How decentralized technology is a way to get the power back to the people from the special interest groups that have corrupted our system; & the lessons we've learned from the Sunflower Revolution.
My first objection is the requirement for Digital ID to make this work. TPTB want this Digital ID, and they can make all kinds of promises of benefits, blah, blah. But once they have it, how can we wrest this power of the ID into the people's hands? Holding them "accountable," is a start - but if AI is running our finances, health, banking, etc. - transparency is going to be extremely difficult, and TPTB will fight for every last drop of water at the hole. TPTB hold most of the cards & weapons.
"Imagine blockchain technology to ensure voting fraud is a thing of the past, but still has the possibility to protect anonymity - while at the same time preventing troll farms, bots, and spam."
Have you heard of proof-of-personhood blockchains aiming to implement a model in which one person = one vote? Idena.io is one example of blockchain with fair voting.
Thanks for your thoughtful work on this matter. The internet promised power to the individual. We saw how the three-letter agencies usurped media and thus why we are posting here and not on a GAAF site.
I see the same fierceness for decentralization in the Bitcoin community (true Bitcoin, not crypto coins and exchanges). I look forward to reading the “Starfish and the Spider” later this week.
I mentioned this in another comment somewhere else that linked here but will repeat myself because it is so important.
Government must have transparency but NOT IN VOTING or the votes will be brought and the highest bidder is running your country.
Linked is a somewhat drawn-out video that contains essential wisdom on WHY open voting is a disaster. Having transparency in government is a good idea and even having everything recorded on video is fine but there must be a small delay (hours or days) that allows the representatives to do their work and not be heckled. If we watch how they act and they are not acting in our interest we vote them out. Having a simple system to vote them out at any time is also a bonus, a citizen initiative that garners more votes than they received to get voted in would automatically remove a corrupt politician from office.
I don’t follow. If I could “follow my vote” using blockchain, that would be transparent and accountable. How could that be bought? If you are suggesting a direct sale isn’t that illegal?
Watch the video, it is explained in slow torturous detail. If you can verify your vote it will be bought as a simple result of any system moving to gain advantage.
I have watched it in part perhaps 6 times, right through 3 times and unless it is a evil play of the highest order I cannot find fault with James' logic or evidence.
The evil may arise if the open voting was needed to control and consolidate power but now that 51%+ of the people are WEF graduates or suitably controlled it is even better if the votes are secret.
Basically when there is too much power concentrated in one place it will be captured.
The reason citizen voting is secret is because it DOES NOT MATTER so does not have to be bought.
"Sadly, the easiest way to subvert any important system, with leaders, is through the leaders." - Kalle Pihlajasaari, 2015
Also it is important to realise that if a year from now the terrestrial internet falls apart (massive 'Russian' DOS attack) we will gladly subscribe to Elon's Starlink only to find that the only social media platform that works properly where the decentralised advocates can manage things is Twitter and this is in private opaque ownership.
The only way to change things in a big way is to burn the place down (lots of collateral damage, your parents, my kids, nuclear power station meltdown, not good) or to take control of the current management structure and then devolve it in an orderly fashion in line with rational thinking.
I want decentralised power wherever possible but I favour evolution to destruction.
This isn't true. Did they have to burn the music industry to the ground before it decentralized? No. A kid in his dorm room nicknamed "Napster" started the whole thing. They tried to stop it with court cases and more but couldn't. The industry lost billions. And now all music is decentralize - spodify, apple music, etc. And who benefitted the most? The users. No one had to burn Sony or MGM to the ground. They just dissolved and became toothless.
Same thing is happening now to mainstream media. They have lost $300 billion due to the decentralization of their profession. Now I trust long form podcasts, and independent journalists on substack that ask tough questions, way more than I trust them.
So evolution doesn't need violent destruction. It just needs amicable change with larges groups of people. If the people learn how to collaborate better, that is the most powerful force on earth.
This is brilliant
Thank you. Join our conversation on The Rationalists group on Facebook
Thanks for reading!
My first objection is the requirement for Digital ID to make this work. TPTB want this Digital ID, and they can make all kinds of promises of benefits, blah, blah. But once they have it, how can we wrest this power of the ID into the people's hands? Holding them "accountable," is a start - but if AI is running our finances, health, banking, etc. - transparency is going to be extremely difficult, and TPTB will fight for every last drop of water at the hole. TPTB hold most of the cards & weapons.
Great read!
"Imagine blockchain technology to ensure voting fraud is a thing of the past, but still has the possibility to protect anonymity - while at the same time preventing troll farms, bots, and spam."
Have you heard of proof-of-personhood blockchains aiming to implement a model in which one person = one vote? Idena.io is one example of blockchain with fair voting.
Love it! Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!!!
Thanks for your thoughtful work on this matter. The internet promised power to the individual. We saw how the three-letter agencies usurped media and thus why we are posting here and not on a GAAF site.
I see the same fierceness for decentralization in the Bitcoin community (true Bitcoin, not crypto coins and exchanges). I look forward to reading the “Starfish and the Spider” later this week.
I mentioned this in another comment somewhere else that linked here but will repeat myself because it is so important.
Government must have transparency but NOT IN VOTING or the votes will be brought and the highest bidder is running your country.
Linked is a somewhat drawn-out video that contains essential wisdom on WHY open voting is a disaster. Having transparency in government is a good idea and even having everything recorded on video is fine but there must be a small delay (hours or days) that allows the representatives to do their work and not be heckled. If we watch how they act and they are not acting in our interest we vote them out. Having a simple system to vote them out at any time is also a bonus, a citizen initiative that garners more votes than they received to get voted in would automatically remove a corrupt politician from office.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gEz__sMVaY
I don’t follow. If I could “follow my vote” using blockchain, that would be transparent and accountable. How could that be bought? If you are suggesting a direct sale isn’t that illegal?
Watch the video, it is explained in slow torturous detail. If you can verify your vote it will be bought as a simple result of any system moving to gain advantage.
I have watched it in part perhaps 6 times, right through 3 times and unless it is a evil play of the highest order I cannot find fault with James' logic or evidence.
The evil may arise if the open voting was needed to control and consolidate power but now that 51%+ of the people are WEF graduates or suitably controlled it is even better if the votes are secret.
Basically when there is too much power concentrated in one place it will be captured.
The reason citizen voting is secret is because it DOES NOT MATTER so does not have to be bought.
"Sadly, the easiest way to subvert any important system, with leaders, is through the leaders." - Kalle Pihlajasaari, 2015
But when you decentralize there isn't too much power in one place at all. It is the opposite and the point.
Centralized power is corruptible and bad.
Decentralized power is much much harder to corrupt and good.
Also it is important to realise that if a year from now the terrestrial internet falls apart (massive 'Russian' DOS attack) we will gladly subscribe to Elon's Starlink only to find that the only social media platform that works properly where the decentralised advocates can manage things is Twitter and this is in private opaque ownership.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/133115/spacex-twitter-ads
The only way to change things in a big way is to burn the place down (lots of collateral damage, your parents, my kids, nuclear power station meltdown, not good) or to take control of the current management structure and then devolve it in an orderly fashion in line with rational thinking.
I want decentralised power wherever possible but I favour evolution to destruction.
This isn't true. Did they have to burn the music industry to the ground before it decentralized? No. A kid in his dorm room nicknamed "Napster" started the whole thing. They tried to stop it with court cases and more but couldn't. The industry lost billions. And now all music is decentralize - spodify, apple music, etc. And who benefitted the most? The users. No one had to burn Sony or MGM to the ground. They just dissolved and became toothless.
Same thing is happening now to mainstream media. They have lost $300 billion due to the decentralization of their profession. Now I trust long form podcasts, and independent journalists on substack that ask tough questions, way more than I trust them.
So evolution doesn't need violent destruction. It just needs amicable change with larges groups of people. If the people learn how to collaborate better, that is the most powerful force on earth.
Interesting.