I'll be closing ClearCoin to new transactions...

I've been struggling recently to keep ClearCoin moving forward while I also try to keep core bitcoin on track, and with all the demands on my time I can't spend the time on ClearCoin to make it a project that I'm really proud of.

So in the next day or two I'll stop allowing the creation of new escrow transactions. Existing transactions will be unaffected, and I'll keep ClearCoin running for at least two months after the last active transaction has expired.

ClearCoin may re-open in the future; stay tuned!

Charity Escrow changes

I've been contacted by a charity who is not happy that they were listed as a donation option for ClearCoin charity escrows.

I made the mistake of assuming that charities would appreciate the extra bitcoins; it never occurred to me that ClearCoin customers might contact a charity and ask THEM for their (supposedly-donated) coins back. Charities can't be expected to resolve ClearCoin disputes.

To fix the problem, I have disabled all charities for new escrow accounts except one: the Bitcoin Faucet. I will be writing to any charities that received ClearCoin donations from already-created escrow transactions to make them aware of the situation and will ask them to forward any ClearCoin-related issues to me.

ClearCoin was broken, but is fixed now

ClearWing Software is still a one-person company, so I (Gavin) am the only person able to fix things when they fail. So, of course, a major failure occurred right before I started a long airplane ride (I just got back from a trip to France), resulting in about a 14-hour timespan when ClearCoin was broken.

Nobody's bitcoins were ever in danger of being lost, but I apologize for the mistake. Over the next several months I'll be working on growing the business, and will be finding solutions that make ClearCoin more reliable without compromising security.