On September 22nd, an event took place at the Faculty of Law of the Complutense University of Madrid, focusing on disinformation, participation, and how Blockchain technology can assist in both processes from a legal perspective. The event was organized by the Institute of Parliamentary Law.
The event was structured into three blocks, each addressing specific themes and featuring various presentations.
Block 1: How Blockchain Can Serve to Improve Democracy
- Blockchain, a solution for achieving true digital democracy? – Rafael Rubio Núñez
- The impact of blockchain technology on participatory processes – Miguel Ángel Presno Linera
Block 2: Existing Frictions Between Blockchain Technology and Fundamental Rights
- Fundamental rights in the face of disruptive technologies – Mónica Arenas Ramiro
- Distributed ledger technologies: compatibility and conflicts in the context of the General Data Protection Regulation – Juan Carlos Hernández Peña.
Block 3: Roundtable. Challenges of Using Blockchain in the Fight Against Disinformation from a Technological Perspective. Moderated by Covadonga Fernández (Blockchain Observatory)
- Marcos Carrera (Head of Blockchain and Web3 Iberia at Fujitsu)
- Carol Lago Garcia (Manager of Blockchain & Crypto LAB at Grant Thornton)
- José Juan Mora (Founder and CTO of Kolokium)
All the presentations had a strong legal character, exploring the various legal aspects of applying Blockchain technology to various use cases or applications, such as:
- Civic participation processes, in which the advantages and disadvantages of using Blockchain technology for implementing participation processes, such as electoral voting, were discussed.
- The use of Blockchain and its impact on the compliance with fundamental rights of individuals. This includes how this technology can help maintain and protect the fundamental rights of citizens and the danger posed by using this and other technologies to undermine these fundamental rights.
- The impact that the use of Blockchain technology can have on compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.
The final block consisted of a roundtable discussion in which various topics were discussed, including:
- In the realm of media, the use of Blockchain has been primarily focused on attempting to control access to content. However, this approach may have been misguided, as it aimed to replace current communication channels with new ones based on Blockchain technology. It might be more appropriate to focus on managing micro-communities that would allow users to create trusted channels for filtering and tracking the information and news they receive.
- Technology should not take precedence over people. We, as engineers, must understand the regulatory framework to ensure the rights of users are guaranteed. We should not build solutions that, under the banner of innovation or disruption, serve to undermine the rights of users, regardless of whether they have accepted complex terms and conditions.
- Europe has a regulatory framework that many people think may be restrictive and could push us towards a loss of competitiveness compared to other countries or regions. But in an increasingly connected world, where data is prioritized over individuals, having regulations that help protect data in a digital environment could be the key to creating new business models based on trust rather than data volume.
- Efforts made by both academia, through its research, and regulatory bodies to create a regulatory framework for digital identity are understandably focused on individuals. However, Blockchain technology allows for the creation of digital identities not only for individuals but also for machines and processes. Therefore, it’s important to start exploring the legal implications that the future legal recognition of autonomous machines or processes may have.
In Conclusion:
Blockchain technology enables the construction of solutions whose rules cannot be bypassed by developers themselves. This means that in the legal field, a technological tool has emerged that allows the implementation of rules and laws, ensuring that developers cannot alter them.
