{"id":8486,"date":"2018-07-03T21:27:57","date_gmt":"2018-07-03T21:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/?p=8486"},"modified":"2018-08-02T21:43:26","modified_gmt":"2018-08-02T21:43:26","slug":"intelligence-squared-blockchain-quantum-leap-forward-or-digital-snake-oil-last-night-monday-2-july-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/2018\/07\/03\/intelligence-squared-blockchain-quantum-leap-forward-or-digital-snake-oil-last-night-monday-2-july-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Intelligence Squared: &#8220;Blockchain: Quantum leap forward or digital snake oil?&#8221; last night \u2014 Monday 2 July 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/2018\/06\/26\/news-me-at-intelligence-squared-next-monday-lightning-network-99-failure-rate-nvidia-video-card-glut-microsoft-ey-blockchain-reserve-bank-of-australia-us-secret-service-art-on-the-blockchain\/iq2-blockchain\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8232\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/iq2-blockchain.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"240\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/iq2-blockchain.jpg 960w, https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/iq2-blockchain-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/iq2-blockchain-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligencesquared.com\/events\/blockchain-quantum-leap-forward-or-digital-snake-oil\/\">Intelligence Squared event<\/a> last night was great fun! A very interesting and productive discussion.<\/p>\n<p>It was held in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emmanuelcentre.com\/auditorum.html\">auditorium<\/a> of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emmanuelcentre.com\/\">Emmanuel Centre,<\/a> near Victoria tube station. I&#8217;m not sure of numbers, but it was pretty well attended.<\/p>\n<p>The format was a panel discussion on the question: &#8220;Blockchain: Quantum leap forward or digital snake oil?&#8221; Moderator was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/correspondents\/kamalahmed\">Kamal Ahmed,<\/a> the Economics Editor for BBC News. The other panelists were:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/V%C3%ADt_Jedli%C4%8Dka\">V\u00edt Jedli\u010dka,<\/a> the President of <a href=\"https:\/\/liberland.org\/en\/about\/\">Liberland<\/a> &mdash; a <a href=\"https:\/\/rationalwiki.org\/wiki\/Micronation#Liberland\">&#8220;micronation&#8221;<\/a> that doesn&#8217;t quite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/magazine-37941931\">have a territory yet,<\/a> so is functionally Internet-based. Its official currency is Bitcoin.\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cyber.harvard.edu\/people\/pdefilippi\">Primavera De Filippi,<\/a> a blockchain lawyer and academic, who has <a href=\"http:\/\/firstmonday.org\/article\/view\/7113\/5657\">written at length<\/a> on the blockchain&#8217;s possibilities for the future.\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamieJBartlett\">Jamie Bartlett,<\/a> author of several books on new technologies, the dark nets, cryptocurrencies and so forth.\n<\/ul>\n<p>Vit and Primavera were notionally on the &#8220;quantum leap&#8221; side and Jamie and I on the &#8220;snake oil&#8221; side, though Jamie was surprisingly optimistic about the future of blockchain &mdash; <i>i.e.<\/i>, that any of this could work or be useful &mdash; and Primavera acknowledged quite a lot of the practical problems and the hugely snake-oil nature of much blockchain promotion.<\/p>\n<p>The discussion didn&#8217;t so much get into non-cryptocurrency blockchains (to the disappointment of a few attendees) &mdash; it started at cryptocurrencies and more or less stayed there.<\/p>\n<p>I mostly talked about snake oil merchants, the cryptocurrency world and how blockchain marketing works. Vit and Jamie were very into the idea that cryptocurrencies were a huge threat to present governments, who would surely seek to crush them. I responded that this sort of claim was largely <a href=\"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/the-conspiracist-gold-bug-economics-of-bitcoin\/\">fairy stories that Bitcoiners tell themselves.<\/a> I predicted cryptos would normalise into just another financial instrument with suitable regulation within a few years, given how financial regulation works in the real world.<\/p>\n<p>Vit was heavily into the possibilities of smart contracts and DAOs to automate governance functionality. Primavera brought up <a href=\"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/the-dao\/\">The DAO<\/a> as the obvious counterexample. &#8220;Smart contract&#8221; correctly translates as &#8220;computer program, but you can&#8217;t fix bugs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>We were surprised and pleased that all the questioners asked straightforward questions, and there weren&#8217;t any speeches from the floor &mdash; remarkable for a blockchain event.<\/p>\n<p>The event was recorded, and will be edited down to an hour for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligencesquared.com\/intelligence-squared-podcast\/\">Intelligence Squared podcast.<\/a> <b>Update:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acast.com\/intelligencesquared\/blockchain-quantumleapforwardordigitalsnakeoil-\">Podcast is up!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Twitter came to the party with photos! I need a more cheerful tie. (No, no crypto logos or &#8220;blockchain&#8221; stock photos, thanks.)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BChainPRBuzz\/status\/1013855245825388544<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Excited to be at the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iq2debate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#iq2debate<\/a> debate to hear <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamieJBartlett?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JamieJBartlett<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yaoeo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@yaoeo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidgerard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@davidgerard<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Vit_Jedlicka?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Vit_Jedlicka<\/a> discuss current and future uses of blockchain technology. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lo9y3JJbhO\">pic.twitter.com\/lo9y3JJbhO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Miranda | Text FLORIDA to 30330\ud83c\udf4a (@miranda_barrie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/miranda_barrie\/status\/1013847798985515011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Attending the Intelligence2 debate at the Emmanuel Centre <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FHRMr5Icfl\">pic.twitter.com\/FHRMr5Icfl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; James Bowater &#8211; City A.M.\u2019s Crypto Insider (@CityAM_Crypto) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CityAM_Crypto\/status\/1013845573085155330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Blockchain: Quantum Leap or Digital Snake Oil? Great panel discussion from thought leaders this evening. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iq2debate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#iq2debate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/blockchainiscoming?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#blockchainiscoming<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rTucsHvDUQ\">pic.twitter.com\/rTucsHvDUQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Kapsule (@Kapsule_Life) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kapsule_Life\/status\/1013879823431761926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kamal Ahmed starts the discussion <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intelligence2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@intelligence2<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iq2debate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#iq2debate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tsiFODG2hQ\">pic.twitter.com\/tsiFODG2hQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Abel Hadden (@abelhadden) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/abelhadden\/status\/1013847836876836868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cYou regulate the use not the technology\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yaoeo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@yaoeo<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iq2debate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#iq2debate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/blockchaintechnology?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#blockchaintechnology<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VNfF1IFgQ2\">pic.twitter.com\/VNfF1IFgQ2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Alan Newton (@AlanRNewton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlanRNewton\/status\/1013858445047615488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;The more you attack bitcoin the more it will grow. Governments trying to put an end to cryptocurrency is like trying to put an end to the internet&quot; V\u00edt Jedli\u010dka <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iq2debate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#iq2debate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zlHKN2JZwn\">pic.twitter.com\/zlHKN2JZwn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Intelligence Squared (@intelligence2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intelligence2\/status\/1013856304799125506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BChainPRBuzz\/status\/1013869599215869952<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Some pretty valid analogies in the air!<br \/>&quot;Private <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Blockchain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Blockchain<\/a> is like <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/beer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#beer<\/a> without <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/alcohol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#alcohol<\/a>.&quot;<br \/>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/yaoeo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@yaoeo<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/blockchain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#blockchain<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/cryptocurrency?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#cryptocurrency<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bitcoin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Bitcoin<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Debate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Debate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/event?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#event<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HeatWave?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HeatWave<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/london?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#london<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/fintech?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#fintech<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/government?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#government<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iq2debate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#iq2debate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/k63vs8TnIR\">pic.twitter.com\/k63vs8TnIR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; BTC Wires (@btc_wires) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/btc_wires\/status\/1013867593277399043?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BChainPRBuzz\/status\/1013866772678799361<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Interesting Q for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/blockchain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#blockchain<\/a> community&#8230; \u2018How does <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GDPR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GDPR<\/a> impact someone\u2019s right to be forgotten when the tech is an immutable ledger?\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iq2debate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#iq2debate<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Anonymising data is possible and very relevant in enterprise use. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9dr63xF2yg\">pic.twitter.com\/9dr63xF2yg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Alan Newton (@AlanRNewton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlanRNewton\/status\/1013859693209571328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;if you&#39;re going to commit a crime it&#39;s probably not best to commit it on an immutable, permanent ledger&quot; &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidgerard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@davidgerard<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/iq2debate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#iq2debate<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tnPy60Whzz\">pic.twitter.com\/tnPy60Whzz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Intelligence Squared (@intelligence2) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intelligence2\/status\/1013857733005672448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<br><br><div align=\"center\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/bePatron?u=8420236\"><img src=\"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/become_a_patron_button.svg\" alt=\"Become a Patron!\" title=\"Become a Patron!\" width=217 height=51><\/a><br><p style=\"align:center;\" class=\"patreon-badge\"><i>Your subscriptions keep this site going. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/bePatron?u=8420236\">Sign up today!<\/a><\/i><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last night&#8217;s event was great fun, and if you weren&#8217;t there you missed out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[564,761,763,762,764],"class_list":["post-8486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-intelligence-squared","tag-jamie-bartlett","tag-kamal-ahmed","tag-primavera-de-filippi","tag-vit-jedlicka"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8486"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8899,"href":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8486\/revisions\/8899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}