World’s First Virtual Nation Constitution Released on Ethereum’s Blockchain

“Governance 2.0” platform Bitnation has written the world’s first Decentralized Borderless Voluntary Nation (DBVN) Constitution in 140 lines of code using Ethereum smart contracts. 

Also read: Microsoft & IBM Declare Blockchain Open for Business

Virtual Nation Constitution with Ethereum

There is one primary reason the BitNation team opted to code its constitution on the Ethereum blockchain over Bitcoin’s: smart contracts. A lot of progress has been made by the Ethereum developers on this front, as a smart contract is a digitized agreement between individuals giving their consent to achieve a particular goal.

Such a powerful technology complements the BitNation “governance 2.0” principle quite well. By using borderless technology in the form of smart contracts, BitNation wants to remove geographical apartheid of individual nation states. Doing so will lead to governance services that are more transparent, cheaper, and overall better for the end user.

The concept of do-it-yourself governance may seem strange to some people, but the BitNation team is very confident in what they are trying to accomplish. While there is still a lot of work to be done before DIY governance becomes a mainstream trend, the team is currently focusing on security and dispute resolution. Ethereum smart contracts will play a big role in his department, according to BitNation founder Susanne Tarkowski Tempelhof.

What makes these Ethereum smart contracts useful is how they bring a new layer of decentralization to the world. Unlike most services being used today, such as social media and email, BitNation’s governance 2.0 will not involve central authorities or governments. Needless to say, this model of governance is completely different to the centralized system of representative democracy most of the Western world is accustomed to.

Tempelhof feels that democracy is a massive failure, and the concept is – according to her – fundamentally flawed. Democracy as most people know it means governments give residents a variety of choices to vote on, without them having a say in the matter of what choices are offered. BitNation wants to change this by introducing democratic autonomous organizations (DAOs).

DAOs on the Blockchain

This concept needs some further explaining, however, as these Democratic Autonomous Organizations exist entirely on the Ethereum blockchain. From a governance point of view, decisions will be made by a group of parties who can decide on contracting people to do work, distributing assets, and even appointing shares. Two significant examples of a DAO can be found in Slock.it and DigixDAO.

While voting remains one of the most common ways to find a solution, providing everyone with an equal opportunity to create their DAO for particular needs can empower individuals and bring a welcome change to the political landscape.

Tempelhof explained it as follows:

‘Decentralized’ means there is no single point of failure, like there is no central bank. If you look at Uber for example, they have got into trouble in Europe, they have been banned in France – but if Uber had been a DAO there would have been no bank accounts to freeze, nothing for regulators to ban. Decentralized also means personal autonomy. We decide what we do. Nobody tells us. And being borderless means that we are not confined by a passport to live in an area of war or famine. That’s as wrong as judging people on the color of their skin or sexual preference.

Additionally, these democratic autonomous organizations will be interesting testing grounds for new forms of governance, which might permeate into the real world on a larger scale at some point. Moreover, reputation will play a significant role in BitNation’s governance plans, as not just individuals, but also laws themselves will be subject to reputation scores from borderless citizens.

If you missed it, you can watch the coding of the DBVN constitution below:

What are your thoughts on the BitNation project? Can the DAO concept catch on with the public? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: IBTimes

Images courtesy of BitNation, Ethereum, Shutterstock

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