on their desktop or smartphone becomes part of the bitcoin network the digital ledger that supposedly makes a bit coin both independent and secure is what's known as block chain a block chain is a digital chain managed by many computers in a network which keep track of records and what are called blocks each block contains information about a transaction the block is checked and verified by all the computers distributed throughout the network and contains security codes from previous blocks that practically eliminates the chances of manipulating or counterfeiting the currency. at the moment bitcoin is still on a wild roller coaster ride in the markets but one thing is fairly certain it won't fall victim to inflation the algorithm behind the digital technology won't allow the mining of more than twenty one million bitcoins and they'll all have been created by the year twenty one forty eight. and