SXSW 2019
A Crypto Anarchist or Crypto Authoritarian Future?
Description:
Blockchain emerged from libertarian roots, promising to reshape world by decentralizing power & returning it to individuals. Historically such technologies can fare poorly, hijacked by the very institutions they meant to disempower. Blockchains & cryptocurrency platforms born from cypherpunk & crypto anarchist idealism could also be corrupted to support more dystopian agendas. I’ll explore how crypto anarchy inspired blockchain & the promise it holds for a decentralized future. I’ll contrast that future with the possibility these technologies could be subverted into new infrastructures of state & corporate dominance. I’ll draw on illustrative case studies of other liberating technologies gone awry, discuss the threats blockchain technologies face, & explore strategies for avoiding failure.
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Takeaways
- How did blockchains and cryptocurrencies emerge from a libertarian-minded, crypto anarchist idealism promising to give power back to individuals?
- How have other technologies promising decentralization and democratization been subverted and hijacked to create infrastructures of centralized power?
- What strategies should we adopt to avoid past mistakes and ensure that blockchain technologies live up to the ideals of their original visionaries?
Speakers
- Lance Hayden, Assistant Professor, University of Texas School of Information
Organizer
Lance Hayden, Assistant Professor, University of Texas School of Information
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