Blockchain Delegation Attends Democratic National Convention

Representatives from Blockchain ecosystem descended on Philadelphia to talk about Blockchain and its potential for the next presidency

Jamie Smith — The Bitfury Group & Blockchain Trust Accelerator

Tomicah Tillemann — New America Foundation & Blockchain Trust Accelerator

Alex Tapscott — co-author: Blockchain Revolution

Brian Forde — MIT, Digital Currency Initiative

PHILADELPHIA — JULY 28, 2016 — This week, Blockchain leaders traveled to Philadelphia to attend the Democratic National Convention to share with the innovative power of the Blockchain with various world leaders, political representatives and the broader electorate.

Dr. Tomicah Tillemann and Jamie Smith speak at the International Leaders Forum

On Thursday, July 28, Jamie Smith, Global Chief Communications Officer of The Bitfury Group and co-founder of the Blockchain Trust Accelerator and Dr. Tomicah Tillemann, Director of the Bretton Woods II Initiative at New America and the other co-founder of the Blockchain Trust Accelerator, spoke at the 2016 International Leaders Forum to an audience of more than 400 world leaders at a panel entitled: “Who Will Vote: The Emerging Electorate.”

Smith and Tillemann introduced the panel and challenged the audience to consider the power of Blockchain technology to change the U.S. electoral landscape in 2020.

“If we embrace this new technology we have the power to potentially completely revolutionized the way we vote, poll, aggregate and analyze data, and process financing through Blockchain technology,” said Jamie Smith, Global CCO of Bitfury. “Imagine an election where citizens can vote with their phones from the factory floor, where campaign finance disclosures are immediate and transparent, and where polling data is verifiably accurate, secure and easier than ever to share. This is the election landscape that Blockchain technology can provide, and these pilot projects are already underway.”

“The power of Blockchain technology will revolutionize governance all over the world, not just in the United States,” added Dr. Tomicah Tillemann, Director of the Bretton Woods II initiative at New America and board member of Bitfury. “Any country has the opportunity to lead the way in pioneering the use of this technology for governance, and many are already doing so by partnering with the Blockchain Trust Accelerator to lead and create civic Blockchain pilot projects.”

Alex Tapscott speaks at the Rock the Vote “Truth to Power” event.

Blockchain thought leaders also spoke to the millennial voters about the next wave of technology. On Wednesday, July 27, co-author of “Blockchain Revolution” Alex Tapscott gave the opening keynote at the Rock the Vote “Truth to Power” event, focusing on Blockchain technology and how the next president can lead in the second generation of the internet and become a true “Blockchain president.”

“The next president of the United States has a unique opportunity to lead the country into the second era of the internet,” said Alex Tapscott. “Just like President Bill Clinton led the world in encouraging the innovation of the internet, our next president will have the opportunity to see another paradigm shift in digital commerce and cybersecurity by encouraging the use of Blockchain technology.”

Brian Forde, co-founder of the Digital Currency Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), also attended the convention. In advance of his attendance, he published a piece with Tech Crunch on Hillary Clinton and how she can use blockchain technology to attain her policy goals for technology and innovation. “To stay competitive and truly realize the economic and security benefits of this technology, the U.S. government should be investing at least $50 million a year in academic and business research on this technology.” said Brian Forde, cofounder of the MIT Digital Currency Initiative, “by supporting the development of public blockchain-based government applications and funding critical research of this promising technology — the next president will have the power to significantly increase trust in government, decrease bureaucracy and protect consumer data based on the feedback from the cryptocurrency community.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Rachel Pipan, Communications Associate

Rachel.pipan@bitfury.com