At the heart of Bitcoin is the global network of mines and miners, from the United States to China to the former Soviet Union, who run it. These people not only process every Bitcoin transaction. They also play an outsized role in governing the system -- for better and for worse.

Watch more:    • Trust Disrupted: Bitcoin and the Bloc...  

Trust Disrupted is based on the book Digital Gold by Nathaniel Popper. Produced by Stateless Media, it is an exclusive TechCrunch series that offers an in-depth look into the how and why of bitcoin.

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