6 Questions for Kim Hamilton Duffy of Center – Cointelegraph Magazine
We ask the builders of the blockchain and cryptocurrency sectors for their thoughts on the industry… and throw in some random pings to keep them on their toes!
This week is ours There are 6 questions Kim Hamilton Duffy, director of identity and standards at the Center Consortium – an open source technology project designed to create a more inclusive global economy.
Kim is a leader in the emerging decentralized identity field and has developed successful open source projects such as Verite, Blockcerts, and the Digital Credential Consortium toolkit.
1 — Which countries are doing the most to support blockchain, and which will be left behind?
Rather than considering this through the narrow lens of whether certain crypto transactions are taxed, I consider whether countries support innovation in blockchain – and, more broadly, decentralized architectures – in a collaborative, responsible, sustainable way that can benefit individuals and companies.
A recurring theme: Regulatory clarity is key for individuals and businesses to build and innovate with confidence. But this must be based on nuanced, balanced approaches that involve a range of stakeholders – technologists, regulators and privacy experts – and must be sufficiently future-proofed to accommodate new technology. Anti-patterns—that is, examples of approaches that are uneven, overly restrictive, or reactive—include prohibitions against specific implementations or types of mining.
2 — What is the main obstacle to the mass adoption of blockchain technology?
It is divided between interoperability, ease of use and trust.
Fortunately, we are moving beyond the discussion of which blockchain will “win” and understand that different blockchain characteristics may be best suited for different use cases. But this underlines the importance of interoperability – and for this open standards and protocols are the key.
The second aspect is the need for improved usability and trust, which are linked. Despite the transparency enabled by blockchain-based technologies, the technical barriers to entry and the overwhelming amount of information make absorbing these benefits unattainable for many. Deciding how to prioritize the user experience to convey trust (as an analogy, think of the “browser lock” icon signifying a secure connection) will be critical to success.
3 — Have you ever bought a non-working token? What was that? And if not, what do you think will be your first?
Yes! The first NFT I minted/bought was a Crypto Coven… and then I ended up minting and buying a few more. I fell in love with the aesthetics and thoughtfulness of the project. It was clearly a labor of love – so much care went into generating the design elements, traits and mythology that formed each individual witch. Even the contract code was beautifully written.
Discord is also an incredibly positive, supportive place, with some of the best Web3/Ethereum technical discussions too.
4 — What is the most unlikely thing to happen on the bucket list?
Being swarmed and tackled by a brood of 100 plus pugs is probably near the top. A more modest goal is to get a pie in the face, a la 1970s slapstick comedy. But somehow this has not happened yet.
5 — If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
I would spend extra time writing. Decentralized identity standards and technologies are new, and it is difficult for people to access information through an objective, non-commercial or vendor lens. Although the technical specifications are available, they are not available to a wider audience. More critically, these do not provide context and tribal knowledge from the many years of deliberation that went into design decisions.
The risk of rolling out transformative technologies understood by a select few is that they cannot be adapted and refined with other experts (privacy, regulatory, etc.) whose input is critical to adoption. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the line between technical solutions and what’s required for real-world adoption, and I’d like to have more time to write about this.
On a more personal note, I would spend at least four hours a day practicing Bach’s cello suites.
6 — What is the future of social media?
I feel strongly that we are moving towards more decentralized foundations for social media networks, where your data, connections, reputation and experience are increasingly under your control – not under the control of a company incentivized to treat you as the product .
Christine Lemmer-Webber, a leader in decentralized identity (especially integrating capacity-based approaches), has also been a pioneer in decentralized social media, including Mastodon and ActivityPub. This work continues and flourishes through efforts like BlueSky.
The challenge will of course be to identify sustainable models to support such networks. This introduces an exciting opportunity to develop new approaches that do not rely on amassing huge data silos – instead, those that respect privacy and informed consent.
