Former Monero Developer Launches New Crypto Mining App Using ASIC-Resistant Hashing Algorithm

Riccardo “Fluffypony” Spagni, the former lead maintainer of the privacy blockchain Monero, has launched a new mining app called Tari Universe. The app aims to “democratize” cryptocurrency mining by using an ASIC-resistant hashing algorithm that allows users to mine using regular computers. After the recent launch of the app, Spagni said his goal is to make mining more accessible to everyone, “We want to create an experience where the technology gradually melts into the background. Tari Universe is about user power rather than suppressing them.” Spagni is promoting the L1 protocol even as he faces charges of fraud and forgery filed by his former employer Cape Cookies. In June, a Mybroadband report claimed that Spagni defrauded Cape Cookies of approximately $83,400 between October 1, 2009 and June 8, 2011. However, South African authorities did not take action until August 2021, when they asked US authorities to arrest him. Since his arrest and subsequent transfer to South African authorities, Spagni has maintained his innocence and attempted to have the arrest warrant quashed. However, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal rejected the request. (Bitcoin.com)