IGF 2015

The core innovation of the Bitcoin cryptographic protocol was the 'blockchain': a practical implementation of a new kind of 'trustless trust technology'. 

The Blockchain is a decentralised, public ledger that secures trust on a trustless Internet and enables the practical development of new decentralised governance structures that have captured the imagination of Silicon Valley and Civil Society alike. 

Recent industry investments in this space are encouraging (e.g. USD$116 million in 21 Inc., USD$21 million in Blockstream.com etc.) and emerging decentralised applications platforms, like Counterparty and Ethereum, stand to power new forms of 'smart contracts'. Via their ADEPT architecture, well-known companies such as IBM and Samsung, are exploring how these technologies can be used to scale the Internet of Things (IoT) to billions of interconnected devices and sensors.

But what about privacy? Has the industry, and its fascination with this new technology, gotten too far ahead of policy? Some think so! 

To help remedy this policy-technology gap, this highly interactive 'flash session' provides policy makers with a rudimentary understanding of the technology, the opportunity and the emerging 'Lex Cryptographia' regime. [See Paper attached]