Barlaeus Dinner on Trust in Decentralized Data Infrastructures

In this document we summarize the findings of a high-level expert meeting on the topic of trust in blockchain based decentralized data infrastructures. The meeting concluded that contrary to the dominant discourse blockchain technologies are not trustless. In fact trust is a major, unresolved challenge related to the technology. Practical applications that could yield more information on how trust is managed on blockchain technologies are yet to emerge. Blockchain policies should ensure that the technology does not interfere with justice and democracy, and should actively balance economic interests with fundamental rights. The development of blockchain governance frameworks is probably the most important challenge in the short to mid-term.

Keywords: trust, blockchain, decentralized data, technology, regulation, governance

JEL Classification: K20

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Bodó, Balázs and Quintais, João Pedro and Giannopoulou, Alexandra and Ferrari, Valeria, Barlaeus Dinner on Trust in Decentralized Data Infrastructures (May 24, 2018). Blockchain & Society Policy Research Lab Research Nodes 2018/2 , Amsterdam Law School Research Paper No. 2020-15, Institute for Information Law Research Paper No. 2020-01, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3243360 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3243360