Former Google employee and Bitcoin core developer Mike Hearn says internal politics restrain Google from adopting bitcoin, TAR Airlines becomes Latin America's first airline to accept BTC, New York State Department of Financial Services' Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky is expected to give remarks on digital currency regulation and discuss the BitLicense proposal in Washington, DC, and more top stories for June 3.

KnCMiner Deploys New 3D 16nm Bitcoin Mining Chip

KnCMiner, a bitcoin mining hardware manufacturer based in Sweden, became today the first company in the world to deploy a 16-nanometer chip at scale.

In a release, KnCMiner CEO Sam Cole, said:

"We have a great design team never standing still. We're going to continue pushing innovation within processor design. We've produced 4 consecutive all-new chip designs in only 2 years, exceeding even Moore's Law and we see no signs of this development slowing down going forward."

Ben Lawsky to Deliver Remarks on Digital Currency Regulation in Washington, DC

Superintendent of Financial Services for the State of New York, Benjamin Lawsky will speak at the BITS Emerging Payments Forum, on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., in Washington DC, and share remarks on digital currency regulation.

A livestream will be available at https://livestream.com/FSRoundtable/BITSForumDC

BitPay Releases Multi-Sig Copay Wallet

Leading bitcoin merchant solutions provider BitPay, has announced the release of its much-anticipated wallet Copay, following a year of beta testing and use.

Aimed at giving customers' maximum security and control over their funds, Copay offers various features including the ability to store and manage in a convenient manner multiple and distinctive wallets.

Copay as well as its server are open-source, and according to the company, dozens of bitcoin developers have already contributed to the app.

The Copay app is available on all major OS', including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, universal Node-powered CLI, as well as Chrome extension.

Former Google Employee Says Internal Politics Restrain the Firm from Adopting Bitcoin

Mike Hearn, a Bitcoin core developer and former employee at Google, claims that Google's own hierarchy is limiting the company from using bitcoin.

Hearn, who recently conducted an AMA (ask me anything) on ZapChain, said:

"Google and Bitcoin hits problems with their internal politics, I'm sad to say. You'd think Google would like Bitcoin because it's a crazy risk taking potentially-10x project, which is exactly what Larry Page says he wants Google to do. But one middle manager there (who shall remain nameless) hates Bitcoin and has the ability to veto most kinds of work Googlers could do on it. I had to repeatedly go over his head in order to get bitcoinj released and most employees simply aren't willing to engage in that kind of corporate politics."

Mexico's TAR Airlines Now Accepts Bitcoin

TAR Airlines, a regional Airline from Mexico, announced it has partnered with Openpay and BitPay, becoming the first airline in Latin America to accept bitcoin as a payment method.

José Calzadías, Commercial Manager & P.R. at TAR, said in a release:

"This business partnership has enabled TAR to become the first airline in Latin America to accept Bitcoin and put us in the forefront of both technology and security. [...] We will continue to evaluate new payment options that give a real added value to our customers."

Augur Selected as a Finalist at Exponential Finance Competition

Augur, a decentralized prediction market running over the Ethereum network, has been selected as one of the finalists at the Exponential Finance 2015 competition.

Augur, along with EatLimmo, Vendedy, LabMinds and SwiftTram, are running for the "Breakthrough" category.

Blockchain-Backed Sand Hill Exchange Fined US$20K by US SEC

Sand Hill Exchange, a venture allowing investors to bet against unlisted tech startups using the blockchain, was fined US$20,000 by the US Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC).

The exchange confirmed it was under investigation and was reverting to a previous, free version of its service, writing in a blog post:

"We reached a settlement agreement with the SEC and are reverting to the uncontroversial free version of Sand Hill Exchange. Sand Hill Exchange has always been strongest as a site focused on education and community. The paper trading version of our site preserves these values while providing a safe, fun experience."

WikiLeaks Accepts Bitcoin for Pledges

WikiLeaks, an international, non-profit journalistic organization, is accepting bitcoin for pledges.

The notorious organization is currently looking to raise a US$100,000 reward for "America's most wanted secret," the missing chapters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

"The TPP is a multi-trillion dollar international treaty that is being negotiated in secret by the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico and others. This massive agreement has 29 chapters, of which 26 are still secret. It covers 40% of global GDP and is the largest agreement of its kind in history.

"The treaty aims to create a new international legal regime that will allow transnational corporations to bypass domestic courts, evade environmental protections, police the internet on behalf of the content industry, limit the availability of affordable generic medicines, and drastically curtail each country's legislative sovereignty."

Apple CEO Speaks on Importance of Privacy, Encryption

Speaking at the EPIC's Champions of Freedom, Apple CEO Tim Cook, shared his company's stance on privacy and encryption, reported TechCrunch.

Cook said:

"Like many of you, we at Apple reject the idea that our customers should have to make tradeoffs between privacy and security. We can, and we must provide both in equal measure. We believe that people have a fundamental right to privacy. The American people demand it, the constitution demands it, morality demands it."

Decentraland is an Open-Source Blockchain-Based Virtual Reality World

A new project emerged today called Decentraland. The initiative aims to create an open-source decentralized virtual reality where the blockchain would be used to claim and transfer land.

Led by Manuel Araoz and Estevan Ordano, the devs behind Streamium, Decentraland has just released its first proof-of-concept, dubbed "Stone Age." Those interested can try it out here.