Christopher Allen

Blockchain & Decentralized Identity Architect—Internet Cryptography Pioneer—Co-author TLS & DID Standards—Collaborative Tools & Patterns

[Christopher Allen @ChristopherA]

The 2024 annual report from @BlockchainComns is here! It highlights our work toward an open, secure, and compassionate digital infrastructure, emphasizing interoperability and self-sovereign wallet standards through key projects: dCBOR, FROST, and Gordian Envelope. 🧵… [1/11]

[Christopher Allen @ChristopherA]

@BobSummerwill @tropicsquare I’ve been hoping to revive these #SiliconSalon events. I think the funding dried up due to AI. But maybe given demand for self-sovereign computing it may come back.

[Christopher Allen @ChristopherA]

∑ ❶-➓:
❶ 👎 winning ≠ consent
❷ 👎 plurality ≠ majority
❸ ⚠️ majority rule's limits
❹ 🔄 no perfect voting system
❺ 👍 consent spectrum
❻ ⚖️ juries
❼ 🔥 friction helps
❽ 👍 sortition
❾ ❓ one-person/one-vote
➓ 🚀 do better!

/14 ៚

[Christopher Allen @ChristopherA]

⓿ I named my first company Consensus Development in 1988, and I've spent decades building systems where machines reach agreement. Humans are harder.

This election season shows how badly our tools for agreeing have aged. 🧵… /1

[Christopher Allen @ChristopherA]

➓ The US founders knew these problems and applied the best 18th-century tools they had: supermajorities where it mattered, unanimity in the jury box.

It's the 21st century. We can do better. Reply with where you've seen consent-based decisions work. /13

[Christopher Allen @ChristopherA]

‡ “智能社会最大的问题，不再是机器的人化，而是人的机器化。”

— Liú Yǒngmóu (刘永谋), philosopher of technology at Renmin University of China, Beijing, writing in China Science Daily (中国科学报), January 3, 2025, about his book The World After the Intelligence Revolution: AI Technology and the Fate of Human Society (智能革命后的世界：AI技术与人类社会的命运); Chongqing Publishing House, November 2024). Translation of the quote was confirmed & facilitated by AI.

[Christopher Allen @ChristopherA]

#QotD (quote of the day)

“The biggest problem of intelligent society is no longer the humanization of machines, but the machinization of humans.” — Liu Yongmou ‡

[Christopher Allen @ChristopherA]

We keep asking whether machines will become persons. Liu Yongmou asks the better question: will persons become machines? An agent serves a principal. Every system that cannot hear you say no is training you to swap roles. Take back the helm!

[Christopher Allen @ChristopherA]

Live steam has started!

[Octant @OctantApp]

Epoch 13 Project Intros | Session, FreeSocks, & Gordian Stack https://t.co/m69J6oYLcL

[Christopher Allen @ChristopherA]

I will be part of a live stream today hosted by @OctantApp in a 1/2 hour (2pm PDT, 5pm EDT) to discuss privacy, security, and self-sovereignty, along with @session_app @unredacted_org. Come listen and ask questions!

[Octant @OctantApp]

Kicking off the new week with a brand new stream 👀

Speaking freely 🗣️

Learn about onion-routed messaging, fighting censorship, and self-sovereign privacy.

@session_app | @Cryptic_cm
FreeSocks | Zach from @unredacted_org
Gordian Stack | @ChristopherA from @BlockchainComns

See you at 9 PM UTC!