Skip to main content

WTF Crypto-Anarchy??

Crypto-anarchism is a political ideology that advocates the use of cryptography and other technologies to protect individual privacy, freedom, and autonomy from state interference. Crypto-anarchists believe that by encrypting their communications and transactions, we can create a decentralized and voluntary society that is immune to censorship, surveillance, and taxation. The term crypto-anarchism was coined by Timothy C. May in his 1988 "Crypto Anarchist Manifesto", where he declared: "Crypto Anarchy is the cyberspatial realization of anarchism, transcending national boundaries and freeing individuals to make the economic arrangements they wish, consensually." May was one of the founders of the cypherpunk movement, a group of activists and hackers who promoted the use of cryptography and digital currencies to challenge the authority of governments and corporations. The cypherpunks were influenced by libertarian and anarchist thinkers such as Murray Rothbard, David
Post a Comment

Technological Agorism I: Digital Feudalism




We live in the age of digital feudalism.

In earlier times, peasants saw their productive capital rerouted to their feudal lords. Likewise, we modern serfs see the monetary value of our digital presence being rerouted to big tech CEOs. And just as medieval lords used this capital to maintain their elaborate manors & their status in the nobility (thru kickbacks to the monarch), these modern day lords do precisely the same. The advent of tokenization promises to change this.




Big tech has profited enormously from the digital peasantry in two ways. 

  1. They earn money based on the popularity of user-generated content. In other words, we use FB, Twitter, & IG to view content posted not by these companies, but by the individuals who use their platforms.
  2. Big tech collects & monetizes our personal data & has been doing so for quite some time.

Own Your Content

The tokenization of digital content has already started the process of disrupting legacy business models. Seeing as the first generation of competitors to Facebook hegemony (Steemit & Minds) have been tokenized, one can only imagine just how decentralized future competitors will have to be. 

The new token model is simple. Users are rewarded with tokens based on the popularity of their content. These tokens can then be traded on exchanges for other currencies or used for auxiliary purposes. 

In fact, this very article is being boosted on Minds using tokens I earned from previous posts.



Own your Data


Another way our feudal tech lords profit from us is by collecting & selling our personal data to third parties. This too will end.

Tokenizing sensitive data not only makes it more secure, but also empowers individuals to use it however they see fit. In the age of tokenization, we will decide if our data is sold, to whom, & for how much. Moreover, that money will go into our pockets, not Mark Zuckerberg’s. 

Financial incentives aside, the conglomeration of large data sets in the hands of a small number of firms, makes an easy target for hackers, or as we'll see later in this series - governments.

Not to worry, the tokenization of personal data is already underway. Companies like Docademic have already begun rewarding folks for access to their health care data with medical tokens.



It works like this. Individuals grant Docademic access to health care data & are rewarded for doing so with DocTokens. DocTokens can then be exchanged for actual health care services. 

Using an app, patients can report symptoms as well as schedule & attend telemedicine consultations with real medical professionals. All the while the patient's data is anonymized & used by hospitals, universities & medical research facilities to expand their knowledge base & make the health care industry as a whole, more efficient.

Nevermind, obamacare. The future is now. 

Final Thoughts


In conclusion, our current state of digital feudalism is winding down thanks to the magic of tokenization. Soon, feudal tech lords will no longer own our content or our data. This is a trend to be welcomed. Not only will the tokenization of content & data empower individuals financially & strengthen existing markets, but it will also protect us from state surveillance.


Labels:

Comments

  1. Tampilan BagusMarch 15, 2020 at 5:01 PM

    https://chengduwesthartford.com/

    situs judi online

    daftar situs judi resmi

    ReplyDelete
  2. Prediksi TogelMarch 15, 2020 at 11:49 PM

    prediksi togel singapura

    prediksi togel 4d

    ReplyDelete
  3. JobiFebruary 16, 2021 at 9:36 PM

    I really appreciate the kind of topics you post here. Thanks for sharing us a great information that is actually helpful.
    fire force jacket

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousDecember 3, 2022 at 4:34 AM

    You would possibly gamble in secret or lie about how a lot you gamble, feeling others will not understand or that you'll surprise them with a giant win. 솔카지노 Although it might really feel like you’re powerless to stop gambling, a lot of|there are many} things you are able to to} do} to beat the problem, restore your relationships and finances, and eventually regain management of your life. Faro, at one time the principal gambling game within the United States, has turn out to be obsolete. Satellite broadcasting know-how has led to the creation of so-called off-track betting amenities, by which bettors watch stay telecasts at places away from the racetrack. While this world health disaster continues to evolve, might be} helpful to look to past pandemics to higher understand method to|tips on how to} respond right now. Roger Munting, An economic and social history of gambling in Britain and the USA.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Economics of BTC Maximalism

BTC maximalism is a flawed doctrine, fallacious in numerous respects.  First, if you'd prefer to hear these arguments in audio, check out this recent episode of ABNP , where @mrpseu & I discused these same topics.  Also, a qualifier: I'm not capable of making, defending or refuting technical arguments. I'll leave that aspect of the debate to others. My concerns with BTC maximalism are entirely economic and can be divided into four areas.  Based on the criteria for saleability as laid out by the austrian school, BTC is not the most marketable digital commodity. A lack of portability relative to other cryptocurrencies implies BTC isn't as sound of a commodity.  Value storage is a secondary function of money and cannot satisfy the use-value requirement of regression theorem.  BTC maximalism lays waste to the Hayekian notion of competition as a discovery procedure. This final point was addressed in detail on episode 50 of The Agora, Crypto-Economics
78 comments
Read more

Weathering With You: An Agorist Perspective

If someone asked you what your favorite emotion was, how do you think you’d answer? For many people, I suspect they would answer “Happiness”, “Joy'', or some variant of exclusively positive emotion. Someone may think more meticulously and answer with “Contentment”, which while a positive emotion has a lot of nuance attached to it. However my answer to that question is what I feel others would consider more orthodox: Bittersweet. Pleasure accompanied by suffering, not exactly most people’s first pick but from my perspective pain is necessary in order to enjoy the pleasure that life gives you. Perhaps I'm over-romanticizing but there’s something to desire from looking back fondly at times where you were hurting and seeing yourself in a better place in the present. Perhaps you finally have moved on from “The one who got away” and can look back on those times with fondness. Perhaps you are sharing stories of a friend or family member at their funeral and though they may never w
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Simple Ways to Support the Counter-Economy

Even if you aren’t prepared to engage in radical counter-economics, there are small steps everyone can take to either participate in, or at a minimum, support the counter-economy. I’ve assembled a list of 5 simple ways everyday people can participate in the agorist revolution. Food Trucks Food trucks not only often have excellent food, but they can also help push back against the state. In what is normally a cash business, food truck operators are better positioned to hide income from the state than other vendors such as chain grocery stores. Also, the more amateur the operation, the more likely the vendor is unlicensed; see the 7 year old NY child-slave, who’s lemonade stand was shut down by emissaries from Emperor Cuomo. Given the grey market dominance of the food truck business, it’s no wonder we’ve seen the industry blossom over the past couple decades. Food trucks have progressed from the standard roach coach to the present diverse array of taco trucks, gr
1 comment
Read more