Technology/Human Rights: Blockchain

Blockchain Principles Launched to Preserve and Protect User Rights – The Presidio Principles
World Economic Forum News 22 May 2020
– 16 user rights make up the newly launched Presidio Principles: the foundational values for a decentralized future
– This ‘Blockchain Bill of Rights’ establishes a global baseline for building blockchain applications that respect participant rights, safeguard data and protect users
– It was developed for over a year by the World Economic Forum Global Blockchain Council, which brings together individuals with varying interests and perspectives on the current state and future of blockchain; it was workshopped globally with technologists and civil society
– Early adopters include public and private sector companies, international organizations, NGOs and civil society and global call issued.

The Presidio Principles
Applications built on top of blockchain-based systems should preserve the following participant rights.

A participant should have access to information that would enable them to:
 Understand how a service is operated, including potential risks of the service, availability of source code, and the rules and standards upon which it is based.
 Understand the potential risks and benefits of a service’s use of blockchain technology.
 Understand system performance expectations and where the responsibility for service delivery lies.
 Understand the rights and obligations of different participants in the system.

A participant should be able to:
 Create, manage, and independently store cryptographic keys.
 Manage consent of data stored in third-party systems.
 Port data between interoperable systems or parts of a system.
 Revoke consent for future data collection.
 Have access to information sufficient to facilitate system interoperability.
 Assess if their data is at risk through appropriate disclosure procedures, which may include, but are not limited to, an examination of audit results, certifications, or source code.
 Have their data protected in accordance with internationally recognized technical security standards.
 Limit data collection to that which is necessary and data use to the purpose for which it was provided.
 Verify – through third-party or self-created tools – that operations have been completed and confirmed in accordance with the system’s rules.
 Access information needed to: (a) understand the system’s governance and rules and (b) pursue effective recourse mechanisms.
 Opt-out of using applications that don’t treat data in accordance with internationally recognized governance and data protection standards.
 Rectify demonstrably false, inaccurate, or incomplete data when necessary.

The Principles include a menu of options for how organizations or individuals can take action. A list of signatories is available to view and self-regulate/hold others accountable.