human
I've been hearing a lot of buzz about cryptocurrencies. What are they and how do they work?
assistant
Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that are secured by cryptography, which makes them nearly impossible to counterfeit or double spend. They are decentralized and distributed, meaning there is no central authority controlling the currency. Instead, transactions take place on a peer-to-peer network, with users sending and receiving funds directly from one another without an intermediary. The most popular cryptocurrency is Bitcoin, which has seen a meteoric rise in value over the last few years. Other cryptocurrencies include Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Dash, and Monero.