but the supply is close to running out. Then you’ll be able to enter the room and start rizzing it up.
You’ll be welcomed by a character with its own distinct personality, interests, and story. Gamers earn points based on how well they sweet-talk the character, and players that earn more than 80 points will rank on a campaign leaderboard.
AIVeronica is coming to @pixels_online !
Meet her as she's tapping into the exciting world of Pixels - best thing: she’s not coming alone. 💜✨
Explore the castle, where every heartbeat matters and every choice can change your fate.
In this all-new Pixels experience:
💟… pic.twitter.com/aeTdfGAMTO
— AiVeronica (@Aiveronica_) May 7, 2025
The top 500 players that reach a score of 80 points or higher in the shortest time will receive PIXEL rewards. These rewards will be determined by the key sales, with the top 10 players each earning 1% of the PIXEL pool, ranks 11-100 getting 0.3% each, and anyone below that 0.2% apiece. There is also the potential for a future airdrop of AiVeronica tokens, AIV, in the future.
The rizz-filled quest started last week and will run until Thursday, May 22. So, how do you become the rizz king? Turns out it’s just a vibe.
“Unfortunately, you can’t really teach rizz—you have to just feel it,” Luke Franks, a crypto gaming content creator that has a brand deal with AiVeronica, jokingly told Decrypt. “But also yes, each character has a special interest, so try and work it out quickly and talk to them about what they like. That will get you points fast.”
AiVerionica is an AI agent that learns by interacting with players in video games. Developed in partnership with the Virtuals Protocol, the agent has its own token that is currently sitting at a $4.5 million market cap, according to DEX Screener. While powered by AiVeronica, the in-game characters are technically considered her friends, not necessarily Veronica herself.
While fun and certainly funny, the rizz-to-earn quest is part of a broader exploration into how advanced AI NPCs like AiVeronica can improve gaming experiences.
“AiVeronica is part of our long-term vision to push the boundaries of storytelling and interaction in Pixels, as a way to increase community engagement,” Pixels founder Luke Barwikowski told Decrypt. “We're already exploring future AI-powered features, like an AI agent farmhand, to deepen the gameplay experience. Our goal is to make Pixels a living, evolving world, and AI plays a role in accomplishing that.”
The evolution of AI has already influenced the crypto gaming industry, with Ethereum metaverse Decentraland adding AI NPCs in 2023. Similarly, a wave of mods hit traditional gaming that same year, with a Grand Theft Auto 5 mod allowing NPCs to hurl insults at you.
And on Friday, an AI-powered Darth Vader was added to Fortnite, using the recreated likeness of the late voice actor James Earl Jones—but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, as players were able to get it to swear and slur pretty easily.
Still, AI is a powerful tool to help make gaming experiences feel more alive. Barwikowski said that the flirty quest highlights the game’s goal to create “unique, memorable experiences” for players.
“We’re always looking for new ways to bring players together through meaningful in-game activities,” he said. “AIVeronica’s friends aren’t just NPCs, as they react to player choices, change the storyline, and feel like real characters. It’s a big step toward our vision of making Pixels a world where characters feel alive and player decisions have impact.”
Edited by Andrew Hayward
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The crypto market is bracing for significant token unlocks in the third week of August 2025. Approximately $1 billion in new token supplies will hit the market.
Three prominent projects, LayerZero (ZRO), KAITO (KAITO), and Soon (SOON), will release substantial token volumes, potentially driving market volatility and influencing short-term price dynamics.
1. LayerZero (ZRO) Unlock Date: August 20 Number of Tokens to be Unlocked: 25.71 million ZRO (2.57% of Total Supply) Current Circulating Supply: 111.15 million ZRO Total Supply: 1 billion ZRO LayerZero is an interoperability protocol designed to enable seamless communication across different blockchains. It supports censorship-resistant, permissionless development with immutable smart contracts.
On August 20, LayerZero will release 25.71 million ZRO tokens, valued at approximately $51.9 million. These tokens account for 23.14% of the current circulating supply.
ZRO Token Unlock in August. Source: TokenomistOverall, the allocation includes 13.42 million ZRO for strategic partners, 10.63 million tokens for core contributors, and 1.67 million ZRO for tokens repurchased by the team.
2. KAITO (KAITO) Unlock Date: August 20 Number of Tokens to be Unlocked: 23.35 million KAITO (2.3% of Total Supply) Current Circulating Supply: 241.38 million KAITO Total Supply: 1 billion KAITO Kaito is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Web3 information platform that aggregates and analyzes cryptocurrency market data from diverse sources like social media, governance forums, news and more. The KAITO token serves as a medium of exchange, governance tool, and incentive mechanism within the platform.
On August 20, the team will unlock 23.35 million tokens, representing 9.68% of the current circulating supply. The supply is worth approximately $24.73 million.
KAITO Token Unlock in August. Source: TokenomistThe team will split the unlocked tokens three ways. The foundation will receive 1.19 million tokens. Furthermore, the team will direct 7.16 million KAITO for ecosystem and network growth and 15 million tokens for long-term creator incentives.
3. Soon (SOON) Unlock Date: August 23 Number of Tokens to be Unlocked: 41.88 million SOON (4.32% of Total Supply) Current Circulating Supply: 235.06 million Total Supply: 969.9 million SOON is a high-performance Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) Rollup, designed to implement the Super Adoption Stack. It includes three main components: SOON Mainnet, SOON Stack, and InterSOON.
The network will unlock 41.88 million tokens worth around $11.74 million. The unlocked supply accounts for 17.82% of the current supply in circulation.
SOON Token Unlock in August. Source: TokenomistSOON will allocate 26.67 million tokens to SOONer, a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) built on the Solana (SOL) blockchain. Moreover, it will keep 8.30 million tokens for an airdrop to NFT holders.
The team has earmarked 4.17 million SOON for the ecosystem, 2.22 million tokens for community incentives, and 520,830 tokens for airdrop and liquidity.
In addition to these three, other major projects will release tokens during this period. Investors can look out for token unlocks from Avail (AVAIL), Pixels (PIXEL), Polyhedra Network (ZKJ), and IOTA (IOTA).
As summer gives way to fall, the web3 games that defined H1 of 2025 are giving way to a clutch of new upstarts. Some are on the verge of being released, while others have just been upgraded or begun gaining traction. But all five of the games featured here share this much in common: they’re highly playable. So much so that they’ll be seeing heavy rotation this fall among web3 gamers who know a good thing when they find it. From platformers to RPGs, this fab five do all that with a cherry on top.
Pudgy Party Easily one of this year’s most highly anticipated web3 games, Pudgy Party has been a long time coming. And now it’s here, the Pudgy community are happy little penguins. Not just the original holders of the NFT collection that spawned the Pudgy IP that’s since popped up everywhere – both onchain and in-store – but also web3 gamers at large.
Available on the App Store and Google Play Store, the Mythical Games-created Pudgy Party is a platform romper in which Power Pudgies roam around collecting items and performing bomb leaps and water surges. There are PvP battles, rare skins to collect, and leaderboards to ascend. Having surpassed 500,000 downloads already, this Pudgy Party is gonna run and run.
Pixels Don’t let the retro graphics and Farmville vibes fool you: Pixels packs a real punch. There’s surprising depth to this blockchain farming game, whose open design and community-centric vibes make it a pleasurable place to dip into for a little cultivation and conversation. The Pixels team has been tilling the soil in readiness for a breakout year, and the Ronin Network-powered open-world sim is hitting new heights thanks to fresh updates.
Its large community of farmers – from casual planters to hardcore creators – has been wooed by the clever staking mechanics that tie real rewards into everyday gameplay, turning virtual harvests into tangible value. Pixels invites you to build farms, craft items, and now dive into PvE and PvP modes with the upcoming Chapter 3 release, due in October. Social features let you collaborate on massive worlds, while $PIXEL emissions reward active players, making every session feel rewarding. Thanks to these enhancements, it’s priming for a bountiful fall harvest of Pixel playtime.
EVE Frontier Venturing into the stars, EVE Frontier from CCP Games is the web3 space survival MMO that’s finally igniting after years of anticipation, with Founder Access now live and a free trial running through September. EVE, known for its deep lore and player-driven economies, has harnessed blockchain integration, bringing true asset ownership to this unforgiving universe, attracting explorers ready to claim their slice of the cosmos.
In this Redstone blockchain-powered world, players must mine resources, build ships, and engage in high-stakes PvP or co-op survival, while progress and assets persist across sessions. The recent Vision Update has polished exploration mechanics and added new era features, making every frontier push feel epic and rewarding. As mainnet features expand this fall, EVE Frontier is a go-to for gamers craving immersive space adventures where only the best-prepped survive.
The Beacon Web3 loves its RPGs and in The Beacon it might just have found its most genre-defying yet. This Arbitrum-native game, which is currently in beta, is set to be rolled out this fall, enabling players to enter its dungeons and attempt to vanquish the monsters they contain. A combination of skill and strategy is required to advance through The Beacon, which enables players to choose between three modes: single-player PvE, co-op PvE, and an MMO-like world.
Available on desktop and in-browser, The Beacon is free-to-play, while owners of a Founding Character NFT can enjoy unique rewards such as the ability to find loot in chests and to fully customize their characters. Don’t let the unassuming graphics and familiar fantasy world concept fool you: there’s real depth to The Beacon, which looks poised to illuminate the web3 gaming sector when it drops this fall.
Web3 Games to Fall For As the nights draw, it seems the perfect time for taking a closer look at what the web3 gaming sector is serving up as entertainment. As an examination of the five new or renewed titles featured here shows, there’s something for everyone, from sports fanatics to PvP battlers. And while all of the games contain web3 components, from native tokens to NFTs, these elements have been added to complement the gameplay rather than define it. Come for the fun. Stay for the community vibes and token rewards.
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Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center has reached a $600,000 settlement over alleged unauthorized tracking on its public website.
Why It Matters The class action lawsuit, Warren v. Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, was filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, on March 9, 2023.
The plaintiffs allege that Pomona Valley Hospital's use of Facebook Pixel and other similar technology on its public website violates wiretapping and other statutes under the Website Usage Disclosure. A Facebook pixel is a code placed on websites to track customer actions.
Pomona Valley Hospital denies any wrongdoing. In a statement to Newsweek, the hospital said it "vehemently denies all claims asserted in the class action and that it did anything wrong by using website tracking technology."
What To Know According to the hospital’s privacy policy, non-personal information, like IP address or type of internet browser used, may be collected. The hospital said that it uses collected information primarily for internal purposes, such as providing, maintaining, evaluating, improving its services and website, fulfilling requests for information and providing customer support. Any sensitive data collected, like credit card information, is encrypted and transmitted in a secure way, according to the hospital's privacy policy. Cookies are used on the website but the hospital said it does not sell collected information to outside parties.
Pomona Valley Hospital told Newsweek that it does not believe any health or medical information was transmitted to Facebook or any other third party.
"Like other health care entities that use similar website tracking technology and settled similar class actions, PVHMC determined that it was in the best interest of the hospital and its patients to settle this matter," Pomona Valley Hospital said in a statement.
California residents who visited the hospital’s website and logged into their patient portal between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2022, may qualify for the payout.
According to Kroll Settlement Administration, the settlement fund covers attorney’s fees and expenses up to $200,000, service award to class representatives up to $3,000 and settlement administration costs, which are still to be determined. The payment to eligible members will come from the remainder of the fund.
Participating class members will receive a pro rata cash payment from the settlement fund. Members do not have to apply for the fund; they will automatically receive a check or electronic payment. The settlement administrator will use the hospital's records to identify eligible class members.
"As always, PVHMC continues to work diligently and follow best practices to protect patient data integrity and meet or exceed standards for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance," the hospital said.
What Happens Next Those who choose to opt out of the settlement must do so by December 9, 2025. Members can also file an objection to the settlement. This means the member does not like the settlement or parts of the settlement and does not think it should be approved. Objections must be filed in writing to the Settlement Administrator by December 9, 2025.
The final fairness hearing will take place on January 26, 2026.
Participating members do not have to attend the hearing to receive the funds but are welcome to speak to the court during the hearing. Payments will then be distributed after any appeals and the court grants final approval of the settlement.
Newsweek reached out to the plaintiffs' lawyers for comment.
UPDATE 10/24/2025 4:40 p.m.: This story was updated with comment from Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.
Have an announcement or news to share? Contact the Newsweek Health Care team at [email protected].
Pixels Chapter 3: Bountyfall is LIVE! Join one of three Unions to jump into a massive team vs. team race to the finish! Each Season’s prize pool increases as more players participate.
How to play Bountyfall: Place Yieldstones in your Union’s Hearth to increase its health. First Union to FULL health takes home 70% of the prize pool!
Hearth Hall will now replace Terra Villa’s HQ building! The Quantum Recombinator is moving to the MOI, Karen is headed to the Post Office, and Kathleen can be found at Buck’s.
Pixels Chapter 3 is LIVE! Explore a flurry of new features and ways to earn in Web3’s most popular farming simulation game. Join a Union. Stack Yieldstones. Sabotage other players. Chapter 3 introduces a massive team vs. team competition with prize pools that scale with participation. Here’s what’s happening:
Play Pixels
Long ago, when the land broke and abundance turned to ash, three Unions rose to restore what was lost. Each follows a different path, yet all share one purpose: To bring balance back to Terra Villa. To help restore stability, learn about each Union and join the one that calls to you most.
Pixels Chapter 3 is a massive multiplayer race. Join a Union → Raise your Union’s Hearth Health → First Union to 100% wins! The Season ends once a Union’s Hearth Health reaches 100%, and the winning Union takes home 70% of the total prize pool. In the Hearth Manager below, you can see stats for total health, deposits, and sabotages as well as a tab for Offerings on the left. Here’s what it means:
In Bountyfall, all three Unions have one Hearth each. Place matching Yieldstones into YOUR Union’s Hearth to increase its health. For example, the Wildgrove Union Hearth accepts Verdant Yieldstones, the Seedwright Union accepts Flint Yieldstones, and the Reaper Union accepts Hollow Yieldstones.
There are two ways to get Yieldstones: Via your home’s Infinifunnel as rewards for completing task board tasks, and via crafting with a Yieldstone Press and Yield Reactors. Learn how to craft Yieldstones in Pixels’ guide here.
Verdant, Flint, and Hollow Yieldstones.Offerings do one of two things: Amplify the power of Yieldstones, or protect Hearths from sabotage. For example, a Power Offering can level up your Hearth from Level 0 to Level 1. This will speed-up your Union’s journey to 100% Hearth Health! However, sabotage is much more interesting.
Power and Defence OfferingsPlayers can send the wrong Yieldstone to opposing Unions’ Hearths. For example, the Wildgrove Union might send extra Verdant to the Seedwright Union. This will lower the Seedwright Union’s Hearth Health. Defence Offerings protect YOUR Union from these malicious Yieldstones.
Pro-tip: You can switch Unions once at any time. After that, switches require a 50 $PIXEL Harvest Union Changer and a 48-hour cooldown period.
Wildgrove → Needs Verdant Yieldstones
Wildgroves believe in letting the land breathe. You will see the land grow wild in their keep. They believe every root and river knows how to heal on its own. Balance is not forged, it is allowed. If you feel the same, you might just be a Wildgrove.
Seedwright → Needs Flint Yieldstones
Seedwrights believe the land thrives when guided. Left alone, it devours itself. The Hearths respond to care, effort, and discipline. Seedwrights rebuild not by chance, but by hands that tend with purpose. When you believe in discipline, you believe in Seedwrights.
Reaper → Needs Hollow Yieldstones
Reapers believe life and death are the same harvest. They acknowledge that nature gives and takes. They remember the price of the First Flame. Others forget. But they choose to offer what must be given. Reapers believe light and darkness should coincide.
Hearth Hall will now replace Terra Villa’s HQ building! The Quantum Recombinator is moving to the MOI, Karen is headed to the Post Office, and Kathleen can be found at Buck’s. Explore Hearth Hall to learn more about your journey into each realm’s Union.
Each Season lasts until the first Union reaches 100% Hearth Health. Here’s how much each Union can take home in a Season:
🥇 1st place Union: 70% of the rewards pool
🥈 2nd place Union: 30% of the rewards pool
🥉 3rd place Union: starter Yieldstones for the next season!
Unions will distribute rewards to their members based on contribution. For example, a Wildgrove member who contributed a lot will earn more than a Wildgrove member who only contributed a little. Union members who make no contributions will not earn rewards.
Remember: The more Yieldstones placed into Hearths, the larger the total reward pool. Reward pools will reset at the start of each new Season. There are also special rewards set aside for the top player each Season!
In the evolving landscape of blockchain technology, Solana has rapidly emerged as a platform not merely defined by its technical capabilities but by its broader implications for economic infrastructure. By enabling the class of decentralized applications, SOL is positioning itself as a high-performance blockchain and a foundational layer for the next-generation economic activity.
Why Infrastructure That Enables Continuous Markets In an X post, crypto analyst Vibhu mentioned that Solana is no longer just a piece of financial technology, but a fully functioning economy. What exists on SOL today has gone beyond transactions and smart contracts.
According to the expert, there are dollars and native currencies, real-world assets, metals and rare minerals, energy market, information markets, manufacturing primitives, and global trade rails all operating in real-time on-chain. SOL also has politics, governance processes, divided factions, and ongoing debates about the leading network’s future.
At this point, we are witnessing the birth of a country that lives entirely on the internet. Measured through economic output, SOL would rank around the 157th largest country in the world by GDP (Gross Domestic Product), comparable in size to nations such as Eswatini or Fiji. However, SOL is globally integrated by default, and from a forex and asset-flow perspective, it punches above its weight, integrating with the largest banks and financial institutions across the globe.
Furthermore, SOL has withstood sustained network attacks from nation-state actors, defending itself with systems engineers instead of armies. Economically, SOL is already engaged in trade with countries like Bhutan, ranked 164, the Isle of Man, ranked 154, and even Kazakhstan, which ranks 49 in global economic standings. “Solana is a digital country, and I am proud to be a citizen,” Vibhu noted.
Why Real-Time On-Chain UX Finally Works On Solana Solana continues to see key updates and integration that tend to bolster the network capabilities. Co-founder of TeamElevenX1 and Ambassador at Solflare, Kristofer_Sol, has highlighted that MagicBlock is quietly doing some of the most important work in the Solana ecosystem, pushing real-time SOL closer to true production scale.
At the center of this shift is the deep integration of compressed accounts into the Light Protocol inside Ephemeral Rollups, reducing rent costs by up to 200 times, while still functioning like a normal account for developers. The compression demo is already live, and real applications are actively using it today. Others like Rush Trade deliver faster trades, and Pixels achieve smooth, real-time pixel updates.
Kristofer_Sol stated that this is what a scalable on-chain user experience actually looks like. With low-cost reduction and speed improvements happening without forcing developers to rewrite everything, MagicBlock is quietly removing the friction that has held back games, social apps, and consumer products on SOL.
SOL trading at $123 on the 1D chart | Source: SOLUSDT on Tradingview.com Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com
TL;DR: Add a second screen anywhere with the Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro 16-inch portable monitor, now $279.99 (reg. $389.99).
Working from a laptop has its limits. You start strong with one screen, but soon, tabs multiply, windows overlap, and even simple tasks start to slow down. The Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro is designed to solve all that, giving you a bright, portable second screen that goes wherever you do, whether it’s at your desk, on the couch, or on the road. It’s currently on sale for $279.99 (reg. $389.99).
Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro The Duex Float 2 Pro’s 16-inch portable monitor adds extra workspace without the additional bulk. Its vibrant IPS LCD brings a roomy 16:10 aspect ratio, crisp 2560 x 1600 resolution, and ultra-smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Expect sharp text, lively colors, and smooth scrolling — plus 100% sRGB coverage for true-to-life hues. The anti-glare finish and 350 nits of brightness keep things easy on the eyes during marathon work sessions, and integrated stereo speakers mean you don’t need extra gear for audio.
What makes this monitor stand out is its flexibility. The newly engineered kickstand supports three viewing modes: a stacked dual-screen setup above your laptop, a presentation mode that flips the screen 180 degrees for easy sharing, and a freestanding desktop mode for gaming, content creation or document viewing. A magnetic attachment system allows it to pair with nearly any laptop size, and the entire setup is designed to feel stable.
Connectivity is a breeze and travel-friendly. Two USB-C ports deliver 65W pass-through charging, so your laptop stays powered up while the monitor runs. There’s also a mini-HDMI port for extra flexibility. A single cable handles both video and power and plug-and-play support covers macOS, Windows, Linux, Nintendo Switch, and select Android devices with Samsung DeX.
This extra monitor is a smart fit for multitasking pros, students dealing with research and notes, creators managing timelines and previews — anyone who wants a more comfortable, flexible way to work without the bulk of a full desktop setup. It’s also slimmer and lighter than previous models, so that it won’t weigh you down day to day.
The Mobile Pixels Duex Float 2 Pro 16-inch portable second monitor is currently priced at $279.99 (reg. $389.99). If a second screen would make your workday smoother without tying you to one desk, this setup offers a practical upgrade.
A Vermont breast cancer patient sued Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. for allegedly sharing her health information with Google LLC and other companies without consent through hidden website tracking tools.
The complaint alleges Novartis used tracking pixels on its websites offering drug-discount programs to secretly transmit patients’ medical conditions, prescriptions, and other sensitive health data to advertising companies including Google and ContentSquare. Lead plaintiff P.M. filed the proposed class action Thursday in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.
The plaintiff visited a Novartis website in November 2024 to get information about Kisqali, her cancer medication, and apply for ...
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Stacked is a new rewards app built by the Pixels team. Earn and track rewards across multiple games in one place!
Get AI-Powered Player Insights: Studios can use Stacked’s AI game economist to analyze cohorts, spot churn patterns, and suggest reward experiments worth running next.
How to use Stacked: it’s simple to get started for everyone!
Join Stacked Start Getting Rewards!
Welcome to Ronin, Stacked! For years, Web3 gaming rewards have faced a flurry of challenges: Bots, farmed quests, payout design challenges, impractical reward loops, and more. Pixels built Stacked to fix this.
Stacked is a new kind of rewards program. Play multiple games, complete missions, build streaks, earn rewards, and withdraw them from a single app. Behind the scenes, Stacked also provides studios with deep player insight including complex event tracking, precise targeting, reward logic, tight fraud controls, and automated payouts.
Stacked is easy for gamers to use. Download the app, play games, complete missions tailored to your playstyle, and claim your rewards. All in one place. Stacked aims to give players:
Real Games & Clear Rewards: No impossible hoops to jump through to get paid via fun games
A Unified Ecosystem: A single account to seamlessly track and claim everything across the platform
Diverse Reward Triggers: Moving beyond just raw playtime, Stacked rewards the behaviors that actually matter like in-game progression, daily consistency, content creation, team challenges, and referrals.
Strict Data Privacy: Personal data is never sold to third parties. All gameplay signals stay securely inside the Stacked system solely to improve your reward matching.
Stacked helps developers understand which behaviors to reward and why. It’s the infrastructure Pixels wishes they had from day one. Think of it like a LiveOps engine rather than a typical Web3 quest board. Once a studio integrates and begins feeding gameplay events into the app, Stacked takes the heavy lifting out of the economy by helping determine:
Who should receive a reward
What specific actions they are being rewarded for
When the reward should be triggered
What type of reward is most effective
The ultimate goal is precision: incentivizing the right behavior, for the right user, at the exact right moment. More importantly, it allows studios to measure whether those rewards actually moved the needle on core metrics like retention, revenue, or Lifetime Value (LTV). This transforms Stacked into a comprehensive system for running reward-driven LiveOps, fully equipped with granular controls for targeting, pricing, attribution, and preventing bot abuse.
Stacked features a powerful agent layer and AI game economist designed to help LiveOps teams move faster and make data-driven decisions. Instead of manually digging through raw data, developers will be able to ask the system complex economic questions, such as:
What are my most loyal users doing before Day 30?
What separates whales who retain from whales who churn?
What reward experiments should we run to improve Day 7 retention?
Based on prompts like these, the system can generate comprehensive reports, identify meaningful player cohorts, suggest LiveOps experiments, and help teams create new reward logic tied to the outcomes they actually care about. The Pixels team have already been testing it in games including Pixels, Pixel Dungeons, and Chubkins.
For Players: https://stacked.xyz
For Studios: https://stacked.xyz/business
The Pixels team will share more details as the rollout expands. For now, we’re excited to help them showcase what they’ve been building behind the scenes for the ecosystem.
Rubio: US and Iran to continue technical consultations at the end of this month
Multiple foreign media outlets reported on the 24th that US Secretary of State Rubio said technical teams from the United States and Iran will hold further talks in Switzerland by the end of June. (Xinhua News Agency)
5 hours ago
Over the past 24 hours, total crypto market liquidations hit $606 million, with more than 130,000 traders liquidated.
According to Coinglass data, the global cryptocurrency market recorded $606 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours, including $542 million in long-position liquidations and $68.22 million in short-position liquidations. A total of 135,785 traders worldwide were liquidated in the same period, with the largest single liquidation order occurring on Binance’s BTCUSDT trading pair, valued at $12.0111 million.
5 hours ago
Bitcoin falls below $60,000
According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has fallen below $60,000, with a 4.3% drop in the past 24 hours.
5 hours ago
US Treasury Secretary: AI boom may boost productivity and help curb inflation.
US Treasury Secretary Bessent told CNBC in an interview that he hopes the Federal Reserve will remain "open-minded" about the inflation pattern after the reversal of Iran-related energy price hikes. Bessent noted that the U.S. could enter an economic environment marked by high GDP growth without a corresponding rise in traditional inflation. He cited that in the 1990s, Alan Greenspan foresaw that office modernization and the internet could drive non-inflationary growth, and allowed the economy to keep expanding. Bessent believes the U.S. has a strong chance of seeing a similar scenario again. When asked whether the Fed still needs to worry about potential inflation and whether interest rate cuts are possible this year or next, Bessent declined to comment. However, he argued that it is necessary to stay open-minded about the price or inflation impacts from the Iran conflict, and monitor inflation performance after those effects subside. Bessent also said an open mind is needed, as the AI boom could boost productivity and deliver disinflationary effects, helping inflation return to the Fed’s target level. He added that he believes Kevin Warsh will choose the optimal path that meets both the Fed’s inflation and growth mandates. Bessent also noted that Warsh previously took a hawkish stance on inflation.
5 hours ago
US stocks' intraday storage sector sees broad declines, with Western Digital and Seagate Technology both falling over 4%.
According to Bitget data, during U.S. stock trading hours, the storage sector saw broad declines: Western Digital (WDC) fell 4.47%, Seagate Technology (STX) dropped 4.17%, SanDisk (SNDK) declined 2.31%, and Micron Technology (MU) edged down 0.96%. Most optical communication concept stocks rose, with Corning (GLW) leading the gains at 9.75%, followed by Ciena (CIEN) up 3.24%, Coherent (COHR) rising 2.93%, Lumentum (LITE) gaining 2.61%, and Nokia (NOK) advancing 1.82%. Additionally, Marvell Technology (MRVL) fell 2.59% and Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) declined 1.90%.
5 hours ago
During intraday trading in U.S. stocks, crypto-related concept stocks fell broadly, with MSTR dropping more than 7%.
According to Bitget market data, the three major U.S. stock indexes rose broadly: the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.94%, the S&P 500 increased 0.60%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.63%. Crypto-related stocks fell across the board, with declines as follows: Strategy (MSTR) down 7.33%; Circle (CRCL) down 4.35%; Bitmine (BMNR) down 3.97%; Coinbase (COIN) down 3.73%; Robinhood (HOOD) down 3.70%; Gemini (GEMI) down 3.27%; Bullish (BLSH) down 3.25%; Sharplink (SBET) down 3.19%.
