Vitalik has answers for prediction markets after hairdryer weather manipulation drama

Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin warned that reliance on single data sources poses systemic risks for prediction markets after reports that a trader allegedly used a hairdryer to tamper with a Paris temperature sensor, securing roughly $34,000 in Polymarket winnings. Météo France has filed a complaint with the Roissy air transport gendarmerie. Vitalik recommended mandatory “median‑of‑3” independent sources (or more) for settlement and urged wider use of conditional markets to reduce single‑point failures and improve truth‑seeking. The episode and the prior Myrnohrad data incident underscore oracle centralization and governance vulnerabilities that could prompt platform design changes, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage to on‑chain market venues.