Hello Open Source & Blockchain World; Decentralized Governance Makes no Sense!

Everyone is excited about open-source and blockchain. Open-Source is currently the most preferred method of software development. Blockchain has been the hottest technology in the past decade.

As excited as everyone is, open-source and blockchain are headed for a dead-end if some things don’t change.

Yes! The open-source spirit of open-source development is dying!

Blockchain is becoming obsolete!

That’s preposterous! You’ve most likely exclaimed. How can anyone say that about two of the most revolutionary systems in tech today?

Before you get all agitated, consider this;

Lawrence Lundy-Bryan Doesn’t Believe in Decentralized Governance

Both open-source and blockchain are banked on decentralized governance. Decentralized governance is the single biggest incentive that makes people use open source and blockchain.

Well, here’s what Lawrence Lundy-Bryan had to say about that.

“There is no such thing as decentralized governance.”

Lawrence is an expert advisor to the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Blockchain. He is also a member of the European Commission Observatory on Blockchain.

That’s right Lawrence is a blockchain expert, and he thinks decentralized governance does not exist.

The notion of the existence of decentralized governance is cause for chaos. It’s the reason the open-source spirit of open-source development is dying. It is the reason why blockchain is obsolete.

The open-source and blockchain communities do not like the idea of centralized governance. The word governance implies authority. There is no authority in the open-source and blockchain setups. What happens when there’s no authority? Chaos!

Picture a situation where people were left to police themselves in our physical world. What would happen if there were no authorities to enforce law and order? Chaos!

Am I advocating for centralized governance in open-source can blockchain? Not at all!

I am advocating for…

…Accountability

I’m advocating for a community where everyone is accountable for their actions. The perceived decentralized governance structure in open source and blockchain does not make people accountable.

The lack of accountability in open source is the reason why bad actors submit malicious code to a project. It is the reason why malicious actors will get into an open source project to look for or create vulnerabilities that they can use later to launch attacks.

The lack of accountability in the blockchain is the reason why people use cryptocurrency for narcotics dealing, money laundering, and all manner of crimes. It is the reason why cryptocurrency exchange platforms get hacked and user’s money gets stolen.

NFT’s are the newest thing in Blockchain right now. In an environment where people can use fake identities and masquerade as anyone, what will stop bad actors from stealing valuable NFTs?

So, how do we bring accountability to decentralized identity communities?

As mentioned earlier, we need authority but not from centralized governance. We need an authoritative body, whose authority is bestowed upon it by the participants.

We Need Participatory Centralized Governance.

Let’s consider the vehicle license plate system used in our physical world. Each vehicle on the road has a license plate. The license plate does not reveal the identity of the vehicle’s driver or owner while it’s on the road.

However, the driver knows that the license plate can be used to reveal their identity if they engage in any criminal misbehavior. That means the license plate makes the driver accountable for what they do on the road.

What makes the license plate system possible. A centralized authority that has people’s identities attached to the car license plates.

The license plate system allows drivers to remain anonymous on the road unless they’ve broken traffic laws. We call that accountable anonymity.

That means the introduction of authority in decentralized identity communities does not mean participants cannot be anonymous.

How will accountable anonymity solve the challenges faced by decentralized identity communities?

Accountable Anonymity

Participatory central governance will make accountable anonymity possible in these communities. Open source participants will always know that they are accountable for any code they submit to a project.

Project owners are bound to worry about people submitting malicious code to their project. Individual developers and small teams often struggle to audit all the code submitted to their project, especially when it gets big. They do not have the muscle that big companies have. It is easy for great projects to get compromised and lost in the process.

When open-source developers know their real identities can be unmasked if they submit malicious code, they are less likely to do so. Each code submitted to an open-source project should be accompanied by a digital signature that is backed by a digital identity certificate that is tied to a real person. That way, each piece of code is tied to its author.

The same goes for the blockchain community. The biggest incentive offered by blockchain technology is anonymity. As illustrated above, participatory central governance would not be trying to take away anyone’s anonymity. In fact, the technology behind reliable digital identities is focused on enhancing personal privacy and ensuring internet users have control over their information and data.

So, where does participatory central governance come from? There has to be an authoritative body that conducts that governance.

The City of OSMIO

In the case of license plates, we have duly constituted public authorities that register identities and issue license plates to the owners of those identities. In the same way, decentralized identity communities need a duly constituted public authority that will issue digital identity certificates and ensure they are owned by real people.

A duly constituted public authority will exercise the authority of the participants. It will ensure that identity control is not a preserve of a centralized authority such as governments or Silibandia (Silicon Valley, the Media, and the Broadband industry).

The CITY OF OSMIO is one such duly constituted public authority. Anyone can become part of the city of OSMIO. OSMIO is a certification authority that issues digital identity certificates to its members.

Unlike other certification authorities, Osmio is owned and governed by those whose identities it attests to. Your Osmio identity certificate lets you assert your identity without disclosing your identity. That’s what we mean by Accountable Anonymity. Only a valid court order can uncover a user’s identity in cases of fraud, illegal activity, or claims of civil damage.