Thread by @tiffanycli

Sharing a few highlights from my talk at Yale’s @TsaiCITY Blockchain Bootcamp.

Here’s what you need to know about blockchain law & policy in 2018:

Blockchain is not going to be a laissez-faire Wild West much longer. Regulation is coming. In some cases, it’s already here, esp. in the finance sector. If you’re a blockchain dev, ignoring legal trends is a risk.

Blockchain has an image problem. It’s not just Bitcoin & cryptocurrencies. And it’s not (all) just smoke & mirrors. As long as those misconceptions exist, policymakers will not create effective laws.

Aside from image/hype, other blockchain problems that must be addressed:

–privacy
–environmental impact
–consumer protection

Environmental impact is the big red flag here.

Policymakers do not understand blockchain. But this is a problem with tech policy in general. We need more tech-savvy policy folks, and we need them in govt, industry, & civil society.

Blockchain skeptics, I see you. I am one of you. Most proposals are blockchain Juiceros (useless hype) or ponzi schemes (plain and simple fraud).

But there are good use cases, and blockchain is important for what it represents: a system of decentralized trust.

The concept of a decentralized system of trust is what really interests me about blockchain.

It reminds me of the idealism of the early internet, when we also believed in the possibilities of decentralized cyberspace.

If nothing else, these ideals are important to remember.