To start accepting Bitcoin is even easier. One needs only to create a Bitcoin address, which can be done anonymously by anyone with internet access.

The price of Bitcoin fluctuates constantly and is determined by open-market bidding on Bitcoin exchanges, similar to the way that stock and gold prices are determined by bidding on exchanges.

Can the authorities track criminals using Bitcoin?

All Bitcoin transactions are recorded on the network’s public ledger, known as the blockchain. Law enforcement or financial authorities can sometimes use the blockchain to track transactions among criminals. But as long as the criminals do not associate a real-world identity with their Bitcoin address, they are generally safe. Complicating matters further, there are increasingly sophisticated Bitcoin laundering services, known as tumblers, which mix large quantities of transactions together in order to make it harder for the authorities to track the transactions.

Where it can get more difficult for hackers is when they want to convert the Bitcoin they have received into a traditional national currency. Most companies that convert Bitcoin to dollars in the United States require that their customers provide identification. If a criminal registered with a company like that, it would be relatively easy for the police to track them down.

But there are many Bitcoin exchanges outside the United States that do not require customers to register with a real-world identity. LocalBitcoins also makes it easy to find someone in any city around the world who will meet you in person and pay cash for Bitcoin without requiring any identification — a sort of Craigslist for Bitcoin exchanges. It is also getting easier to buy goods online using Bitcoin, without ever converting the digital currency into dollars or euros.

What’s happening with the price of Bitcoin?

The price of Bitcoin has been rising, and recently hit a high above $2,000. Like gold, the price of Bitcoin has always been driven by the scarcity of the digital tokens. When Bitcoin was created in 2009, it was determined that only 21 million coins would ever be created.

Technology investors have purchased coins and pushed up the price out of a belief that the tokens and the system will be a sort of global digital currency and financial network for the future.