Bitnation is a blockchain-based platform that enables you to become a “world citizen”. Find out what that means today in our Bitnation review.

What is Bitnation?

Bitnation, found online at Bitnation.co, describes itself as a “holacratic organization” that is striving to become a fully functional decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).

The term “holacratic” means that there are no old school management structures or barriers to entry. Anyone can join the platform or create a team – a “holon”. Teams can revolve around for-profit or non-profit organizations. These groups can benefit from the support and technological infrastructure of the Bitnation community.

Here’s how Bitnation’s official website describes a “holon”:

“A Holon is something that is simultaneously a “part” and a “whole” and everyone can join and create their own operational centers (“holons”). This allows BITNATION to remain fluid, be autonomous and thus not limited or controlled by a centralized hierarchy. You can select more than one holon.”

You can sign up to become a world citizen online today, or view a directory of citizens.

Bitnation was founded in July 2014. Today, there are thousands of members around the world. You can even visit Bitnation embassies and consulates worldwide, including one embassy located in a castle in Germany.

How Does Bitnation Work?

There are four main parties involved in the Bitnation ecosystem. The most basic level is World Citizen, which is a level available to anyone. Here’s how each of the four core parties interacts with the platform:

World Citizen:

Anyone can become a World Citizen, then participate in the Bitnation DAO.

Ally:

When you partner with Bitnation, you get access to all teams, communities, chats, and the newsroom. You can post directly to the Bitnation Facebook and Twitter feeds. The DAO encourages people to become an Ally if they “have a plan to radically disrupt the world.”

Embassies and Consulates:

Embassies and Consulates are physical locations – like someone’s home, a coffee shop, or an office space – where members of Bitnation can interact. Embassies are a place where you can both live and work, while a consultant is a place where you can work or organize a meetup – like a shared office space.

Ambassador:

Ambassadors are specially-trained individuals involved with the Bitnation DAO. There will be three types of Ambassadors, including Diplomatic Ambassadors (DA), Diplomatic Consuls (DC), and Goodwill Ambassadors (GA). Originally, when Bitnation was established, there was an exclusive group of users called Ambassadors. As the organization moved to a DAO structure, this position was modified to the three positions listed above.

The Bitnation platform was founded in 2014. It’s built on the Ethereum blockchain.

There are real Bitnation embassies you can visit today. Vice’s Motherboard recently covered the story of Dirk von Heinrichshorst, who moved his family to a secluded castle in the German countryside. Today, he runs that castle as a bed and breakfast, although he later registered Schloss Heinrichshosrst as an embassy for Bitnation.

What Does the Future Hold for Bitnation?

Ultimately, Bitnation is popular among those who believe in a border-free world, where citizens of the planet are free to move between whichever economic structures they believe suits them the most. Some call them “techno-libertarians”.

In any case, Bitnation has a long-term, 50-plus year vision for the future. Here’s how the founder of the organization stated it in an interview with Bitcoin Magazine:

“I believe the nation state oligopoly is being phased out naturally, due to the forces of globalization, and we’re obviously trying to help fast-forward that process. But the question is what comes after it? Everything indicates it will be replaced by an even worse one-fit-all governance model, like the U.N., which will lead to perpetual war between people who simply wish to live life as they want, with their own legal code, their own lifestyle. Bitnation counters that dystopian future through creating an open-source nation model, that everyone can fork, to create their own nation. We believe we’ll make both nation states governments, as well as organizations like the U.N. irrelevant, simply through providing cheaper, more secure and better Do-It-Yourself governance services.”

Obviously, it’s an ambitious plan – and it’s one that could change the entire foundation of the world’s governance. Today’s nation-state structure hasn’t been majorly changed since the 1500s, and it’s been formalized since the beginning of the 20th century. It’s reasonable to think that this structure could change in a major way in the near future.

Who’s Behind Bitnation?

Bitnation has an interesting founding story. The founder of Bitnation, Susanne Tarkowski Tempelhof, grew up in a Franco-Swedish family. Her father had been stateless for a decade. As blockchain technology grew throughout the early 2010s, Susanne realized there was potential to create a blockchain-based identification system for the entire world.

The platform was launched in 2014. Initially, the platform only offered digital IDs. By October 2014, the platform had completed its first blockchain marriage. That same month, they hosted the first Blockchain World Citizenship at the World Crypto Network (WCN).

Other milestones include introducing the first land titles and birth certificates on the blockchain (in April 2015), and partnering with the country of Estonia to introduce its digital public notary based on blockchain technology (in November 2015).

In April 2017, Bitnation’s BRER program made headlines after it was one of several award winners of UNESCO’s Grand Prix 2017. Former winners have included Airbnb, Spotify, and Twitter.

BitNation Conclusion

Bitnation is a unique blockchain-based platform with thousands of members worldwide. The platform allows anyone to become a world citizen. You join the platform, then enjoy various benefits of Bitnation citizenship.

Today, the platform is moving to a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) structure. It’s built on the Ethereum blockchain.

Over the years, Bitnation has passed by a number of major milestones – including registering the first birth certificate, land records, and national public notary service on the blockchain. There are blockchain passports, and Bitnation has even developed and tested workable DIY land titles in Ghana, recorded on the blockchain.

You can learn more about Bitnation, or sign up to become a citizen today, by visiting the platform online at Bitnation.co.