Law Commons^™

The Influencers: Facebook’S Libra, Public Blockchains, And The Ethical Considerations Of Centralization, Michele Benedetto Neitz

Publications

The theoretical promise of blockchain technology is truly extraordinary: a peer-to-peer distributed immutable ledger that could revolutionize economies, societies, and even our daily lives. But what if blockchain technology is not as decentralized as people think? What are the ramifications if, in reality, a blockchain’s core decisions are actually influenced by small groups of people or corporations?

This short article seeks to answer that question, by demonstrating that decentralized public blockchains are only as immutable as the decentralization of their governance. Moreover, the announcement of Libra, Facebook’s new permissioned blockchain, shows a growing trend of centralized control around decentralized technologies. …

A Meticulous Food Safety Plan Today Avoids Handcuffs Tomorrow, Kim Bousquet

Journal of Food Law & Policy

In August 2010, thousands of people across the United States were poisoned by eating eggs unknowingly tainted with Salmonella enteritidis bacteria. Following a lengthy investigation, the owners of the facility where the outbreak began were sentenced to three months in prison. This is not a one-off case; poor food safety practices are responsible for several outbreaks and often end in incarceration. Filthy hen houses, diseased fruit storage, and negligent food processing may be the last thing we want to imagine, but these practices have much to teach today's food producers. This article first examines how poor food production practices can …

Blame It On The Blockchain: Cryptocurrencies Boom Amidst Global Regulations, Jorge Galavis

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

Blockchain technologies created the most valuable digital currency in the world; Bitcoin. Bitcoin uses a Blockchain to be decentralized and widely accessible: Blockchains work by recording all transactions into online ledgers that are saved onto many separate blocks across the internet. Coins that use Blockchain technology are inherently difficult to modify, and transactions are permanently recorded because of the redundancy and reliability of the Blockchain system. So, this widely-available means of exchange has gained appeal as an online alternative to traditional currencies and securities. Blockchain coins gain popularity as currencies where there is reason to doubt the existing traditional currencies …

Banking On Blockchains: A Transformative Technology Reshaping Latin American And Caribbean Economies, Robert W. Rust Ii

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

No abstract provided.

Introductions, Tonya M. Evans, Julia Spivak

Law Faculty Scholarship

An introduction to the Symposium and an introduction to Blockchain technology in preparation for the topics of the rest of the symposium.

Collaborative Approaches To Blockchain Regulation: The Brooklyn Project Example, Patrick Berarducci

Cleveland State Law Review

Today, I am going to discuss, at a high level, blockchain technology—what it is, what are its unique features that could revolutionize markets and economies, and how it could impact law and regulation. That is a lot to cover—far too much in the time allotted. So I will keep things at a very high level and hopefully pique some interest in everyone to dig deeper on their own.

The Human Element: The Under-Theorized And Underutilized Component Vital To Fostering Blockchain Development, Joshua A.T. Fairfield

Cleveland State Law Review

Blockchain is about one-third math and two-thirds game theory. The math runs on silicon processors. The game theory runs on grey matter. Earlier in this symposium, the last panel essentially asked, "What's different about blockchain and its relationship to humans?" That will be our focus: What is the right relationship between technology and the community that builds it? And, why would we care?

Blockchain Symposium Introduction: Overview And Historical Introduction, Brian Ray

Cleveland State Law Review

Imagine a world where human drivers can access on-demand micro-insurance contracts tailored to cover only the actual time spent driving. How about a secure, decentralized identity system that allows individuals to purchase a vehicle and obtain insurance without sharing unnecessary private information exposing it to cyber criminals? Take that a step further and consider a system of driverless cars that transact with autonomous gas stations and take payments directly from passengers. These are some of the fascinating applications that blockchain technology could enable. But these applications give rise to significant technical, social, and legal questions, all of which we explored …