Blockchain technology is a powerful tool to decentralize the protection of human rights, with many parallels on-chain insurance, Guangmian Kung, Integrations Lead at Kleros, argues. A decentralized insurance fund could provide universal coverage to all participants of a blockchain ecosystem, reducing reliance on state-run programs.What are human rights?Core Rights from UN Declaration include a Right to Equality, Fair Trial, Freedom of Religion and Participation in Cultural Life.In the real world, these depend on:🧍🧍♀️ Physical presence to invoke rights.⚖️ Legal frameworks ensuring enforcement (e.g. labor laws).Blockchain Advantage: Trustless and PermissionlessBlockchain offers two transformative attributes for human rights: trustlessness and permissionlessness. Censorship resistance allows for unmediated communication and transaction. Decentralised autonomy enables broader participation in decision making.So what would this mean in practise?Right to social security: 🧮 Rather than Government programs providing financial aid based on eligibility criteria, 💻 decentralised funding pools and conditional escrows automatically distribute benefits to verified members based on transparent, community defined rulesRight to remedy through tribunal: ⚖️ Rather than the state providing legal courts, 💡 decentralised dispute platforms and juries offer impartial remedies, enforced with conditional escrowsRight to freedom of degrading treatment: 🚓 Rather than the state enforcing laws through policing and military power, ⛓️💥 decentralised courts rule with escrowed bounties for evidence and compensationRight to recognition as a person before the law: 🪪 Rather than the state issuing legal documents (birth certificates and IDs), 🖥️ de-centralised identify protocols enable cryptographically verified on-chain identities granting access to services and rightsSo what could this mean for insurance?Imagine a decentralized fund where community members contribute and benefit collectively. A decentralized insurance fund could provide universal coverage to all participants of a blockchain ecosystem, reducing reliance on state-run programs, for disaster recovery or universal healthcare.Furthermore, claim disputes can be adjudicated through peer-reviewed oracles instead of lengthy court battles.We will be watching this space with interest.D1Conf: Blockchain, Human Rights, and Insurance was originally published in Etherisc Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
