Blurred Out QR Code Was Key To $1,000 Bounty

Two code enthusiasts earned themselves $1,000 by deciphering a QR code from a TV broadcast despite It being blurred out. Clement Storck and Michel Sassano were able to reconstruct the code, which represented a Bitcoin private key. It was part of a competition that turned out to be considerably more difficult than designed. Robert Ver, a big advocate of cryptocurrencies, discussed the topic on a French TV news show. As something of a promotional stunt. He had intended the QR code to appear in full and simply make it a race among viewers to scan the code and use the key. Instead the TV broadcasters blurred out the image, which appears to be because of French broadcasting laws that ban prize giveaways on news shows.