Blockchain Democracy Manifesto: Creating a government of the people, by the people, and for the people

We live in a world riven by crisis. Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said:

"The Arab Spring has plunged nearly everywhere into conflict and depression. Many governments have responded to the unrest by downplaying or abandoning human rights."

Using the internet to spy on citizens, using drones to drop explosives on civilians, arresting protesters at events like the Olympics.

According to economist Hernando de Soto, this is the wrong response.

"The Arab Spring was essentially an entrepreneurial revolution. It was essentially a rebellion against the status quo."

Citizens’ rights are continually trampled upon by the system until they have no choice but to work outside it.

That’s where blockchain comes in. A blockchain is a massive, global distributed ledger, or database, running on millions of devices and open to everyone, where not just information but anything of value — currency, but also land titles, deeds, identities, even votes — can be moved, stored, and managed securely and privately, and where trust is established through mass collaboration and smart code rather than through powerful middlemen like governments and banks.

Its design principles should drive this transformation, while also supporting and enabling the following higher-level features:

Value: Everyone has the right to be recognized everywhere under the law. In other words, the right to an identity has intrinsic value, which can be hashed into the blockchain at birth. We can aggregate other aspects of identity—diplomas, passports, driver’s licenses, social security cards, voter IDs—that currently exist in multiple databases into a single ledger and receive integrated services without multiple checks. We will control all of our data and be able to decide how to deploy it. Our votes will also be valuable.

Integrity: To rebuild public trust in political institutions, elected officials must act with integrity. Because blockchain enables radical transparency, it is central to rebuilding trust between stakeholders and their representatives. Voters can track who donated to a candidate’s campaign, even through a SuperPAC. When governments publish raw data, they become a platform for companies, civil society, and others to create services. We can encourage innovation with a “pay for success” model, and incentivize achievement of desired outcomes by releasing funds when predictable results are achieved.

Power: Everyone has a right to participate in the work of government. No matter who is elected, matters must be conducted in the open. Through blockchain, citizens are able to claim government actions sealed in the public record in an immutable and incorruptible ledger. For example, not just checks and balances among a powerful few, but broad consensus among the many, will impact background checks on potential gun owners.

Protect privacy and other rights: No espionage, no interference with anyone’s privacy, family, or home, no attacks on anyone’s honor or reputation. No arbitrary seizure of property — real estate or intellectual property, such as patents — without compensation. No censorship by news organizations. People can register their copyrights on the blockchain, organize meetings, and exchange information privately and anonymously. Be wary of politicians who advocate a compromise between personal privacy and public safety. Remember, it’s a false dichotomy.

Security: Everyone must have equal protection under the law and be free from discrimination. No arbitrary detention or arrest. No one should live in fear of their own government or law enforcement agencies, or be subjected to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment from them because of their race, religion or country of origin. Members of the police force cannot conceal evidence of their unjustified use of force, and such evidence cannot be destroyed. This can all be recorded and tracked on the blockchain.

Inclusiveness: Using the internet, citizens are more able to participate and learn from each other. Through blockchain, the system can effectively engage all citizens and provide equal access to public services (e.g., healthcare, transportation, transactions) and social security.

Technology is a powerful tool, but it alone cannot bring about the change we need. In the spirit of the saying, 'the future is not something you wish for, it is something you achieve,' let us reinvent government and usher in a new era of legitimacy and trust. It's time to stop prescribing drugs.

Alex Tapscott is the co-author of the book Blockchain Revolution and the founder and CEO of Northwest Passage Ventures.