Scribd
Upload
69 views

Blockchain: The Ethereum World Computer - Individual Empowerment or The First Step To Even More Information Control?

The document discusses the Ethereum World Computer and its potential to empower individuals or enable greater information control. It explains that blockchains and Ethereum allow for decentralized, transparent, and automated agreements via smart contracts. While this could disrupt power structures and empower users, there are also risks of new inequalities or just shifting control. The outcome will depend on how the technology is developed and applied, and whether transparent governance can be achieved. Further analysis of legal and economic implications is needed to help realize empowerment over increased oversight.

Uploaded by

Jackdanilo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
69 views

Blockchain: The Ethereum World Computer - Individual Empowerment or The First Step To Even More Information Control?

The document discusses the Ethereum World Computer and its potential to empower individuals or enable greater information control. It explains that blockchains and Ethereum allow for decentralized, transparent, and automated agreements via smart contracts. While this could disrupt power structures and empower users, there are also risks of new inequalities or just shifting control. The outcome will depend on how the technology is developed and applied, and whether transparent governance can be achieved. Further analysis of legal and economic implications is needed to help realize empowerment over increased oversight.

Uploaded by

Jackdanilo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 53

Blockchain

The Ethereum World Computer – Individual Empowerment or


the first step to even more information control?
TO RESEARCH, DESIGN AND BUILD SOFTWARE
THAT, AS BEST AS POSSIBLE, FACILITATES,
IN A SECURE, DECENTRALISED AND FAIR
MANNER, THE COMMUNICATION AND
AUTOMATICALLY-ENFORCED AGREEMENT
BETWEEN PARTIES.
TOC
• Intro
• What is the (Ethereum) World
Computer?
– Blockchains / Bitcoin
– Ethereum
• The Legal Connection
• Analysis – indivdual
empowerment or control?
• World Computers in SciFi
• Conclusion
Intro
• World-computers in (pop)culture
– Often very negative
• Ethereum has been alluded to as
„Skynet“ (or Freenet)
• Own descr.: „World Computer“
– (or distributed calculator)
• Towards empowerment or control?
What is Ethereum/“World Computer“?
DECENTRALIZED SYSTEMS

NODE - PEER (A)

NODE - PEER(B)

P2P file-sharing network


OPEN-SOURCE TRUST

“If I have more than


$100, I agree to give
$10 to Tom.”

People can make agreements….


OPEN-SOURCE TRUST

“Actually, Tom doesn’t


really deserve this
money.”

…and not live up to them.


OPEN-SOURCE TRUST

if wallet.balance > 100


then wallet.send(tom,10)

Software does what it is coded to do.


OPEN-SOURCE TRUST

if wallet.balance >
100
then
wallet.send(tom,10)

Open Source software can be seen and audited by


anyone.
DECENTRALIZED CENTRALIZED
Distribution of Power Faster decision making
Fault-tolerant/Resilient Reduced Redundancy
Slower decision making Centralization of Power
Central point of failure
What is a Blockchain?
In cryptocurrency systems each account has a
balance, but there is no physical token to
hold.
Blockchains serve as a foundation for
decentralized agreement on what those
balances are.
It is the shared, collective history of
transactions on the network.
A copy of the blockchain is stored on each
user’s computer.
The blockchain and its transactions are fully
public and may be seen by anyone.
Block Approval
Mining
WHY USE BLOCKCHAINS ?
… as a data layer
… as a protocol
… as a public ledger
… as a mechanism
Blockchains
What is Ethereum?
WHAT IS ETHEREUM?

Ethereum is a platform that makes it possible


for any developer to build and publish next-
generation distributed applications.
CONTRACT-BASED

Code-based contracts are the main building


blocks of Ethereum.
ETHEREUM IS VERSATILE

Contracts can be used to build currencies,


financial derivatives, voting systems,
decentralized organizations, data feeds, title
registries and thousands of other applications.
ETHER IS THE FUEL

Ether is Ethereum's cryptofuel. It is a type of


digital token that powers the applications on
the decentralized network.
ETHER IS THE FUEL

Sending a transaction to a contract causes its


code to execute. Contracts can store data, send
transactions and interact with other contracts.
NOT ALL CONTRACTS ARE ALIKE

The more computation a transaction requires the


more ether it consumes.
BUILD (ALMOST) ANYTHING

Ethereum can be used to codify, decentralize,


secure and trade almost anything.
To research, design and build software that, as best
as possible, facilitates, in a secure, decentralised and
fair manner, the communication and automatically-
enforced agreement between parties.
To research, design and build software that, as best
as possible, facilitates, in a secure, decentralised and
fair manner, the communication and automatically-
enforced agreement between parties.
To research, design and build software that, as best
as possible, facilitates, in a secure, decentralised and
fair manner, the communication and automatically-
enforced agreement between parties.
Legal Connection
• Depends very much on
development and uses(liability
etc)
– Is there someone responsible?
• Focus: Empowerment vs Control
– Privacy
– Dissemination of information
Legal Connection (2)
• Empowerment:
– Accountability of algorithms

• Control
– Internet of Things, possibly more
control

• Necessary to think of emp. At


creation of code
SMART CONTRACT

contract NameReg {
mapping (address => bytes32) names;

function register(bytes32 name){


names[msg.sender] = name;
}

function getName(address addr) returns (bytes32 name){


return names[addr];
}
}
Somewhat „legal“
Analysis / So what?
„IT WAS JUST THAT HACKERS AND
PROGRAMMERS WERE GOOD WITH
COMPUTERS. THEN EVERYTHING BECAME A
COMPUTER.“

(unknown Twitter user)


Utopia
• transparency,
• Individual empowerment
• Egalitarian use of technology

• The (equalizing/disrupting)
power of the Ethereum World
Computer and the Blockchain
• Ideally:
– (Social) networks that with
transparent algorithms bound to
the law and interwoven with
technology and legal requirements,
to always know what is going on
– Requires new approach to law and
tech making
– THEN this would be empowering
Potential for disruption,

BUT
• Liable to new sources of power
imbalances
• Maybe just shifting power
Dystopia
• New power imbalances / as with
sharing economy, just shifting
instead of true disruption
• Economic incentives/processes
(mining, fees)
– Pot. Reinforce / ingrain market
(capitalist) processes into
structures/institutions built on
blockchain (arbitration, social
network…)
– More control instead of empowerment
BUT
• Just makes influences and
interactions more visible
(ideally)
– Result: Depiction of algorithms
and results in blockchain,
transparent view of results and
influences (even the economic
incentives/processes) that led to
the result.
Sci-Fi Stats
• Not many direct points of
comparison between movies and
Ethereum/Blockchains
• Likelies: Brazil, FAQ
(Sisterhood of Metacontrol),
Alphaville, Metropolis
Further Research
• When using a system as Ethereum
– with more self-control over
contract and by extension over
legal agreements, does this
change a persons‘s relationship
to the law or the law itself?
• Include more sci-fi 
• Should we tell more utopia or
is dystopia necessary?
Works for further research
Brazi
Quo vadis, world computer?

Dystopia or Utopia? Or both?


Contact
• Florian Idelberger (LL.M)
• European University Institute
• [email protected]
• @windrush

You might also like