Vitalik Buterin, the co-founders of Ethereum, has expressed worries on the emergence of potential dangers that could jeopardize technological liberties and fundamental principles of cryptocurrencies.
He highlighted the escalating political scrutiny faced by encrypted messaging services, centralized identity systems, vulnerable operating systems, and the expanding authority of influential social media platforms and governments to suppress and exclude individuals globally.
The increasing political scrutiny on encrypted messaging platforms is a fundamental issue, as governments are intensifying their efforts to undermine encryption or implement backdoors, so jeopardizing user privacy.
Centralized identification systems and credit scores pose a significant threat by consolidating power among a small number of entities. This concentration of power facilitates surveillance, control, and the possibility for discrimination based on digital profiles.
Vulnerable to exploitation are operating systems, especially those that are proprietary and closed-source, as they contain hidden flaws and backdoors. Buterin supports the extensive implementation of open-source, auditable operating systems in order to decrease the dangers of exploitation.
An additional significant problem is the growing ability of social media platforms to censor and deplatform individuals, which can be exploited by governments to affect public opinion.
Buterin expresses concerns over the possible risks associated with centralized artificial intelligence (AI) and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). These technologies, if controlled by the wrong entities, might result in unprecedented levels of surveillance and economic manipulation.
Buterin’s message is an urgent plea to safeguard technical liberties in the face of these looming dangers, imploring the cryptocurrency community to aggressively champion the principles that sparked the development of Bitcoin and Ethereum: privacy, decentralization, and individual self-governance.
