Abstract
It is not uncommon for technological developments to give rise to debates as to whether existing legal norms and regulatory frameworks will be disrupted or undermined. A recent, high-profile, example is blockchain.
Most of the popular excitement about blockchain, so far at least, relates to crypto-currencies, especially Bitcoin, and related financial products such as Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Less visibly, but probably more importantly in the long run, a great deal of investment is going into the development of a broad range of blockchain applications in contexts ranging from registration of assets (including land) to self-executing (‘smart’) contracts. Notwithstanding widespread confusion about what exactly blockchain is or might become, blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) have caught the imagination of governments, businesses, and private investors, and they are increasingly a focus of attention for legislators and regulators worldwide.
Most of the popular excitement about blockchain, so far at least, relates to crypto-currencies, especially Bitcoin, and related financial products such as Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Less visibly, but probably more importantly in the long run, a great deal of investment is going into the development of a broad range of blockchain applications in contexts ranging from registration of assets (including land) to self-executing (‘smart’) contracts. Notwithstanding widespread confusion about what exactly blockchain is or might become, blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) have caught the imagination of governments, businesses, and private investors, and they are increasingly a focus of attention for legislators and regulators worldwide.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 103-104 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| Journal | International Data Privacy Law |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2 Jul 2018 |