A Maturity Model to Support Trust in Blockchain Solutions

Eugene Morozov

The Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) serves as a mechanism to assist government officials in understanding the practicality and effectiveness of blockchain solutions. This model recognizes the challenges faced by officials who may not possess advanced technical knowledge to independently determine if certain claims made by solution providers are reliable. By leveraging the BMM, officials can make informed decisions by deploying blockchain solutions into everyday administrative tasks.

BMM assessors play a crucial role in the evaluation process, as they meticulously analyze blockchain solutions from various perspectives. These assessors represent different aspects related to a particular blockchain solution and invest substantial time in scrutinizing proposals from multiple angles. This rigorous assessment ensures a comprehensive understanding of the solutions, thereby mitigating potential risks and enhancing the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation.

The combination of biometric identification, blockchain-based security cards, and other identification factors offers a unique way to identify individuals. This comprehensive approach has the potential to unlock numerous possibilities, such as enabling seamless governance and financial applications like receiving pensions and securely participating in elections. These advancements significantly contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16, which focuses on peace, justice, and strong institutions.

Furthermore, the integration of zero-knowledge technology adds an additional layer of security by allowing individuals to express their will anonymously. This breakthrough technology is attainable today, and its incorporation in security measures creates an environment where people feel empowered to participate in decision-making processes without fear of repercussion or intrusion.

By adopting blockchain solutions, central banks can directly interact with individuals, eliminating the need for financial intermediaries. This direct engagement streamlines processes and ensures that essential accounts, such as those related to poverty alleviation and economic growth, are efficiently managed by the central bank of each individual’s country. This fosters financial inclusion and supports Sustainable Development Goals 1, 8, and 10, which focus on poverty eradication, decent work, and reduced inequalities.

The BMM assessment’s two-way process encourages knowledge sharing between the government and solution providers. Through this exchange, the government gains insights into emerging technological breakthroughs, allowing them to better align requirements with the practical needs of government and private industry users. At the same time, solution providers gain a deeper understanding of the expectations and criteria set by government officials, enabling them to develop more tailored solutions.

To further foster collaboration and knowledge exchange, joining the Government and Blockchain Association is encouraged. By participating in this association, stakeholders can collectively develop common knowledge and create shared products. This collaborative process is both creative and challenging, allowing for greater innovation and progress. This initiative contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 17, which emphasizes the importance of partnerships for achieving shared goals.

In conclusion, the Blockchain Maturity Model, with its comprehensive analysis of blockchain solutions, presents a valuable framework for government officials to make informed decisions. The incorporation of biometric identification, zero-knowledge technology, and direct interaction with central banks opens up new possibilities for governance, financial applications, and enhanced security. The BMM assessment process and participation in the Government and Blockchain Association facilitate collaboration and knowledge-sharing, enabling the development of common knowledge and products for the benefit of individuals and society as a whole.

Paul F. Dowding

Blockchain technology provides a reliable system for detecting corruption, although it does not guarantee correctness. Contrary to popular belief, blockchain is not immutable, but rather mutable, although extremely challenging to corrupt. Rather than ensuring absolute correctness, blockchain offers auditability and transparency, enabling users to verify the accuracy of data and documents.

In a blockchain network, individuals within the network have control over their own data and can monitor its interpretation. This level of control empowers users and enhances data privacy, aligning with the concept of data control and privacy being at the edge. It promotes transparency and accountability within the network.

Paul F. Dowding discusses the formation of the Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM), which took over 18 months to develop. The model encompasses elements such as distribution, governance, identity, interoperability, performance, privacy, reliability, resilience, security infrastructure, sustainability, and synchronization. It also defines five levels of maturity: idea, documented, validated, production, and optimizing. Currently, only level one assessments of the model are being conducted.

Resilience and infrastructure sustainability are identified as crucial elements of blockchain systems. In addition to ensuring data integrity, a blockchain system needs to be resilient against attacks or downtimes and have a long lifespan. These factors contribute to the overall sustainability and effectiveness of blockchain technology.

The assessment process implemented by the Government Blockchain Association (GBA) for blockchain solution providers provides credibility and assurance. It allows solution providers to demonstrate that they have addressed the requirements outlined in the use cases. Moreover, the assessment process benefits buyers of blockchain solutions by providing an independent evaluation that verifies the details, thoroughness, and objectivity of the solution.

Blockchain technology has the potential to serve as a transacting protocol due to its distributed ledger technology. Similar to how the internet revolutionized communication, blockchain could transform transactional processes, becoming an integral part of everyday exchanges. As technology advances, blockchain is likely to become seamlessly integrated into various aspects of users’ lives, rendering it invisible to them.

Understanding the technical aspects of blockchain is essential due to its diverse nature. The Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) serves as a valuable resource for comprehending the intricacies of blockchain technology. Recognizing that blockchain encompasses a range of complex solutions facilitates effective implementation and utilization.

In summary, blockchain technology offers a reliable system for detecting corruption, without guaranteeing correctness. It empowers users with control over their data and enhances privacy. The Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) aids in understanding and implementation. Resilience and infrastructure sustainability are critical aspects of blockchain systems. The GBA’s assessment process benefits both solution providers and buyers. As technology advances, blockchain has the potential to become an invisible yet integral part of transactional processes. Understanding the technical aspects is crucial for effective utilization.

Audience

The analysis focuses on the potential benefits of adopting blockchain technology in the public sector, particularly in terms of enhancing service delivery and promoting public sector reforms. The speakers argue that blockchain has the capacity to improve efficiency and transparency in healthcare services, as demonstrated by a use case of patient fund management. They also highlight how blockchain can streamline service delivery in the public sector through various social protection programs implemented by United Nations member states.

The speakers stress the importance of enacting legislation to accelerate the adoption of blockchain technologies. They emphasize the need to address issues of mistrust and establish clear communication with governments. By enacting laws that facilitate the implementation of blockchain technology, trust can be built, and the potential of blockchain can be fully realized. This perspective aligns with the related topics of legislation and the Sustainable Development Goal 16, focusing on peace, justice, and strong institutions.

Partnerships and collaboration are also emphasized as significant for the adoption of blockchain technology in the public sector. The speakers highlight the necessity of a working relationship between different stakeholders to translate blockchain-related issues into legislation. The fact that one of the speakers is a member of the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance further underscores the importance of collaboration and partnerships in advancing blockchain technologies.

The speakers argue that the United Nations should support the enactment of policies that utilize blockchain technology to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They emphasize the significant number of people who are currently not connected to digital services and state that digitalization and internet governance are crucial for the future. By leveraging blockchain, the UN can contribute to bridging this digital divide and achieve SDG 17, focusing on partnerships for the goals, as well as SDG 9, which centers around industry, innovation, and infrastructure.

The analysis also highlights the role of the Government Blockchain Association in enhancing global participation and considering input from multiple stakeholders. One of the supporting facts mentioned is that Lee McKnight is working on a sustainable development blockchain for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and represents Syracuse University School of Information Studies. The association’s potential to foster global collaboration and incorporate diverse perspectives is seen as critical for blockchain development in the public sector.

However, concerns are raised about the association of blockchain with cryptocurrency. The speakers note that this linkage has led to mistrust and skepticism, with some people losing money. To build trust among the public, they suggest finding ways to dissociate blockchain from cryptocurrency and emphasizing the broader benefits of blockchain technology beyond cryptocurrency applications.

In conclusion, the analysis explores the potential of blockchain technology in the public sector, emphasizing its capacity to enhance service delivery and promote public sector reforms. The importance of legislation, collaboration, and partnerships in realizing these benefits is underscored. The United Nations is urged to support policies that utilize blockchain to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. Additionally, the role of the Government Blockchain Association in enhancing global participation and considering multi-stakeholder inputs is discussed. However, the need to address the association of blockchain with cryptocurrency and build public trust is also highlighted.

Shawnna Hoffman

The combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain is seen as powerful, offering numerous benefits and addressing certain concerns. One major advantage is the traceability and transparency that blockchain provides to AI systems. With blockchain, it becomes easier to track the origin and movement of data used by AI algorithms, ensuring accountability and trust. Additionally, AI systems can benefit from blockchain’s ability to securely store and verify data, enhancing the reliability and integrity of AI-generated outcomes.

On the other hand, a significant concern with AI is the black box issue, where the decision-making processes of AI algorithms are often opaque and difficult to interpret. This lack of transparency raises ethical and accountability concerns, as it becomes challenging to understand how and why AI systems make certain decisions. By integrating blockchain technology, it is possible to address this black box issue by providing a verifiable and immutable record of AI algorithms’ inputs, outputs, and decision-making steps. This transparency brings more accountability and allows for better scrutiny of AI systems’ behavior.

However, there are also negative aspects associated with AI. One major concern is the potential for misuse, as powerful AI solutions are accessible to individuals who may utilize them for malicious purposes. Privacy concerns also arise due to the vast amount of personal data that AI systems process and analyze. Moreover, the biased or unrepresentative training data used in AI algorithms can lead to discriminatory outcomes and perpetuate existing biases in society. This highlights the importance of implementing measures to ensure the quality control and fairness of AI systems.

Another significant issue is the limited inclusivity of AI systems, as billions of people worldwide do not have their data represented in AI systems. This lack of inclusivity is evident in the case of training language models like Chat GPT, which was trained on a vast amount of data without disclosing the sources of that data. As a result, the representation of perspectives, cultures, and languages in AI systems remains limited, leading to potential biases and incomplete understanding of the world’s diversity.

To address these challenges, strict AI standards are considered crucial for transformative and inclusive growth. By adhering to well-defined standards, the potential of AI can be harnessed to bring about remarkable transformations in various sectors. Furthermore, incorporating a wide range of data from diverse individuals and communities in AI systems can ensure representative outcomes and avoid further marginalization.

In terms of data privacy and security, the combination of AI and blockchain offers promising solutions. Blockchain’s decentralized and secure nature can be leveraged to protect sensitive information, even when AI algorithms require access to that data for analysis. Through techniques like masking and encryption, AI can utilize blockchain as a secure log, allowing for effective privacy safeguards without compromising the utility of AI systems.

In conclusion, the combination of AI and blockchain presents powerful opportunities, with blockchain offering traceability and transparency to AI systems and addressing the black box issue. However, concerns such as misuse, privacy issues, bias, and limited inclusivity still persist. Strict AI standards are needed to ensure transformative and inclusive growth, while the integration of blockchain can bolster data privacy and security in AI applications. By actively addressing these challenges, society can embrace the potential of AI and blockchain while minimizing the associated risks.

Speaker

Lee McKnight, an associate professor at Syracuse University School of Information Studies, is inviting individuals to join his class, which focuses on sustainable development blockchain for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The project, being conducted for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, aims to explore the potential of blockchain technology in achieving sustainable development goals in agriculture.

In a separate discussion, another speaker emphasizes the significance of the interface between the Government Blockchain Association (GBA) and the rest of the world. They suggest that becoming a member of gbaglobal.org would facilitate global interaction and enable the resolution of issues addressed during the meeting. This highlights the importance of collaboration and global partnerships in leveraging blockchain technology to achieve sustainable development goals.

The invitation to join Lee McKnight’s class demonstrates a commitment to incorporating blockchain technology in the field of agriculture, a sector crucial for global sustainable development. With McKnight’s expertise and the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, participants can gain valuable insights into how blockchain can revolutionize agricultural practices and contribute to achieving sustainability targets.

Meanwhile, the speaker advocating for engagement with the Government Blockchain Association recognizes the need for collective efforts to drive blockchain-enabled solutions for sustainable development. By promoting membership in the GBA, the speaker believes that meaningful global collaborations can be fostered, allowing for greater knowledge sharing, problem-solving, and innovation.

Overall, these discussions highlight the growing recognition of blockchain’s potential in addressing complex challenges related to sustainability, agriculture, and global collaboration. The inclusion of diverse stakeholders, such as academic experts and organizations like the GBA, is paramount to harnessing blockchain’s transformative power and making significant progress towards sustainable development goals.

Michael Henson

Blockchain technology has gained significant attention in recent years, leading to the development of numerous applications. However, there is a lack of understanding among average users regarding the underlying architecture of these applications. This knowledge gap highlights the need for stakeholders, such as companies and individuals, to undergo a blockchain assessment to evaluate the robustness of the technology.

To address this, an objective rating system has been proposed to assess the reliability of blockchain solutions. This rating system consists of eleven criteria, including scalability, decentralization, privacy, and resilience against unforeseen events. By evaluating these factors, stakeholders can gain a comprehensive perspective on the robustness of a blockchain solution, allowing them to make informed decisions.

While blockchain technology excels at tracking the history and provenance of data, it does not guarantee the accuracy of the original data being added to it. This limitation is essential to consider when relying on blockchain for recording and verifying information. Despite this constraint, blockchain technology proves valuable for content creation, tracking, copyright protection, and establishing authorship. Its use in these areas ensures transparency and integrity as it enables the authentication and verification of digital content.

Implementing blockchain solutions comes with associated legal issues and privacy concerns. Legal professionals and legal frameworks must stay engaged to address emerging challenges in this rapidly evolving technology. Furthermore, the convergence of blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and the internet of things (IoT) has led to an increasing trend of patenting inventions in this intersection. However, this trend may also give rise to patent infringement actions, highlighting the need for comprehensive intellectual property strategies.

Another critical consideration is the adaptability of the Blockchain Monitoring Mechanism (BMM) model, which oversees blockchain implementations, to different jurisdictions worldwide. Privacy laws vary from one country to another, and professionals must account for these differences to ensure compliance and protection of users’ personal information. The BMM model, along with its supplements, should be able to adjust to the specific privacy laws and regulations of each jurisdiction to achieve effective governance.

In conclusion, the growing use of blockchain technology demands greater awareness and understanding from users. Undertaking a blockchain assessment, utilizing an objective rating system, is crucial for stakeholders to evaluate the robustness and reliability of blockchain solutions. Although blockchain technology has limitations regarding data accuracy, it offers significant benefits for content creation, copyright, and authorship. Legal issues, patenting trends, and jurisdictional considerations also arise in the implementation of blockchain solutions. Adapting the BMM model to different privacy laws around the world ensures the proper governance and compliance of blockchain deployments. Overall, understanding and addressing these various aspects of blockchain technology are essential to harness its full potential and navigate the challenges it presents.

Amelia Gardner

The Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) is a valuable tool for governments looking to evaluate and assess emerging technologies, particularly in the field of blockchain. In government procurement processes, experience and past projects often play a crucial role. However, newer technology providers may lack the necessary experience and track record, making it challenging for them to meet procurement requirements. The BMM provides these companies with a means to showcase their capability, even without prior government project experience. By utilising the BMM, these providers can demonstrate their competence and suitability for government technology projects.

Blockchain technology has gained significant traction across various sectors, including the government. It is being used in operations such as the issuance of marriage licences and voting systems. Traditional procurement processes may not effectively evaluate these new technologies, necessitating an alternative approach.

The BMM proves to be particularly useful in this context. By providing a third-party assessment, the BMM enables governments to evaluate potential blockchain technology providers, ensuring they possess the necessary expertise and capabilities to meet the specific requirements of government projects. This assessment is especially crucial in the context of the Sustainable Development Goal 16, which focuses on promoting peace, justice, and strong institutions. To achieve this goal, it is essential to have efficient and secure systems, such as blockchain technology, in place.

The positive sentiment surrounding the BMM stems from its ability to bridge the gap between newer technology providers and the stringent requirements of government procurement processes. It offers a fair and unbiased evaluation, allowing governments to consider providers who may not have previous government project experience but possess the necessary skills and knowledge. This can lead to greater innovation and competition in the government technology sector.

In conclusion, the BMM acts as a valuable tool for governments seeking to evaluate emerging technologies like blockchain. By providing a means for newer technology providers to prove their capabilities, it helps bridge the gap in government procurement processes. With blockchain technology playing an increasingly crucial role in government operations, the BMM ensures that potential providers are thoroughly assessed and can successfully meet the requirements of government projects. Overall, the BMM promotes innovation, competition, and the efficient use of emerging technologies for the benefit of governments worldwide.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia

During a discussion, two speakers shed light on the significance of third-party validation in governmental roles, with a specific focus on its importance in ensuring accountability and oversight of public spending. They emphasized that third-party validation plays a crucial role in promoting transparency, preventing possible mishandling of taxpayer funds, and fostering trust between the government and its citizens.

The speakers agreed that third-party validation serves as a vital tool for ensuring that public funds are used effectively and responsibly. By subjecting governmental activities to independent scrutiny, it helps to mitigate the risk of corruption and mismanagement. This validation process involves an external entity or organization reviewing and verifying the accuracy and legitimacy of the government’s financial reports, supporting documentation, and spending decisions.

The transparency and accountability provided by third-party validation also contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16): Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. By holding public officials accountable for their actions and ensuring that public funds are used for the intended purposes, it helps to promote justice and strengthen institutions within society.

Moreover, the speakers highlighted the potential challenges and risks faced by public institutions if mishandling of public funds occurs. These include damage to the institution’s reputation, diminished performance, and potential legal repercussions. They stressed that having third-party validation in place helps to prevent and address these challenges, as it acts as a deterrent against wrongful behavior and provides a mechanism for detecting and rectifying any financial discrepancies or irregularities.

Overall, the speakers’ discussion highlighted the critical role of third-party validation in the public sector. By ensuring transparency, accountability, and proper use of taxpayer funds, it serves as a safeguard against corruption and mismanagement. It also reinforces trust and confidence in governmental institutions, promoting peace, justice, and strong institutions as envisioned by SDG 16. The potential risks faced by public institutions underscore the need for comprehensive oversight and the implementation of effective validation processes to protect the integrity and reputation of the government.

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio

The Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) was developed in response to the government’s lack of expertise and skills in blockchain technologies. It provides a tool for assessing the maturity level of blockchain solutions. The idea for the model came from the President of the Government Blockchain Association.

The BMM was co-authored by subject matter experts from different sectors such as finance, banking, legal, voting, digital identity, and supply chain. It is a technologically agnostic model that can be applied to any platform supporting blockchain services. It consists of 11 domains and 5 levels of maturity, enabling organizations to align their strategic goals with their blockchain implementations.

The model helps organizations determine the potential evolution of their blockchain solutions and identify areas for improvement. It emphasizes the compliance of self-sovereign identity (SSI) on the blockchain with data protection laws, highlighting the enhanced security and privacy offered by blockchain technology.

The practicality and efficiency of blockchain technology adoption are showcased through the example of the United Nations Pension Fund, which automated beneficiary verification through blockchain technology. This led to increased efficiency and cost savings.

However, it is noted that users often lack awareness of the presence of blockchain technology in the applications they use, highlighting the need for education and reassurance. The importance of independent verification and supplements for assessing specific risks and benefits in different sectors is also highlighted.

The applicability and compliance of the BMM model within the United Nations is emphasized, along with the potential for incorporating blockchain technology to achieve sustainable solutions and the inclusivity of the Government Blockchain Association (GBA). The GBA organizes conferences and working groups to promote training, awareness, and collaboration among stakeholders.

In conclusion, the BMM is a valuable tool for evaluating and improving the maturity of blockchain solutions. It is adaptable to different platforms and sectors, while compliance with data protection laws is emphasized. Education and awareness are important for user acceptance, and the UN Pension Fund serves as a successful case study for the practicality and efficiency of blockchain adoption. The GBA promotes inclusivity, training, and collaboration to advance blockchain technology.

Gerard Dache

Trust is considered one of the biggest challenges society is currently facing. Issues such as contested election results, bank failures, mistrust in healthcare, and the spread of deepfakes in news contribute to a negative sentiment. However, blockchain technology has emerged as a valuable tool to rebuild lost trust. Its ability to enable peer-to-peer movement of value without double transactions positions it as a potential solution.

Many blockchain projects fail due to individuals chasing hype without understanding the fundamentals. This underscores the importance of the Blockchain Maturity Model, which evaluates blockchain solutions and is used by both public and private organizations across various industries. This model provides a reliable and trustworthy solution for the successful implementation of blockchain technology.

Developing blockchain skills can lead to global economic opportunities, particularly in countries like Cameroon and Kenya. Individuals in these regions can acquire blockchain expertise and provide consulting services, contributing to global economic growth. Additionally, blockchain solutions have the potential to address significant issues like healthcare, hunger, poverty, and economic inclusion, further highlighting their positive impact on society.

Standardization and maturity in the blockchain industry are crucial. The Blockchain Maturity Model plays a vital role in this by establishing a common framework of standards. By creating a shared vocabulary using established ISO terminology, it lays the groundwork for solving global problems. Cooperative work among competitors is also important in advancing blockchain solutions, as it fosters a cohesive fabric that benefits all participants.

The assessment process in blockchain differs from an audit and involves industry experts working collaboratively with the solution being assessed. This process helps identify vulnerabilities, improving the overall quality and security of blockchain solutions. The positive feedback from organizations that have undergone the assessment highlights its value and effectiveness.

Ethical considerations are deeply embedded in the Blockchain Maturity Model. The Global Blockchain Association (GBA) has developed an ethics statement that guides its leadership and members, emphasizing their commitment to using technology for the betterment of all citizens and the protection of their rights and dignities. The alignment of the Blockchain Maturity Model with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in building strong institutions, further underscores its ethical and societal importance.

In conclusion, trust is a significant challenge in society, and blockchain technology offers a valuable means to rebuild it. The Blockchain Maturity Model plays a crucial role in promoting reliable and trustworthy blockchain solutions, fostering economic opportunities, addressing vital issues, establishing industry standardization, and ensuring ethical considerations are at the forefront. By leveraging blockchain technology and adhering to ethical principles, we can work towards building a more trusted and prosperous society.

Alejandro Mandujano

BMM assessments are crucial and involve multiple steps, including an authorized program, planning, team integration, reviewing the client’s procedures, addressing any issues, and assigning a rating. It is not just a one-sided exercise, but rather a cooperative and communicative process that allows clients to improve their performance.

The assessment team comprises a certified BMM assessor, domain experts, a data specialist, and possibly someone from the identity working group. This diverse team ensures a comprehensive understanding of the client’s procedures and enables the identification and resolution of any issues that may occur.

Effective communication is key during BMM assessments. The assessment team collectively discusses any issues discovered, emphasizing the importance of open communication. Additionally, communication between the team and the client is crucial for tailoring solutions to the client’s specific needs.

One notable aspect of BMM assessments is the involvement of competitors in the process. Competitors participate in working groups, providing real market knowledge and contributing to comprehensive market understanding. This collaboration fosters solution improvement instead of intense competition.

The BMM assessment process also includes offering improvement opportunities to the client. This demonstrates a commitment to supporting clients in enhancing their performance and achieving better outcomes. The client has the chance to make adjustments and improvements before receiving a final rating.

In summary, BMM assessments are a collaborative process that encompasses an authorized program, planning, team integration, reviewing client procedures, addressing issues, and offering improvement opportunities. Effective communication and the participation of competitors contribute to comprehensive market understanding and solution improvement. Embracing the BMM assessment process allows competitors to enhance their offerings rather than solely competing against each other.

Lori Souza

Lori Souza is heavily involved in the field of blockchain technology and serves as the executive director of the Government Blockchain Association (GBA). She actively drives the association’s initiatives and promotes the adoption of blockchain solutions in government sectors. Souza is also the co-founder and head of the Dynamic Coalition on Blockchain Assurance and Standardisation, where she focuses on developing and promoting standards for blockchain technology. This coalition plays a vital role in ensuring the integrity and reliability of blockchain solutions. Souza’s involvement extends to the working group for the blockchain maturity model, where she contributes to the development of the assessment framework for evaluating the maturity of blockchain solutions. Additionally, Souza is a member of the Standards and Certifications Committee, highlighting her dedication to setting high standards for blockchain technology and related solutions. Her expertise also includes areas like land titling and digital asset management, which are important domains where blockchain technology can have a transformative impact. In order to form a BMM assessment team, individuals must undergo specific training provided by the GBA, equipping them with the necessary skills to evaluate blockchain solutions effectively. Overall, Lori Souza’s active involvement in the GBA and her various roles underscores her commitment to advancing the development and adoption of blockchain technology across industries.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening for those of you who are connecting from overseas. My name is Benedetta Audia, and I am a partner at DLA Piper. For those of you who don’t know, it’s one of the largest law firms in the world. And at DLA Piper, I chair the international development practice. I’m based in New York City. I actually consider myself more of a UN colleague, because I just left the UN in December of last year. So it’s very nice to be surrounded by old UN colleagues, as well as old and new friends. It is a pleasure to moderate today’s panel on the maturity model to support trust in blockchain solutions. I am joined by a number of colleagues here. I’m going to introduce them, and then I’m going to give them the floor so that they can talk a little bit about themselves. Dino Dellaccio, the floor is yours.

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
Thank you very much, Benedetta. My name is Dino Dellaccio. I’m the chief information officer of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund. And I’m also the co-chair of the Dynamic Coalition on Blockchain Assurance and Standardization here at the IGF.

Eugene Morozov:
My name is Eugene Morozov, and I’m a member of the Government Blockchain Association, representing a number of developer companies, including Governance, Gosch, Central Bank Digital Currencies, Broxus, Undisputable Elections, Devote, and blockchain-based security card, EverX. I am very pleased to be here. Thank you.

Michael Henson:
Hi. My name is Michael Hinson. I am the chair of the Intellectual Property Working Group of the Government Blockchain Association. I’m also a partner at the law firm of Perkins Coie, and I work in their blockchain and fintech practice group.

Shawnna Hoffman:
And my name is Shana Hoffman, and I’m the president of Guardrail Technologies, and we are a generative AI company.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Thank you. I would like to ask the colleagues who are online to also introduce themselves. Gerard, would you like to start?

Gerard Dache:
Certainly. My name is Gerard Dachet. I’m the executive director of the Government Blockchain Association. I also am the co-lead with Dino for the Dynamic Coalition on Blockchain Assurance and Standardization. And it’s a pleasure to be here. Thank you.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Thank you, Gerard. Paul, are you online with us?

Paul F. Dowding:
Yes. Hello. I’m not sure why my name is showing up as Gerard’s, but I’m Paul Dowding, co-founder and head of design for Alfrescore, and I’m differentiating layer one protocol called TapestryX. I’ve been an active member of the GBA for four years and head up the banking and finance working group. I also work with Gerard and many of our colleagues here on the blockchain maturity standard and also the banking and finance supplement.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Thank you. Amelia, are you also there? I don’t hear. Laurie, are you there with us?

Lori Souza:
Yes. Hi there. So, thank you very much for inviting us. My name is Laurie Souza. I am a member of the Government Blockchain Association. I’m the executive director of the Government Blockchain Association. I’m also the co-founder and head of the Dynamic Coalition on Blockchain Assurance and Standardization. And it’s a pleasure to be here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So, I’m a member of the Government Blockchain Association and also part of the working group for the blockchain maturity model and an assessor and a consultant. We are putting together the blockchain maturity model assessment and very happy to be here. Oh, also a member of the Standards and Certifications Committee and land titling and digital asset management.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Thank you, Laurie.

Lori Souza:
Thank you for having us.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Priya, are you there? Yes. Alejandro, are you there? Okay. I think I’m just going to start with a few questions. Dino, why don’t you talk to us about the genesis of the model and how it provides trust?

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
Thank you, Benedetta. So, the genesis of the blockchain maturity model was born from an idea of the president, Gerard Aschet, that introduced himself a few seconds ago, of the Government Blockchain Association. And the idea was that given the relative novelty of blockchain technologies, especially governments do not have adequate experience and skills in their team to assess, appreciate, evaluate the reliance of blockchain solutions or even the ability to develop a blockchain solution in-house. So, as a result of that, rather than trying to establish from the beginning a strict standard or requirement for certification, the idea was to develop a maturity model that would enable an organization to assess the level of maturity of blockchain solutions and also at the same time determine what could be the potential evolution of the solution itself. So, bringing together subject matter experts from different sectors of industry, such as finance and banking, such as legal, such as voting, digital identity, supply chain, we created a group that together co-authored the blockchain maturity model, which is a model that is technologically agnostic, meaning that it can be applied to any platform, to any solution that supports and provides blockchain services, but at the same time allows an organization through 11 domains and through 5 levels of maturity to assess and determine what is the specific status, if you will, that enables fundamentally to take a snapshot of a blockchain and therefore determine whether more controls are required vis-à-vis the strategic goals and the ultimate objective of an organization.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Thank you, Dino. Eugene, can you talk to us a bit more about what a BMM assessment entails?

Eugene Morozov:
Yes. So it is very important to understand the pain points that the users of the model eventually will be able to address with. And that is, there is a variety of private sector solutions that are being put forward today, and people claim that they resolve a particular aspect or a particular issue, but most government officials and users are not very technically advanced to be able to determine themselves whether they can rely on certain claims that are being put forward. So BMM has been designed as a mechanism, as a tool, to help such people understand what the reality is, where they can turn to in order to reduce the risk that they’re facing by inviting a particular blockchain solution into their everyday life to solve their everyday problems. So a group of experts, a group of assessors behind BMM is exactly trying to help those officials, to understand, to help them understand where they can rely on, to help them really solve the issue that they’re solving with minimizing their risk. So the idea was to assemble representatives of all needed aspects which relate to a particular blockchain solution so they can spend some quality time analyzing what’s being proposed from a variety of perspectives, as Dina mentioned a minute ago. There are all kinds of angles that one has to look at in order to assist and advise a user on the proper use of a blockchain. So the role of this group is to help.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Thank you. Mike, why should a company go through an assessment?

Michael Henson:
And it’s kind of building upon what Eugene just said. The underlying technology behind blockchains have been around for a very long time, but blockchain itself is relatively new. And so there’s a lot of education that needs to go on for people to really understand how a blockchain architecture works. So you have a lot of blockchain solutions that have been out there that tout certain aspects. They don’t all live up to what they say they’re going to be. And so we think it’s important that the public and the stakeholders that are involved really understand the robustness of a certain solution. So you’re going to have the developers, the users, potential a company that might need some capital investment. So these stakeholders need to understand, you know, how solid is this blockchain? So people have alluded to this. We’ve created 11 criteria when you’re talking about is it scalable? Is it really decentralized? Does it ensure privacy? What happens in unforeseen eventualities? Is it still going to be up and running? These are important things that a blockchain solution must have. And all these stakeholders have a vested interest in that. So we have a rating that gives them an objective perspective on just that.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
I’m going to ask Shana a question, but then I would like to leave the floor to the colleagues online. Shana, can you talk to us about the supplements that are being created, especially those focusing on artificial intelligence?

Shawnna Hoffman:
Thank you, Bandana. It’s really important as we look at the blockchain maturity model to start to look at the other technologies that really are part of the ecosystem that blockchain works with. And one of those is artificial intelligence. And there have been a lot of challenges that we have been addressing with artificial intelligence, especially now that the technology has been provided for free to many across the world. There were billions of users on, of course, ChatGPT and other AI programs, and the world has really seen the power of those solutions. Now, unfortunately, also have people that we really never wanted to have this powerful solution in their hands. So there are some challenges like malicious use that we’ve seen, privacy concerns. There is bias and discrimination, especially when it comes to the data in and the data out. Economic disruption at various levels, and then, of course, those quality control changes. So as we have been building out the AI, what we’re calling the AI BMM, so that Blockchain Maturity Model, short is BMM for that, organizations can implement, maintain, and continually improve their AI solutions through this model and demonstrate that they can be trusted. Now, I am a big believer, and I don’t know if anyone caught our last panel, in the combination of artificial intelligence and blockchain in being extremely powerful. What it allows us to do, what, you know, blockchain originally was for traceability and transparency, and AI really needs that partner. It needs a marriage with a system that has a ledger that can provide that transparency and traceability. One of the concerns with AI, of course, has always been the black box. Where did the data come from? We don’t know. There’s a lot of lawsuits trying to uncover what that is, but 17 terabytes of data, I believe it was, is what chat GPT was trained on. What were the 17? Is it inclusive of all of us around the world? We heard yesterday in one of the sessions, 2.6 billion people aren’t even using the internet, and there’s a big push on internet for all. Those 2.6 billion people, their data is not in any of our systems right now. We have AI being trained on only a very small portion of the world. We’re missing a lot of people. As we start to build out this AI BMM, we’d love your support. I see everyone in the room kind of shaking their heads, being concerned. AI standards are extremely important. We can transform this world in remarkable ways and make sure that everyone is included.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Thank you, Shana. Laurie, can you still hear us?

Lori Souza:
Hello. How are you?

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Very well.

Lori Souza:
Thank you so much for the answer there, Shana. That’s amazing insight. As we mature the blockchain maturity model, we’re looking at industry-specific BMM professionals and assessors. With the AI supplement, it’s going to be very important to rate some blockchain solution providers with that expertise in mind. I’m going to ask Gerard then. Gerard, would you be able to tell our listeners why is blockchain so important for the next generation of the web besides the AI concerns?

Gerard Dache:
Right. Well, I think one of the biggest challenges the world is facing right now, and AI is basically just demonstrating it, but it’s trust. If we look at our elections and all of the drama that comes around that, the losers don’t trust that they actually lost. If we look at the banking financial crisis we had, banks were too big to fail. You think of all of that drama we had that it was because we lost trust in healthcare. We don’t trust our doctors. Just look at what happened with COVID. Everything became politicized. We look at news. We look at deepfakes. The whole world, if you’re thinking about the UN SDG as it relates to peace and justice and strong institutions, if you lose trust, societies break down. Blockchain is such an important component of that. However, here’s the problem. Just like with the internet bubble, when that new technology came out, everybody went racing to the technology, but they never really took care of the fundamentals. Well, if you look at blockchain from 2017 to 2022, 75% of those blockchain projects failed because people were racing towards the hype, and they were going to put everything on blockchain. I’m going to put haircuts on blockchain. Everything was blockchain, blockchain, blockchain, but they lacked the maturity of some of these industries like the bank and financial services industry that have been around for hundreds of years. Paul can speak to that about the difference between these industries that are mature and these industries that are chasing after the hype, and everybody’s trying to make a quick buck, and investors are excited, and tons of money gets thrown at it, and it all collapses. Blockchain, I believe, is one of the most transformational technologies of our time because just like the internet, the internet was about the peer-to-peer movement of information. I could take something, I could copy it, and give it to you. Now, you have a copy, and I have a copy, so we can communicate. Blockchain is about the peer-to-peer movement of value. That’s why I can send you a cryptocurrency because I’m not double spending it. Now, you have it, and I don’t have it anymore. This is tremendously transformative. It comes at a time when there’s a fundamental loss of trust in society, and the blockchain maturity model, I think, is going to keep this thing from going off the rails. Sorry that was long-winded, but that’s why I think this is important.

Lori Souza:
No, that’s very important. Just like you said, you send me in the Web 2 technology right now, internet, you send me a copy, I send somebody else a copy, so we have several copies of the same document. But with blockchain, the solution is that we have one place of storage where all of us can access the same document. We don’t need to send that document around. That document is not centralized. Paul, would you be able to explain how that document now with blockchain technology solves the problem of, let’s say, trust and being the correct document in blockchain rather than storing any of our copies up in the cloud, or all of us storing our copies up in the cloud?

Paul F. Dowding:
Sure, sure. I’d just like to clarify something. Despite my looks, I haven’t been involved in the banking and finance industry for hundreds of years, but I can attest to some of the more recent events. I would say that the mistake that is often made with blockchain is that often people ban the word, it’s immutable. It really is mutable. It’s very hard to corrupt, but it’s really a corrupt evidence system. It’s not that it’s going to guarantee correctness, or it can ensure some credibility, and it can create some control to direct and prove things. But when you’ve got a record that is corrupt evidence, you’ve got an audit and transparency of records. what has been done or has been said. So it’s not that you can guarantee that say the document is actually the right document, but you can find out whether it is or it isn’t based on the history. And that’s really, it gives you that auditability and transparency. And rather than being dependent on central authorities or other intermediaries, you push the control to the edge where the actual instigators within a network are in control of their data. And therefore they can see what it’s doing and how it can be interpreted. And that’s not just for the sake of Shana, we have to worry about AI, but we also have to worry about the seven or 8 billion versions of natural intelligence that are attacking these networks as well. And that’s part of the control and corrupt evident thing that we can create the transparency and auditability.

Lori Souza:
Okay, thank you, Paul. And I see that we have Amelia that’s joined us. Amelia, are you available to answer a question or can you hear me?

Amelia Gardner:
Yes, I am. Sorry, I had some connection issues, but we got those solved.

Lori Souza:
So I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you’re here. Thank you. So we’re, I’m not sure at what point you joined us, but we’re of course discussing the blockchain maturity model. Can you tell us of the maybe industry specific that you’re involved with when considering the blockchain maturity model?

Gerard Dache:
And Laurie, really quick, you’re in a very unique position. So if you could talk about for the role of government, why and how governments like yours would be interested in the BMM.

Amelia Gardner:
Yeah, so that’s what I was gonna say. So I’m actually not in industry. I’m actually an elected official and I’m in government and we utilize blockchain for several different things in our county. We utilize it for marriage licenses and creating certified digital documents for marriage certificates, as well as for voting for overseas and military members and people with disabilities. But one of the issues that we particularly face in government is when we put out a request for purchasing, oftentimes in government, because we tend to be a very low risk industry, if you will, we’ll say things like, when you reply to this, with your sales package, we want 10 years experience in government, or we want you to give us the last seven projects you worked on in government. And when you’re dealing with an emerging technology like blockchain, there just simply isn’t anyone that has 10 years experience working in government, or there isn’t anyone with seven government projects that deal with this technology and blockchain. And so the blockchain maturity model is a way for us to be able to gauge and judge whether a company can do what they say they can do when they don’t have a decade of experience in that, right? So as I look forward to looking for providers, I can’t use the regular clause of give me your last seven government projects and give me 10 years experience working in government. What I then have to say is, well, give me a third party assessment of your product and let me know that it’s a viable product. And the blockchain maturity model does that. So we can recommend, we want a third party assessment of your product and your viability, and we can recommend that they utilize the blockchain maturity model to do that. So from a government official standpoint, it really is a good way for us to judge an emerging technology since we can’t use our standard processes to do that.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Thank you, Amelia. I was hoping you could introduce yourself because this is what we did at the beginning.

Amelia Gardner:
Yeah. So as they said, my name is Amelia Powers Gardner. I’m currently a county commissioner serving in Utah County, Utah. A county commission form is kind of like a city council and a mayor combined into one. And our coverage area is about 750,000 people. And as the commission chair, I basically serve as the mayor for my region. Prior to that, I was the county clerk auditor for several years, so I ran elections, marriage licenses and budgeting for the county. And then prior to that, I worked at Caterpillar for 12 years as a field service engineer, a continuous product improvement engineer, and in marketing for parts.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Thank you, Amelia. It was really important to have your perspective as a government official. And I couldn’t agree more with your remarks about the importance of relying on third party assessments, especially in circumstances where governments as custodians of taxpayers funds need to make sure that there is a certain level of oversight and accountability. And so having that third party validation is super important to protect governments from reputational risks, performance risks and legal risks, which are usually the kinds of risks that institutions that handle public funds have to be aware of and need to mitigate. Thank you. Thanks again, Amelia. I have a question about digital identity, do you know? So the goal of digital identity supported by blockchain solutions is to enable SSI, self-sovereign identity. Can you tell us how blockchain solutions comply with data protection laws?

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
Thank you, Benedetta. So first and foremost, I would like to share my experience in the GBA and in adopting the BMM, specifically in my case for a digital identity solution. I think the value proposition of having a non-profit association that works in this area is actually that it was able to bring together practitioners. Like Amelia just said, she firsthand experienced the adoption of a blockchain solution to solve a practical problem in her county. For example, the issuance of marriage certificate, especially I remember her telling our story during the period of COVID where people were not able to physically access public services. In my case, my experience is that when I became chief information officer of the UN Pension Fund, I was presented with a 75 years old problem. And this was the problem that the pension fund on a yearly basis needs to prove that those who are receiving the benefit, the payments are still alive. And the uniqueness of the United Nation Pension Fund is that it has 84,000 retirees in 192 countries around the world. And as you can appreciate, determining and confirming that these 84,000 people are still alive, it’s quite a challenge. And also we can also appreciate that inevitably in some cases there could be potential for fraud. So the way for 75 years that the pension fund addressed this problem was to send a form, a piece of paper using 192 postal services around the world, asking the beneficiary to sign and return this form as a proof that they are still alive. Now, aside from the fact that using 192 postal services create a lot of problem, often this piece of paper got lost. Most frequently they were received with delays. And of course this had an impact both on the operation of the pension fund as well as on the livelihood of the beneficiary because when the pension fund did not receive this form after two attempts, they had to stop the payment. So there was always this level of uncertainty from the beneficiary side says, did they receive the form? Am I going to receive the money next month? So forth and so on. So this issue was presented to me as the only process that within the pension fund of the UN and never being automated. And the problem was that the pension fund was often questioned by its governing bodies, by its oversight bodies as to how can you prove that there is no fraud? And of course, proving a negative is impossible. So the only way that I could try to address this challenge was, okay, let’s prove a positive. So we work on designing and implementing an application that uses biometrics, facial recognition with a blockchain, creating an immutable ledger where each step of this process from the initial onboarding to the various payment that are made during the month and through the various instances where people are proving that they are still alive are recorded on this immutable ledger so that we can also prevent collusion so that nobody can say, well, there is someone within the pension fund that went into the system and maybe manipulated the record as Paul Dowding was referring to because the blockchain, even though you may try to attempt to manipulate the data, the evidence, it remains on the general ledger. So through this system in January 2021, we went live. We deployed a system and now 35,000 retirees of the pension fund have an application on their phone that they have downloaded. They went through an onboarding process where they captured a biometric profile on their phone only. So their biometric profile is not stored in any server of the United Nations and it’s not transmitted in any way on any office of the United Nations, remains on their phone after being onboarded by a representative of the pension fund. So the beauty is now they can use the phone to confirm for now once a year, but the frequency can change at any time, that they’re still alive and we have a proof, a tangible proof on the blockchain that this occurred. Now going to, apologies for giving this long background, but I think enable us to put issue into context. So when it comes to complying with data privacy, aside from the fact that United Nations is not subject to national legislation, nonetheless, the United Nations tried to align itself to the principle that are adopted by various countries around the world in order to make sure that we are consistent with the expectation, what we call the taxpayers of the world to whom we are ultimately accountable to the General Assembly, the 193 country that are presented there. So the point being here is that we are very much aware of, for example, the data privacy principle, the GDPR or the European Union, or other legislation across the world. They fundamentally share more or less the same concept of transparency, independence, verifiability, and many other principle. And by creating a blockchain in alignment with a concept of self-sovereign identity, we created a system where the user is in control of his or her identity because they have their biometric profile on their device. They are confirming when they are alive or not. We are not in a position to manipulate or to use or to act on their behalf. And ultimately, we are not putting any personal identifiable information, any PII on the blockchain itself. So there is a misconception that people think that private data, when talking about digital identity, are stored on the blockchain. That’s not the case. On the blockchain, there are information related to addresses that are connected to the public keys of each individual that is being created with a digital identity that then are recorded on the blockchain. But the information itself, date of birth, name, first name, last name, information about the pension detail are never recorded on the blockchain itself. And in this way, we are avoiding all the concern, all the risk that are identified into privacy laws and regulation.

Michael Henson:
Do you mind if I just add a quick?

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
I was about to ask you a follow-up question. So please go ahead, Mike, you’re reading my mind.

Michael Henson:
I don’t know if it’s the same question, but I suspect, and maybe Dino, you can comment on this, that the fact that there’s a blockchain running under the hood is, the users don’t really know that. They don’t understand the underlying architecture. They’re not aware of it. I think there’s a lot of applications that are developing today that are utilizing blockchain technology that the average consumer doesn’t know that that’s running behind the scenes. But maybe you can comment on that with respect to the pension fund.

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
Yes, absolutely. And indeed, as you’re alluding to, the beauty of processes of this nature that are transparent to the end user. And actually, what we encountered at the very beginning when we were live with the application was that people were very concerned. First of all, because they heard the term biometrics. Second of all, because they heard the term blockchain. And automatically, they start thinking about cryptocurrency, about Bitcoin, about proof-of-work, about the exploitation of natural resources, because as you read from the news, Bitcoin and the proof-of-work mechanism that create and consume a lot of energy. So we had to engage in a campaign to actually explain and to reassure our end user that they did not need to worry because we were using blockchain for different purposes. The blockchain is different than Bitcoin, although it’s the technology that it’s adopted. And therefore, there was a process of, if you will, awareness and education, but at the same time, a process of reassurance to make sure that they did not have to know the nitty-gritty detail. Hence, the need for BMM or for independent verification to give them that level of trust and assurance.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Shanna?

Shawnna Hoffman:
Yeah, no, and what you’ve described is probably one of the best use cases I’ve ever heard for AI and blockchain and how they work together. Because only with blockchain can you mask the individual’s information, and it doesn’t have to go into the blockchain. So it doesn’t go into the ledger, but AI can be used to provide facial recognition, some really powerful, powerful components. That all stays at the end user, so I’m still in control of my data, but what happens is blockchain can actually be the log for that data and can provide, of course, those tokens. So we won’t get into those details, but it’s a really great combination use case that you’re doing, awesome.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Eugene?

Eugene Morozov:
Yes, and then to take this one step further, let’s talk about the art of the possible, what can be coming next. So if you add to, let’s say, biometric identification that is used by Dina’s group right now, if you add to that a blockchain-based security card and a combination of other identification factors and you uniquely identify an individual, that opens a variety of further possibilities. First and foremost, governance, how those people can govern the society that they live in, not only in the financial applications where receiving their pensions, for example, but also expressing their will in elections, which are probably having the need for the most secure environment and for the most safe environment. We want people to be able to safely express their will so it becomes possible as part of general governance. Then if you add a frequent requirement by constitutions of many countries of true anonymity of the person voting, and you add what’s called zero-knowledge technology, which is available today as a result of a number of scientific breakthroughs of the recent years, you can have people express their will in a truly anonymous way, which is incredible. Then if you add that to the central banks, central banks can interact directly with individuals without any financial intermediaries to allow people to have essential accounts with central bank of their country, and therefore the whole financial industry is going to go through very serious transformation because of that, because again, the role of intermediaries will be significantly reduced. So all of that is coming, and we should be cognizant and we should be aware of the new recent advances in technology and utilize them. So the blockchain maturity model allows users to make their steps more confidently with less risk and ultimately improving the way we govern ourselves and our societies. Thank you.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
I just wanted to follow up on some of the comments that Mike was making earlier, and ask you about potential risks in relation to claims and disputes in this area. What are your thoughts? It’s quite broad, but I mean. we’ve all we’ve been talking about you know all the positive aspects of the model but if there ever was a claim what would you think that would focus on and how as an attorney would you advise your client well there’s a lot there’s a lot

Michael Henson:
to that but let me just tell you some of the issues that we’re seeing like in in the law firm when it comes to blockchains and we talked about this a little bit in our previous session you know you want to obviously make sure that the data you have is has not been has not been tampered with but a lot of what blockchains are doing are they’re storing data and then you have AI engines that are coming in like chat GPT that’s taking that data and creating new results from it and there’s there’s there’s authors or creators of that underlying data that theoretically you know they created it and and was it a faithfully put on the blockchain as Paul was alluding to you can you can track the provenance of and the history of something but you can’t actually confirm the underlying accuracy of the data that was put on there in the first place so with with blockchain you can you can at least when it comes to content creation track what is happening and and for a copyright and authorship you can give attribution for people’s works that are being used and so and when it comes to privacy you know I I have the right to the publicity of myself and my own privacy and and blockchain can help further that objective because now I can I can trace my data that was on the blockchain and the extent to which it has been used by somebody perhaps surreptitiously and and I can track it back to my own personal data we’re seeing a lot in I think there’s gonna be a lot of lawyers that continue to be productive because of the legal issues that are arising out of blockchain when it comes to some of these issues I I track just internally within my firm the on from the patent side I’m a patent attorney predominantly and I track all the blockchain related patents around the world and what I’m what I’m seeing is you know you can’t patent blockchain in and of itself but you you patent what a lot of people are doing is the intersection of blockchain AI and IOT I’d add that to this discussion and there are so many interesting use cases and we’re we’re in an environment that’s that’s in in many respects very open source and philanthropic in its nature but I can assure you there are companies that are investing a lot of money to protect their blockchain solutions because they’re all want to play in the same sandbox and there’s big consolidation in the space so we are just now starting to see patent infringement actions coming out because some of these blockchain related patents have you know they were filed several years ago they’ve since issued and now there are people that infringing them so I think I’ve tracked about three or four lawsuits that have just come on patent

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
infringement related to blockchain yes I was about to give you the floor Gerard

Gerard Dache:
thank you I want to make sure that we cover the topic of what this panel is about which is how can blockchain maturity models be used we’re covering a lot of really important ground on identity and IP and stuff but I’d like to take a minute and I can share a video we have about a minute minute and a half video on what the BMM is because we’ve talked about it but I don’t think we’ve really explained what it is so I’d be happy to share my video or maybe we can just take a few minutes to explain what the BMM is would that be right sure sure

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
would you like to do we share the video from here or I think I can share it I

Gerard Dache:
think I need to share it from here look okay let’s give that a shot and that’s true if it doesn’t if it doesn’t work then out there we’ll just explain it but let’s give this a shot are you involved in the blockchain and web 3 space if so listen to this there’s this awesome thing called the blockchain maturity model that you need to know about it’s designed for individuals and organizations to evaluate blockchain solutions by leveraging their expertise in blockchain web 3 and digital assets as the interest in blockchain solutions is growing among governments enterprises investors and donors they’re spending money on various blockchain projects but there’s a catch just like the internet bubble many of these projects end up feeling so the challenge here is to find a reliable and trustworthy solution amid all of the overhyped vaporware that’s out there and that’s where the BMM comes into play it’s a framework created by the GBA a nonprofit organization with members in 500 government offices around the world and the model is showcased by the UN Internet Governance Forum dynamic coalition on blockchain assurance and standardization as a way to help assess blockchain solutions and achieve two very important goals it provides a roadmap for solution developers to create and maintain trustworthy blockchain solutions it gives confidence to potential customers investors and other stakeholders looking to invest in blockchain projects the BMM is already being used by various public and private sector organizations in different industries now here’s the exciting part the organizations implementing the BMM need experts to help them with the process by joining the GBA taking the training and becoming an authorized BMM consultant or assessment team member you can play a vital role in enhancing the trustworthiness of these solutions this not only adds credibility to their projects but it also gives you a chance to earn credentials and income if you’d like to learn more shoot an email to BMM at GBA global org or check out the links in the description below and we’ve got a couple people on the we’ve got a couple people let me just go to stop sharing on on here that are BMM assessors that were involved in writing the model Paul was involved in writing the model from the very beginning so maybe Paul could you explain a little bit about the process and what some of the what some of the levels are because I don’t think we talked about levels at all and Alejandro is a lead assessor or I’m sorry well how does an assessor maybe he could talk a little bit about the assessment process because I think that information is gonna be really important for somebody to understand how models can be used to ensure the trustworthiness of blockchain solutions Paul so the the process was I

Paul F. Dowding:
mean there’s a team over 18 months to two years came together to to say how do we make this assessment model and we honed in the idea that there’d be elements to be assessed and then there’d be layers of maturity so there was a lot of back-and-forth and debate about what should be a unique element but we we honed in on on the 11 that came out I’ll quickly go through the distribution governance identity interoperability performance privacy reliability resilience security infrastructure sustainability and synchronization and and then with those and I just two of those are pretty critical in some of the earlier conversations resilience and infrastructure sustainability because you don’t just want to know that the data’s got integrity but the system will last as long as the lifecycle needs it to and and it has some resilience to to attack or going you know downtime in terms of various nodes the networks those are two elements so the group had to work on defining deciding what those elements were and then choosing their name which was an interesting discussion and even their definitions and then we took those elements to look at the five layers and really we’re we’re looking at all spectrums and maturity we start with level one which is an idea which may be partially documented or partially implemented level so there’s a sort of statement of intent rather than just something that works level two assessments is that it’s documented so this is a fully documented you know full requirement spec solution the third one is it’s validated it’s a proof of concept so the somehow the technologically the design has been proven fourth is that it’s actually in production and in fifth we turned in terms of optimizing which means that there’s multiple instances or it’s been running in various use cases such that it’s being developed and you know enhanced in his future state at the moment we’re only doing level one assessments just even if people have like we had production ready software but we went for that level one assessment and but the process of defining what the requirements of those levels for each element if you think about it that’s 11 times 5 so that’s the minimum of 55 discussions there are many more over the 18 months of two years to get it to refine because I think it was Dino said it earlier the idea of the BMM was it’s applicable for all types of blockchains public private various use cases applications otherwise and that’s what led us to the supplements but I’ll let Alejandro explain the assessment process. Alejandro you want to talk you’ve been involved in

Gerard Dache:
some assessments and those assessments are very different than audits and inspections do you want to talk a little a little bit about what a BMM

Alejandro Mandujano:
assessment is? Yes Gerard. Thank you very much. Hi guys I’m Alejandro Mantojano. Let me present first I’m the lead of the Mexico chapter and the Latin America region for GBA. I’m certified BMM assessor so let me tell you about the process it consists so one we have the authorized program to start we have to make the planning in the part of planning we have to define as Gerard mentioned a team the team is either by the assessor the lead assessor integrated by different members certified assessors that are specific for the process so we have the domain lead or the domain member which is specialized with the domain we’re talking about we’re assessing then we have three different members which are specialized in domain yeah sorry about the little part such as mine then we have the data specialist then we can have a distribution or even someone from the identity working group so they can we can all start reviewing all the different procedures that the client present us so in a way that as Paul was saying depending on the level is the type of requirements that we must fulfill so as we have the first level which is the initial level we have to have an idea and things need to be assessed as we have them documented planned and even that are mentioned by the client to us then once we have that information we get a team read team reunions in which we gather all different issues that we discovered in a way that we all cooperate among us so in that process at the end you have like different approaches that need to be maybe a fine tune with the client so we have meetings with them for the client and we start with different officials of the company and we’re still reading pipe or pipe element by element apart by part of the different issues that we discover so they have to be defined and precise by the client so when we have find that there’s something that they have to missed instead of saying it’s a it’s a yes or no when you’re you’re assessed we would be fine and like every such opportunity so we got a client then tell him well you have to do this you have to do that in order to comply with the requirements and they just get get that in as homework so they start finding things or adjusting and at the end we can present if it is fine we can give them a consensus we give them a rating

Gerard Dache:
so in all honor I’d like to just tag on something you said it’s really important an assessment is very different than an audit because one of the things that’s a unique attribute of an assessment with this kind of model is it members of the solution being assessed are actually part of the assessment team because it’s absolutely important to have a balance of objectivity and insight if you take your car to get inspected right they can tell you that the brake pads have to be I don’t know what the number is three thirty seconds of an inch thick because they’ve got millions of data points to say that when it drops below that the car is unsafe right we don’t have that in blockchain in blockchain it’s still very immature so an assessment using this kind of a model is a collaborative process in which we bring industry experts together I mean some you know the qualifications are very high we bring industry experts together and they essentially are in partnership with the solution being assessed because our model is that the solution being assessed and the assessors both are combined and joined with the objective of maturing and making that solution better so it’s very very different than anything I think that we’ve ever seen before and I’d like to throw it over to Lori. Lori can pretty much anybody jump on the assessment team or what are the qualifications to be on an assessment team and then I’d like to throw it back to Paul to see you know what what value this is one of the questions that that Benedict I know you’re going to ask anyway what are the what’s the value that comes to an organization that goes through an assessment Lori why don’t you talk a little bit about you know can anybody be on an assessment team or is there some process to go through? That’s a great lineup Gerard of

Lori Souza:
questions so thank you for handing that one to me yeah so in order to form a BMM assessment team the team member needs to go through the training process and there’s some requirements before an assess an assessor can take place or take part of an assessment the first requirement is of course well the courses that GBA offers which are BMM specific we have three blockchain maturity model courses that are available and we’re developing two more but the the courses go through a thorough understanding of what are the 11 elements that a blockchain solutions provider will be rated and those 11 elements then have five different levels of maturity let’s say maturity ratings so we have a level one which would be somebody with an idea or a startup with very limited very limited let’s say anything more than the idea in the documentation and then we also have the full production level which is all the way to the other end of the level five and so it’s a really comprehensive maturity model that a blockchain solutions provider would go through and we do have a real strong team that’s that’s been trained and also trained in how to have an assessment and then we have a lead assessor as well and Dino and Paul are two of our lead assessors on the blockchain maturity model team and as well as Gerard so we do require the that training to be done before somebody can actually become an assessor or even a blockchain consultant so again once somebody takes that training with the GBA which is also the the blockchain assurance coalition once somebody takes the training and is interested in becoming a blockchain maturity model advisor they can also become a blockchain maturity model consultant now that consultant is available for a blockchain solutions provider that doesn’t have as much knowledge about the assessment and so a lot of the solutions providers we’re finding do need to have the help of readiness and preparation to take part of an assessment. Can I say that’s

Gerard Dache:
that’s an excellent point because this really applies to the UN’s SDGs too right in terms of economic development one of the things really important about what Laurie just said is that there are there are people all around the world that are looking for economic opportunity right and by developing blockchain skills the nice thing about about this is blockchain is global so you can have somebody in Cameroon or Kenya developing these skills and providing consulting opportunities and capabilities because blockchain is everywhere right it’s it’s ubiquitous and so you we can if we think about this for an economic development perspective we can get dollars globally into a local community because they have these skill sets well that’s not something we haven’t really talked about a lot but the other thing that I think is really important to understand is if you’re going to use a blockchain maturity model anyone you the BMM or any other any other one you don’t have to do it with with the GBA there I’m not aware of other models I think we’re out in front but if somebody wanted to develop a model the one advice I would give them is make level one easy right because I can’t I can’t tell you how many people have thought that they have arrived right we have people coming in the door all the time saying oh we’re level five well yeah we’re going to do this thing just to kind of prove to the world how great we are because we’re so great oh by the way let me tell you about the PhDs and all of these experts we have on our board and and this math and look here’s some white papers and as soon as we peel the onion back what we realize is they don’t have the basics, right? They don’t have, you know, Paul could share some examples where somebody said, well, here’s our schematics about our system. And they just, they had a lot of really, really cool stuff, but they just didn’t include a blockchain, right? And they had just like forgotten to leave it off. And we would ask people, what, can you identify what your critical components are and how you monitor the operational status of it? You know, crickets, deers in the headlights. So I would say that if somebody is going to use a model to develop a trusted solution, they’ve got to make the entry point easy. And I am shocked at how immature this industry is. I’m completely shocked about that. Paul, can you share just a little bit about what the value that people get from these assessments, maybe you can genericize some of the findings that would be beneficial to people that are building blockchain solutions?

Paul F. Dowding:
Sure.

Lori Souza:
We’ll go to Paul and then afterwards, Alejandro has a question or would like to add.

Paul F. Dowding:
Okay. Yeah, I think it was talked about at the beginning that really this is, I think Eugene made the point, this is a means for buyers of blockchain solutions to have a means of measuring or looking at this, the use cases they’re considering and sorry, the solutions they’re using and then their suitability for their use cases. And I think it also gives a credibility to the solution providers that they’ve actually gone through this process and reached assessment. And I think, again, a key thing about confidentiality is that we’re only, the GBA only publishes that your solution is there and it’s reached this assessment. But part of the assessment process is actually to get a full feedback on each of the elements and or only supplemental requirements that were, if you’re considered those in the use cases and that’s to you as a solution provider, which then you can share. So that’s information that’s confidential to you, but you can now share it with your prospective investors and clients. And I can say as representing a startup, this is another arrow in our quiver that is a credibility that we’ve actually gone through this process and we can talk to the detail and thoroughness and objectivity of the assessment to allow people to understand that we’ve met the requirements of the elements. And that’s, I think that’s a huge value to the solutions, but the idea that there’s been an independent assessment for the buyers of solution is another, you know, a benefit to them. And those are the two great values. Alejandro? Yeah, just to mention, Gerard, that

Alejandro Mandujano:
help the people, let them know that we have accomplished quite different things that regarding to how we develop the BMM assessment. We have the advantage of including in the working groups, competitors of the same domain or the same industry and the same type of voting solution. So when we start assessing, one, for example, what company accepts to be partially assessed by their competitor? So we have a true input of the real knowledge of the market, of the domain. So we help each other in a way that we can, instead of being competitors outside the market, we can help us better up our solutions. So I think it’s one of the very best things that we have been doing. That’s what Gerard. Thanks. You know, it’s one of the things that’s fascinating

Gerard Dache:
about this. One of the things that’s fascinating about this technology, this group is there are three characteristics that I think represent the people in this group. They’re out of the box thinkers. They’re willing to take a risk and they’re interested in something bigger than themselves. And when you look at the people that are building blockchain solutions and trying to solve problems that relate to health care or hunger, poverty, many of these issues, economic inclusion, by and large, these are really, really good people. Now, the problem is there are also scammers out there. But by creating a culture where we can come together, recognizing that the market and the problems are so huge, they’re much bigger than any one of us can do. By coming together and working together as a cohesive fabric, as a family, bringing competitors together to see how can we work together for the rising tide to lift all ships. We can create a fabric of people and of technology to solve problems that some of our traditional institutions have struggled with for many years. And we had recently had the chief strategy. I don’t remember his exact title. I think he’s the chief strategy and innovation person at Oracle. And so he said that he believes that the BMM is a game changer. And again, we may be the only model right now. I’m not aware if there’s others. We don’t need to be. We really want to create an inclusive environment where if other people have models or want to build models, let’s share. Let’s share the common vocabulary. We use the vocabulary of the ISO organization because that was there. But let’s get different organizations, different multi-stakeholder organizations together. Let’s get the IADB that are working on blockchain. And let’s get these people together so that instead of us all building things in silo, we can create a common family, a common framework of standards. I think that’s what the industry needs. And the world needs us to mature blockchain because we’re not mature yet. We can’t solve all the problems that we want to solve because we don’t have our own house in order. We’ve got to get our own house in order so we can actually have the impact globally to make a difference. So with that, I apologize for monopolizing this, but I really wanted to

Lori Souza:
get some of those things out there. Well, that’s great. Thank you, Gerard. Paul, you have a question or would you like to add to that? Sure. The one thing I was going to say just to add to it was,

Paul F. Dowding:
I think someone made the point earlier, the internet made communication pervasive because it was a communication protocol. But the technology is basically invisible. It’s in the background. All we know is we click the link today and we’re all talking on a video link. The distributed ledger technology in blockchains has the potential to be a transacting protocol. And therefore, what’s going to happen is the technology is going to become invisible. You’re going to be transacting. So the ability to truly assess the solution by the people that need to know how to do that. And also, again, variations on the elements, the performance or otherwise, can help you assess the solution to the use case. And I think that’s a critical thing as well. So you’ve got those two things because it is going to become invisible. And so the ability to really understand it, because it’s a very technical and diverse set of solutions, it becomes critical for why the BMM is so important. And I’d like to hear from Mike,

Gerard Dache:
because Mike has been involved in the legal aspect and also the digital asset management, a little bit about why that’s important. Dina has been building out the identity management solution. So we have about 50 working groups that are all working on different aspects. Sean has been involved in our AI supplement. And it’s critically important to understand that all of these different pieces have to be built independently because you have different skill sets, but they have to be built in an integrated sort of fabric kind of way. So Dino, do you have any thoughts about how the identity management supplement kind of fits into the overall framework? Because you’ve been involved from the cost pretty close from the very

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
beginning. So just a little bit of a context before the concept of a supplement is about qualifying the requirement of the blockchain maturity model. So having a maturity model that is technologically agnostic helps anybody to conduct an assessment of the maturity of a blockchain solution. However, with a supplement, we try to go beyond that, meaning that we are looking at the specific context of in which industry, in which sector, which problem is a blockchain intended to address. So we may have the use of a blockchain to support voting and election. We may have blockchain data utilized to support supply chain. We may have blockchain supporting land and titling. Or we may have identity and management and digital identity. So in preparing this supplement, we try to go beyond the core and foundational criteria that can and should be used to assess the maturity of the blockchain by asking specific questions that only pertain to a specific sector. What are the risks of using a blockchain in identity management? What are the risks of using a blockchain in voting and election or in healthcare records management? So the supplement in digital identity has been developed. It is now almost 90 percent done. It will be issued by the end of this year. I’m speaking as a lead of that working group. And what we realize is that it’s not just enough to go and identify the risk, but because of that level of relative immaturity about knowledge of blockchain, their functioning, their purpose, their risk, and their control, we realize that there is also a need to explain the foundational concept of each one of these use cases. So when we’re talking about digital identity, we’re talking about self-sovereign model. We’re talking about selective disclosure. We’re talking about verifiable credential. So we realize that in order for a team of assessors to appreciate the meaning and the benefit of using a maturity model, we also need to explain what are these foundational concepts that apply specifically to that domain. So the supplement on digital identity is being built with that approach. We have an appendix where we’re explaining what are these foundational concepts, self-sovereign identity, verifiable credential, selective disclosure, zero knowledge proof, and then we have a body of requirement of criteria that pertain, that relate to those foundational concepts so that both the assessment team as well as the team and the organization being assessed can put all this information into context and understand exactly the what, the why,

Eugene Morozov:
and how. Thank you. If I may just add some color to that. So we remember that Amelia mentioned earlier today that the government officials kind of want a more safe and secure and verified solutions to be used, yet the technology is so new that none of the teams perhaps have the adequate number of government work or particular contracts that they did for the government. And on the other hand, the developer teams, they possess the knowledge and the understanding that is brand new in the world. So a BMM assessment, in my opinion, is very much a two-way process. On one hand, the government learns from what has become available due to technological breakthroughs in recent years. At the same time, the solution providers understand much better what is it that they need to do, both in terms of practical abilities and in terms of documentation, that is required for their solutions to become more widespread and find user acceptance in the world. That’s why I think this work on its own is extremely valuable, because this new technology finds its way to its users through a dialogue, through common interests, through sharing the thoughts and ideas and also the requirements of the practical government or private industry users. And it relates to the whole breadth of technologies that we are discussing here, from software supply chain security solutions such as Gauche, to security cards such as Surf by EverX, to voting and solutions by Devote, and to central bank digital currencies issues that Brox is developing. So this process is creative. This process is very challenging and amazing. So I would encourage all the users to approach Government and Blockchain Association and join the process of developing our common knowledge and our common products. Thank you.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Thank you. Thank you, Eugene. Any other questions from those who are connected online?

Lori Souza:
Let’s see. I have a question here for one of our panelists and who would ever like to answer it. And it is, why is it important for a blockchain solutions provider to go through this assessment? Can I repeat the question, please? Why is it important for a blockchain solutions provider to go through this assessment?

Gerard Dache:
Can I respond to that? Yes, I think you did earlier. Yeah. Well, give me one minute because one of, let me tell you the story about one of the organizations that went through an assessment. So, in fact, if we have a listing of companies the assessment, so when they’re assessed, they’re listed on a directory of trusted blockchain solutions. But let me, rather than me tell you, let me let the president of that company tell you directly. So I’m going to share my screen and show you this guy. All right. Let’s see. So let me just explain. This right here is the president of, can you guys see my screen? Yeah. This guy here is the president of a company called Axis, and they work in the casino industry. So there’s a lot of money laundering that happens in casinos. So they built an IoT device that goes in the handle so that whenever somebody pulls the handle, it writes a transaction to a blockchain. And this way, the regulators can know that it’s fair, it’s transparent, that there wasn’t any money laundering going on. So they came to us and they said, hey, we want an assessment. And it was amazing as we went through this over the period of time, we exposed to them the vulnerabilities in their own system. And so we delivered the findings. Alejandro was there and some of these other folks. But these were the words out of his mouth the minute we finished delivering the findings. And this answers the question of what the value is. So let me just share his words. Again, it’s about a minute and a half. Except when he walked, access being said, for the team that has put this together, built the process, and walked access through this, it is nothing short of incredibly impressive. When Nick would come out of the meeting in a chair, what he learned, what he went through, it goes to show that there’s all I’d say thousands of hours of accumulated work to get us to this point. And probably the most important part I’d like to say is I’m trying to hide my smiles and stuff. But I’m really, really proud of this. This is an exciting moment. Leadership is from the front, folks. So the fact that, Gerard, we were able to get access through this with your team is a great way to get GBA to the next step of ensuring that the world embraces this amazing certification. So I’m very proud of access. But at the same time, I’m equally as proud and thankful to the GBA team. And so he is also the president of the GBA team. He’s also the president of the International Gaming Standards Association. And so one of the things that he wants to do is because of the challenges in the gaming industry, he wants to take the BMM, well, first blockchain because of all the problems it can solve, and then BMM because it can verify that blockchain is solving the problems. He wants to take that to the entire gaming industry. So as we are encountering more and more organizations, and they’re going through this process, what the BMM does is it shines a spotlight on the problems so they can fix it. And then the BMM team, it works with them collaboratively to help them fix it. So at the end of the day, we have better, more trusted blockchain solutions. And that’s what this panel is really all about is how can these models be used to effectively get trusted blockchain solutions.

Lori Souza:
Thank you. Great, thank you.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Mike, I believe he has a question for Dino.

Michael Henson:
Yeah, I just wanted to raise something that we really haven’t talked about. I mean, we’re sitting here at the UNIGF and we have north of 190 countries being represented here. There’s also a jurisdictional component to this BMM model and some of the supplements that we’ve done, especially when it relates to privacy. People have their own privacy laws in different countries. So I don’t know if Dino, you experienced this directly in doing your models, such as GDPR and where the data is stored and depending on jurisdictionally where these individuals are located. But I wonder if it, I think it’d be helpful to comment about that because this has to be adaptable to different jurisdictions and different use cases around the world.

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
Yep, thank you, Mike. Indeed, and again, here this shows the flexibility of the model. The model does have a component, does have one of the 11 element that is exactly about compliance with rules, with regulation, with applicable standards that may vary country to country. So in our case, as I mentioned before, the United Nations being international organization is not subject to a specific national legislation. Nonetheless, within the privileges immunities, the UN itself built a structure framework of policies or procedure or requirement that are represented by, of course, by the UN Charter in terms of hierarchy of norms by the General Assembly resolution, by the Security Council decision, as well as at the administrative level by the Secretary General Bulletin and administrative instruction that regulates and that are applicable to all the operation of the United Nation. So in so doing, by addressing that specific element of the BMM, we refer to the applicable requirement and norms to demonstrate compliance within the UN system so that when the oversight bodies of the United Nation, being internal auditors, being the board of auditors, being the advisory committee, being the governing body will question whether, how and when we were in compliance with the UN rules and regulation, we were able to demonstrate that indeed there was a discrete step in the process that require us to check, verify and confirm that the mechanism, the control that had been put in place were in alignment with those norms.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
I’d like to compliment at this point just by adding a couple of important considerations. Normally the UN does not make any reference to local laws. First, because it’s an intergovernmental organization that has 193 member states, but also because whenever there are member states regulations that are referred to, those have substantive provisions that very often are relevant, but also procedural provisions that involve enforcement actions and other administrative measures that the UN would not be able to comply with because of the inviolability of its documents, of its assets in accordance with the UN Charter, but also the 1946 Convention on Privileges and Immunities and the 1947 Convention on Privileges and Immunities. However, as Dino correctly pointed out, it is important for the UN to take into account the national requirements when devising its policies and procedures because of the standards that are put in place. And that’s why the BMM is so important because once you have a high-level standard that the UN, but also other government organizations and private institutions, non-governmental organizations, that the entire community can reach, then you have an important standard that is also relevant when funding sources entrust funds to the UN. So for instance, even in cases where they can’t be referenced to local legislation, donors such as the European Commission will carry out pillar assessments and other kinds of assessments before transferring any funds to institutions that could potentially expose them to substantial risk. So I hope this clarifies the query that you had. I think we are close to wrapping up. I wanted to ask for final remarks from those who are here in Kyoto, but also from the colleagues online. And I personally wanted to conclude just to say that I’ve heard many ways to describe the model today, but certainly the one that I personally liked the best was the game-changer reference. And I would like to also highlight a very important dimension, which is how the system ensures that the Sustainable Development Goals can be reached. And so I’d like to have some thoughts about it from the team here. And also I would like to ask if people in the room here have any questions. Dina, why don’t you give us some thoughts on the intersection between the model and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals?

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
So, well, one of course is the term identified to sustainability. So what we have discovered, what we were able to demonstrate, for example, in the specific case of the United Nations Pension Fund, is that by digitalizing a manual process using blockchain technology, as well as biometric, as I explained before, we have been able to cut substantially a lot of manual processes, a lot of paper-based processes, a lot of scanning tasks that were previously conducted at the fund, along with archiving. So because of the manual support of a process that for 70 years ran and asked people to sign a piece of paper, 84,000 people returned that piece of paper to the UN Pension Fund, the organization had to equip itself with a system of verification, of validation, of archiving. So by just introducing this technology, we have substantially cut the amount of energy, the amount of space, the amount of labor that was involved in this process, and definitely, I think, demonstrated with tangible result that this is a sustainable solution.

Gerard Dache:
I can share one other, and that is the concept, and I don’t remember if it’s the SDG 16 or 17, but it’s the one that talks about strong institutions. I think it’s peace, justice, and strong institutions. And the BMM didn’t just kind of come out of thin air. It actually was developed from who we are as an organization and what those things that are important to us. And to give you an example, when we started the Government Blockchain Association, the very first thing we wrote and the most important thing on our website is our ethics statement. And I’m gonna go ahead and just share my screen and just tell you what this is because this really is the underlying foundation of where the BMM came from. It says, the GBA commits to reflecting various viewpoints and positions from many perspective among its members. Yet technology, like an inanimate object, is neutral regarding human motivations. Therefore, the following tenets will guide GBA leadership and its members as we engage with public policymakers, industry influencers, and citizens at large. And these were numbered, but I’m just gonna number them. That’s how I know them. One, technology is a resource that can and should be globally used for good on behalf of all citizens. Two, the resultant uses of technology, such as blockchain technology and relative innovations, strive to improve the quality of life for all citizens. Three, governments, government employees, and laws are instituted by citizens and nations to serve and protect, not suppress or hinder, the free and positive pursuit of the governed. Four, the inalienable rights and dignities enjoyed by citizens shall not be unduly suppressed by the authority of governments as they carry out their mandated role and responsibility. And finally, GBA will only pursue goals that serve to form a more perfect union between and among governments and the citizens they serve. We do this by establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense of citizens’ rights and welfares, and securing the blessings of liberty in a free society. And those are the tenets that were the foundation that blockchain was built on top of. I’m sorry, that the blockchain maturity model was built on top. So if we go to look at what the SDGs are, right, and where they connect, well, this is very similar to what the United Nations is looking to pursue, right? It’s really about establishing a long-lasting peace. And I believe very firmly that what we’re attempting to do really aligns with all the SDGs, because all of those SDGs, in part, connect to the mission of the GBA and the UN. And I think the blockchain technology is the enabling technology that allows us to build those strong institutions. So that’s how I think that they connect.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
We have a question from a gentleman in this room.

Gerard Dache:
Sure.

Moderator-Benedetta Audia:
Would you mind introducing yourself?

Audience:
Yes, please. Hello, good morning. My name is Ashim Zisongwe, and I’m a member of parliament from Malawi. But I also, most importantly, I’m a member of the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance. Sitting in here as a gatecrasher, I’ve been very much intrigued, I mean, but also enlightened by the presenters on the subject of the blockchain, and also my view and understanding on the matter has also been broadened, getting to see that coming from the public sector and being able to understand how blockchain could enhance public sector reforms in service delivery and notwithstanding the attainment of the SDGs by the UN. What was most fascinating is as presented by Dino, the use case in terms of patient fund management, and I’m also mindful of the various social protection programs that member states of the UN are involved in in their respective countries. And one of the critical issue that they come across with is the positive identification of the beneficiaries. And Dino said it’s difficult to prove a negative. So it was quite a very, very enlightening. And the point I want to raise as a lawmaker, there are serious gains to be made from if countries were going to adopt this kind of technology, but you know the issues of mistrust, but I think Shona did also lay off those fears. That the blockchain does offer the platform that can be trusted, provides traceability, and also is transparent. But these are the issues that are not being communicated to the governments, so the government can start transitioning into digitalization transformation. As a lawmaker, I represent the APNIC, and as I said, the General Secretary is over here. Would appreciate to have some kind of working relationship, because some of these issues eventually, they will have to be translated into legislation. Either would accelerate policy enactment, or legislation enactment that would first track the adoption of this kind of technologies. At the same time, another question going to the United Nations. We’re talking about a deficit of 2.6 billion people that are not connected. But at the same time, we’ve made a decision that digitalization and the internet governance and the information technology is the way to go. We are not going back. It would be appreciated if the issues of the SDGs could also be supported in terms of encouraging countries to enact policies that are going to utilize blockchain as an accelerator towards the attainment of those goals. So I don’t know whether this is something you would consider as the UN. As parliamentarians, we’ll be simply waiting to enact laws, but we have some capacity areas that should be improved upon. As I said, through the APNIC, to which I’m a member. It’s quite enlightening, and thank you so much for allowing us to get crash into this very important session. Thank you.

Gerard Dache:
Thank you. There’s a very easy comment I’d like to make. Can we, oh, guys, let Amelia handle this, because she is a lawmaker, and I think that she has to.

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
Gerard, sorry, Gerard. We reached the end of our time, a lot of time. So let’s please allow people to ask the question. At least we all hear the question, then maybe we take it offline. Because it’s 11.15, it’s the end of our session.

Amelia Gardner:
Yeah, if one of you guys will give him my contact info, I can show him the model legislation that we run.

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
We will. Yes, we will.

Amelia Gardner:
Okay, absolutely.

Eugene Morozov:
We have one more question.

Audience:
Thank you all. Lee McKnight, associate professor at Syracuse University School of Information Studies. I’m here now inviting you all to get up and join my class at 6.30 a.m. to hear about a sustainable development blockchain my students are building for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But that’s an aside, we can take that offline. The question is, I’ve heard a lot, obviously the name’s Government Blockchain Association, and I applaud the work being done, but there’s also research, industry. You’re in this multi-stakeholder forum. What about the rest of the world? What’s the interface between the rest of the world and the Government Blockchain Association? Thank you.

Speaker:
Yeah, that’s an easy answer. You should join gbaglobal.org, and we will definitely help resolving the issues that we’ve heard today. Everybody is welcome.

Audience:
I know time is not our best ally. I’ll just use half a second, because blockchain is still very much associated with cryptocurrency. I don’t know how you’re going to break that and get it off the minds of the people. Of course, when you talk about cryptocurrency, we know of people who have lost their money through that. I don’t know what you’re going to do to ensure that you break that, that association of blockchain with cryptocurrency and mistrust.

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
So, very quickly, we are over time, so apologies to the coordinators of the room if you allow us to just one minute.

Audience:
My name is Sarah Opendi, a member of parliament from Uganda.

Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio:
Uganda. Thank you so much. So, first and foremost, thank you everybody for participating, both in person as well as online. Very quickly, the name Government Blockchain Association definitely refers to government, but also it’s intended for all citizens, all entities work with government for the government. So, it’s not limited to government. Actually, entities, private sector, really the multi-stakeholder philosophy approach of the IGF, it’s mirrored in the GBA. It’s open to all representative of all sector, industry, civil society, academia, and NGOs. In terms of breaking that association of blockchain and cryptocurrency, there are over 50 working groups in the GBA that address way over the use case of cryptocurrency. As alluded to before, we have working group on digital identity, working group in digital asset, working groups on the supply chain, healthcare, artificial intelligence, voting and election. So, really, we go very well beyond that. And the point is really training and awareness. There are two conferences. One usually takes place at the end of September, October, and one in May, that really have a wide variety of topics that are discussed and presented by practitioners and representatives from the multi-stakeholder community. Thank you very much. We can definitely continue this conversation, both offline, in person, and online. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.