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.