2024 Events

The Fediverse, What Policymakers Need To Know

June 11, 2024 @ 2:00 pm – @ 3:00 pm

The Fediverse And The Future Of Social Media: What Policymakers Need To Know

Federated social networks, collectively known as the “fediverse,” are emerging as alternatives to traditional social media platforms. These networks, such as Mastodon, Threads, and BlueSky, offer a decentralized approach to online interaction. However, the shift to a decentralized model introduces new policy challenges and questions about governance, remuneration, moderation, and inclusivity.

The discussion will cover critical topics such as data ownership, content moderation, and accessibility, emphasizing the need for effective policy frameworks to guide the future of federated networks. We’ll discuss the business models that support moderation, as well as the complex dynamics of centralized versus decentralized control. The conversation will also explore the promises and limitations of federated social networks, along with legal and privacy concerns, competition, and the broader context of decentralized online governance.

PANELISTS

Hillary Brill, Professor, Georgetown University Law

Mike Masnick – CEO, Floor64, editor, Techdirt blog

Amy James – Co Executive Director, Web3 Working Group

Ross Schulman – Senior Fellow, Decentralization, Electronic Frontier Foundation

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Decentralized Domain Summit: Policy Approaches to Web3 Addressing

Eaton Hotel

June 13, 2023 @ 5:00 pm – @ 6:00 pm

This panel explored the future of policy setting for addressing and domain names in the burgeoning Web3, blockchain, and cryptocurrency space. Over 25 years ago policymakers established parameters for Internet addressing to protect innovators and to avoid collisions. Since then domain name protocols have been at the heart of major policy battles on censorship, copyright, privacy, cybersecurity, and Internet governance. How will these new decentralized addressing protocols handle these inevitable policy challenges? Does ICANN have a role? Will the federal government issue a new DWeb addressing green paper?

Our Panelists:

– Kurt Opsahl, Associate General Counsel for Cybersecurity and Civil Liberties Policy, Filecoin Foundation

– Chjango Unchained, Executive Director @ dWeb Foundation, Head of Ecosystem at Cosmos Network

– Ram Mohan, Chief Strategy Officer, Identity Digital

– Christian Dawson, Executive Director, i2 Coalition

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Decentralized Domain Names: What Does DNS Look Like in Web3?

Virtual

November 10, 2022 @ 10:00 am – @ 1:00 pm

SPEAKERS

– Alain Durand, Distinguished Technologist ICANN
– Chjango Unchained, Executive Director @ dWeb Foundation, Head of Ecosystem at Cosmos Network
– Giovanna Fessenden, Counsel Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds, P.C.
– Tom Barrett, President, EnCirca, Inc.

For over 50 years the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS) has enabled users to seamlessly connect with servers on the Internet by using human-friendly names like example.com. International governments, industry, and internet stakeholders have worked together to ensure that the DNS works. Yet, this system is not extending directly into web3. Several blockchain-based naming systems are popping up on the decentralized web. From .eth to Unstoppable Domains, there are millions of registered domains on web3 and none of them interact with the Internet’s DNS. Our panelists will discuss whether the emergence of DWeb domains will result in disaster for the internet or some welcome change.

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