The General Assembly pays tribute to any head of state of a UN member country who dies in office

Tribute to late Iranian president at UN stirs anger

General Assembly

generalassembly

Information Society: Idea - A, Realization - F, Total - D

“China's Killer Robots Are Coming” screamed a recent Newsweek headline. A looming new age of AI-powered warfare could become what some experts are calling the greatest danger to the survival of humankind. Imagine an AI system that teaches anyone with a basic internet connection how to create chemical or biological weapons. If terrorist organizations use this information, the results would be catastrophic. Beyond weaponry, several major countries have begun to develop fully autonomous, AI-powered “killer robots” to replace their soldiers on the battlefield, and one can only imagine how this would play out. Human soldiers can make snap decisions and avoid civilian casualties. It is unlikely that AI killer robots would have that ability. China is just one of several countries focused on developing AI for its military including new AI-powered ships, submarines, and aircraft. In fact, it is reportedly making progress at an alarming rate – five times faster than the U.S., according to experts. The U.S. military is already using AI to pilot surveillance drones in special operations forces’ missions and has helped Ukraine in its war against Russia. AI also tracks soldiers’ fitness, predicts when Air Force planes need maintenance, and helps monitor rivals in space. Clearly, it has many uses and is not just for actual combat. Now, the Pentagon is hoping to enter into service thousands of relatively inexpensive, expendable AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026 to keep pace with China. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in August that the ambitious initiative — dubbed Replicator — seeks to “galvanize progress in the too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation to leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many.” The U.S. already uses fully autonomous lethal weapons and many experts, among them scientists, industry experts, and Pentagon officials are concerned about how they are used today and how they will be used in the future as they are given more capability. While officials insist humans will always be in control, experts say advances in AI “will inevitably relegate people to supervisory roles.” Recently, there was even a major effort by experts to pause AI development over fears about how the technology could develop and ultimately get out of control. That’s especially true if, as expected in a commonly-used scenario, lethal weapons are deployed en masse in drone swarms. Many countries are working on them — and neither China, Russia, Iran, India, or Pakistan have signed a U.S.-initiated pledge to use military AI responsibly. In November of last year, at the U.S. embassy in London, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced a range of AI initiatives and warned about the threat AI poses. Harris noted a declaration signed by 31 nations to set guardrails around the military use of AI. It pledges signatories to use legal reviews and training to ensure military AI stays within international laws, develop the technology cautiously and transparently, avoid unintended biases in systems that use AI, and continue to discuss how the technology can be developed and deployed responsibly without getting out of control. “A principled approach to the military use of AI should include careful consideration of risks and benefits, and it should also minimize unintended bias and accidents,” the declaration says. It also says that states should build safeguards into military AI systems, such as the ability to disengage or deactivate when a system demonstrates “unintended behavior.” While the declaration is not legally binding, it is the first major agreement between nations to impose voluntary guardrails on military AI. At the same time, the UN General Assembly announced a new resolution that calls for an in-depth study of lethal autonomous weapons and could set the terms for restrictions on such weapons. It is clear that much work needs to be done to ensure the safe use of AI when applied to the military. Unfortunately, there is no way to control rogue countries such as Russia, Iran, China, or North Korea, and unless Western countries stay on top of the technology and develop AI for the military, they will fall behind. Militarizing AI is dangerous – that’s for certain. But it is the future of warfare and civilized countries will need to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. “China's Killer Robots Are Coming” screamed a recent Newsweek headline . recent Newsweek headline A looming new age of AI-powered warfare could become what some experts are calling the greatest danger to the survival of humankind. some experts Imagine an AI system that teaches anyone with a basic internet connection how to create chemical or biological weapons. If terrorist organizations use this information, the results would be catastrophic. Beyond weaponry, several major countries have begun to develop fully autonomous, AI-powered “killer robots” to replace their soldiers on the battlefield, and one can only imagine how this would play out. Human soldiers can make snap decisions and avoid civilian casualties. It is unlikely that AI killer robots would have that ability. China is just one of several countries focused on developing AI for its military including new AI-powered ships , submarines, and aircraft. new AI-powered ships In fact, it is reportedly making progress at an alarming rate – five times faster than the U.S., according to experts . according to experts The U.S. military is already using AI to pilot surveillance drones in special operations forces’ missions and has helped Ukraine in its war against Russia . AI also tracks soldiers’ fitness, predicts when Air Force planes need maintenance, and helps monitor rivals in space. Ukraine in its war against Russia Clearly, it has many uses and is not just for actual combat. Now, the Pentagon is hoping to enter into service thousands of relatively inexpensive, expendable AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026 to keep pace with China. AI-enabled autonomous vehicles Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in August that the ambitious initiative — dubbed Replicator — seeks to “galvanize progress in the too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation to leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many.” August The U.S. already uses fully autonomous lethal weapons and many experts, among them scientists, industry experts, and Pentagon officials are concerned about how they are used today and how they will be used in the future as they are given more capability. already uses While officials insist humans will always be in control , experts say advances in AI “will inevitably relegate people to supervisory roles.” officials insist humans will always be in control experts say Recently, there was even a major effort by experts to pause AI development over fears about how the technology could develop and ultimately get out of control. major effort That’s especially true if, as expected in a commonly-used scenario, lethal weapons are deployed en masse in drone swarms. Many countries are working on them — and neither China, Russia, Iran, India, or Pakistan have signed a U.S.-initiated pledge to use military AI responsibly. drone swarms. a U.S.-initiated pledge In November of last year, at the U.S. embassy in London, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced a range of AI initiatives and warned about the threat AI poses. Harris noted a declaration signed by 31 nations to set guardrails around the military use of AI. It pledges signatories to use legal reviews and training to ensure military AI stays within international laws, develop the technology cautiously and transparently, avoid unintended biases in systems that use AI, and continue to discuss how the technology can be developed and deployed responsibly without getting out of control. a declaration “A principled approach to the military use of AI should include careful consideration of risks and benefits, and it should also minimize unintended bias and accidents,” the declaration says. It also says that states should build safeguards into military AI systems, such as the ability to disengage or deactivate when a system demonstrates “unintended behavior.” While the declaration is not legally binding, it is the first major agreement between nations to impose voluntary guardrails on military AI. At the same time, the UN General Assembly announced a new resolution that calls for an in-depth study of lethal autonomous weapons and could set the terms for restrictions on such weapons. a new resolution It is clear that much work needs to be done to ensure the safe use of AI when applied to the military. Unfortunately, there is no way to control rogue countries such as Russia, Iran, China, or North Korea, and unless Western countries stay on top of the technology and develop AI for the military, they will fall behind. Militarizing AI is dangerous – that’s for certain. But it is the future of warfare and civilized countries will need to stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

The Danger of Militarizing AI

You can jump to any part of the United States International Cyberspace & Digital Policy Strategy here This part is 25 of 38. ACTION AREA 3: Advance Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace and Counter Threats to Cyberspace and Critical Infrastructure by Building Coalitions and Engaging Partners At the UN and regional security bodies, the United States, along with its allies and partners, is working to advance responsible state behavior in cyberspace based on a UN General Assembly-endorsed framework, underpinned by the applicability of existing international law, adherence to globally accepted and voluntary norms of state behavior in peacetime, development and implementation of confidence-building measures to reduce the risk of conflict in cyberspace, and a commitment to building states’ capacities to implement the elements of the framework. Despite a global consensus on the framework for responsible behavior in cyberspace, the norms are not self-enforcing. Some states act in ways contrary to it. When a state engages in significant destructive, disruptive, or otherwise destabilizing malicious cyber activity contrary to the framework, responsible states must cooperate to hold that irresponsible state accountable. Digital solidarity in this context is demonstrated by sustained mutual support and coordinated campaigns. The United States and its partners share cyber threat information to help build resilience to and disrupt malicious activities; show solidarity to victims by helping respond to significant incidents, thereby signaling to adversaries they cannot isolate a target country through malicious operations; and ensure accountability for destructive, disruptive, and otherwise destabilizing cyber activities in concert with likeminded countries. The United States and some allies also have affirmed the application to cyberspace of their respective mutual defense treaty obligations. In addition, the Department of State and other federal agencies are working with allies and partners to disrupt ransomware and other criminal networks and safeguard democratic processes and institutions. Looking forward, the United States will continue efforts like these to advance responsible behavior in cyberspace, and counter threats to cyberspace and our critical infrastructure by building coalitions and engaging partners. Continue Reading Here. This post was originally published on May 6, 2024, by the U.S Department of State You can jump to any part of the United States International Cyberspace & Digital Policy Strategy here This part is 25 of 38. You can jump to any part of the United States International Cyberspace & Digital Policy Strategy here This part is 25 of 38. here ACTION AREA 3: Advance Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace and Counter Threats to Cyberspace and Critical Infrastructure by Building Coalitions and Engaging Partners At the UN and regional security bodies, the United States, along with its allies and partners, is working to advance responsible state behavior in cyberspace based on a UN General Assembly-endorsed framework, underpinned by the applicability of existing international law, adherence to globally accepted and voluntary norms of state behavior in peacetime, development and implementation of confidence-building measures to reduce the risk of conflict in cyberspace, and a commitment to building states’ capacities to implement the elements of the framework. Despite a global consensus on the framework for responsible behavior in cyberspace, the norms are not self-enforcing. Some states act in ways contrary to it. When a state engages in significant destructive, disruptive, or otherwise destabilizing malicious cyber activity contrary to the framework, responsible states must cooperate to hold that irresponsible state accountable. Digital solidarity in this context is demonstrated by sustained mutual support and coordinated campaigns. The United States and its partners share cyber threat information to help build resilience to and disrupt malicious activities; show solidarity to victims by helping respond to significant incidents, thereby signaling to adversaries they cannot isolate a target country through malicious operations; and ensure accountability for destructive, disruptive, and otherwise destabilizing cyber activities in concert with likeminded countries. The United States and some allies also have affirmed the application to cyberspace of their respective mutual defense treaty obligations. In addition, the Department of State and other federal agencies are working with allies and partners to disrupt ransomware and other criminal networks and safeguard democratic processes and institutions. Looking forward, the United States will continue efforts like these to advance responsible behavior in cyberspace, and counter threats to cyberspace and our critical infrastructure by building coalitions and engaging partners. Continue Reading Here. Continue Reading Here . Here This post was originally published on May 6, 2024, by the U.S Department of State This post was originally published on May 6, 2024, by the U.S Department of State by the U.S Department of State

Global Coalition Unites to Combat Cyber Threats and Ensure Responsible State Behavior

You can jump to any part of the United States International Cyberspace & Digital Policy Strategy here. This part is 26 of 38. Line of Effort 1: Pursue Action-Oriented Discussions Focused on Norm Implementation at the UN Sustained engagement over almost two and a half decades and across four previous administrations has yielded a framework of responsible state behavior in cyberspace repeatedly supported by all members of the UN General Assembly, which affirms the applicability of international law to states’ use of information and communication technologies, endorses adherence to voluntary norms of responsible state behavior in peacetime, and proposes practical confidence-building measures to help reduce the risk of conflict stemming from cyber incidents. The framework is the core of our vision for a cyberspace in which states behave appropriately, manage the risk of unwanted escalation, hold bad actors accountable for irresponsible activities, and work together to respond to and recover from significant cyber incidents. Implementation of these norms, however, is critical to their effectiveness. We will pursue more action-oriented discussions at the UN focused on how member states and institutions can work together to implement the framework’s essential elements and build all states’ capacity to manage cyber-related threats. To accommodate this evolving conversation, the United States and its partners have proposed a more action-oriented forum, a Program of Action (POA), as a future permanent mechanism for dialogue on cyber issues related to international security at the UN. Designed to be flexible enough to address future threats, with member states setting its direction over time, the POA will also incorporate the views of civil society, the private sector, and other non-state stakeholders. As part of advancing responsible state behavior in cyberspace, the United States and our partners will also continue to work together in regional security and other fora, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation, Organization of American States, and the ASEAN Regional Forum, to develop and implement cyber confidence building measures. Continue Reading Here. This post was originally published on May 6, 2024, by the U.S Department of State You can jump to any part of the United States International Cyberspace & Digital Policy Strategy here. This part is 26 of 38. You can jump to any part of the United States International Cyberspace & Digital Policy Strategy here . This part is 26 of 38. here Line of Effort 1: Pursue Action-Oriented Discussions Focused on Norm Implementation at the UN Sustained engagement over almost two and a half decades and across four previous administrations has yielded a framework of responsible state behavior in cyberspace repeatedly supported by all members of the UN General Assembly, which affirms the applicability of international law to states’ use of information and communication technologies, endorses adherence to voluntary norms of responsible state behavior in peacetime, and proposes practical confidence-building measures to help reduce the risk of conflict stemming from cyber incidents. The framework is the core of our vision for a cyberspace in which states behave appropriately, manage the risk of unwanted escalation, hold bad actors accountable for irresponsible activities, and work together to respond to and recover from significant cyber incidents. Implementation of these norms, however, is critical to their effectiveness. We will pursue more action-oriented discussions at the UN focused on how member states and institutions can work together to implement the framework’s essential elements and build all states’ capacity to manage cyber-related threats. To accommodate this evolving conversation, the United States and its partners have proposed a more action-oriented forum, a Program of Action (POA), as a future permanent mechanism for dialogue on cyber issues related to international security at the UN. Designed to be flexible enough to address future threats, with member states setting its direction over time, the POA will also incorporate the views of civil society, the private sector, and other non-state stakeholders. As part of advancing responsible state behavior in cyberspace, the United States and our partners will also continue to work together in regional security and other fora, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation, Organization of American States, and the ASEAN Regional Forum, to develop and implement cyber confidence building measures. Continue Reading Here. Continue Reading Here . Here This post was originally published on May 6, 2024, by the U.S Department of State This post was originally published on May 6, 2024, by the U.S Department of State by the U.S Department of State

U.S. Champions Action-Oriented Cyber Norms Implementation at the UN

জাতিসংঘে ইউএস চ্যাম্পিয়নস অ্যাকশন-ওরিয়েন্টেড সাইবার নিয়ম বাস্তবায়ন

USA setzen sich bei den Vereinten Nationen für die Umsetzung handlungsorientierter Cybernormen ein

Estados Unidos promueve la implementación de normas cibernéticas orientadas a la acción en la ONU

Les États-Unis défendent la mise en œuvre de normes cybernétiques orientées vers l’action à l’ONU

संयुक्त राष्ट्र में कार्रवाई-उन्मुख साइबर मानदंडों के कार्यान्वयन में अमेरिका अग्रणी

米国は国連で行動指向型サイバー規範の実施を推進

UN에서 미국 챔피언의 행동 중심 사이버 규범 구현

Os EUA defendem a implementação de normas cibernéticas orientadas para a ação na ONU

Американские чемпионы по внедрению кибернорм, ориентированных на действия, в ООН

ABD Şampiyonları BM'de Eylem Odaklı Siber Normlar Uygulaması

Những nhà tiên phong của Hoa Kỳ thực hiện các quy tắc mạng theo định hướng hành động tại Liên hợp quốc

美国倡导在联合国实施以行动为导向的网络规范

At length Louis XIV, bowed beneath the weight of a reign of sixty years

GREEK THOUGHT AND LITERATURE

It seems the world’s boys in blue have seen the great potential of the metaverse and would like to be part of it. In a surprise move, Interpol its foray into the metaverse. The announcement was made in the organization’s general assembly where it stated that it had created a cloud-hosted metaverse specifically responsible for law enforcement around the world. Visitors can get to this metaverse through the use of Virtual Reality Headsets or through their devices recently announced What you can do on the Interpol Metaverse The platform was designed to be a virtual representation of Interpol. Visitors have a chance to take tours around Interpol HQ straight from this platform. They can also interact with Interpol staff using avatars. This may be an ideal place to report International crimes and, hopefully, get updates on ongoing investigations. During the announcement, attendees were given a tour of the platform and given some basic tutorials on accessing and using the platform. Interpol Metaverse also allows for training activities to take place. Some of the courses offered are on law enforcement and policing. This metaverse provides an ideal ground for “virtual policing” once training is done. For example, during the launch, visitors on the platform were taken through live training on passenger screening and travel documentation. After the training, the students were directed to a virtual airport where their skills were put to test. Interpol Works with others to regulate the Metaverse Interpol is not the only entity seeking to regulate the metaverse. Recently, global tech giants formed an alliance that seeks to create rules on how they can interact on the metaverse. A recent example is where the World Economic Forum partnered with Microsoft, Interpol and Meta to create guidelines and regulations for the Metaverse. These guidelines primarily focused on combating violent crime, scams and misinformation. Other issues this alliance seeks to build consensus on are metaverse governance and how they can leverage the metaverse to generate social and economic value. Just like Interpol, Dubai Police have a presence in the Metaverse. They state that the metaverse offers them an alternative platform for monitoring their community. Users can report offenses such as traffic violations and minor cases on this platform. Dubai Police metaverse has a team of seventy dedicated staff and can support seven languages. This development shows that organizations around the world are slowly warming up to the advent of web 3.0. While launching the platform, Interpol secretary General, Jurgen stock, noted that the metaverse was here to stay. He also stated that the Metaverse will shape how society works and will affect all aspects of society. “The needs of our member states are slowly getting into the metaverse and Interpol is still committed to ensuring that we fight crime, whether it is offline or in the metaverse,” he said.

Policing the Metaverse

You have many rights. You - exactly the way you are and just because you exist. They seek to protect your freedom, equality, and dignity. This is a very powerful and comforting idea. That each of us is entitled to these universal human rights. Or at least we should be. The comforting idea is an uncomfortable reality. Our rights as humans are not universal and are not protected everywhere. This is nothing new, but with the pervasiveness of the internet comes a new layer to this discussion. Discussions bring more visibility to issues and can lead to insights and actions. One initiative that brings a lot of visibility to what is going on is : RightsCon RightsCon is the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age RightsCon RightsCon started in 2011 hosted by , a platform that "defends and extends the digital rights of users at risk around the world". Access Now The conference has been growing steadily over the years and recently started taking place online. It gives a dynamic insight into what is currently happening at the intersection of human rights and technology. When it comes to improving our lives as a species, we humans have always been taking many steps forward and many steps backward. It is essential to observe human rights infringements and improvements around the globe - both in real life (IRL) and online. Taking part in RightsCon makes these issues even more tangible. IRL Human Rights This is how the UN starts telling the : history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed to never again allow atrocities like those of that conflict to happen again. The Declaration includes rights such as Article 1: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." Article 3: "Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person." If you haven't, take a look at the (or check out the or the ). 30 Articles of the declaration illustrated version audio version This is an important document. were created with this Declaration as a foundation. Many laws Digital Human Rights As our digital experiences are a part of our lives, human rights must also be considered in that realm. Both offline and online they are often (so often) not upheld. These infringements need to be visible so they can be addressed. The United Nations created a , that reports on the state of technological challenges like global connectivity, digital capacity-building, digital trust, and security, and also explicitly digital human rights among many more. It also defines some action points the UN intends to take. Roadmap for Digital Cooperation Reading that document - and also other calls for digital human rights - is a good way to gain an overview of current technological challenges. However, they might not bring these issues to life like an active conversation between real people presenting real situations would. The Conference RightsCon includes many parallel tracks in different formats. There are speakers from all over the world, from several kinds of organizations and focusing on different topics. It is incredibly diversified, just as you would expect when it comes to “human rights in the digital age“. I attended it this year and knew from the start it would be impossible to participate in all sessions, even if some of them were pre-recorded - there were 560! No matter what sessions I picked, they brought me forward in understanding more: how our rights are being breached, ideas of how they can be secured proactively, and how they are being respected using technology. Here’s a very brief taste of that, which hopefully will spark your curiosity! The Good, the Breached and the at Risk Breached Human Rights came up in many sessions, for example when Pegasus was discussed. From , “Pegasus is spyware developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group that can be covertly installed on mobile phones“. This has been controversial because just as it can be used to gather information on terrorists, it can be used to watch people fighting corruption, for example. its Wikipedia entry Having spyware on your phone when your work depends on communication hinders you (and your contacts) in unimaginable ways. Even if we are not directly targeted, living in a world where journalists and activists can't do their work without endangering their lives makes it everyone's business. Speaking about endangering one’s life, this is what whistleblowers do: they bring facts to public attention that have been kept within an organization. They do it at their own peril. You can see the RightsCon session with Sophie Zhang (whistleblower), John Githongo (CEO, Inuka Kenya Ni Sisi!), Delphine Halgand-Mishra (Executive Director, The Signals Network), and facilitator Itika Sharma Punit (South Asia Editor, Rest of World) in . It’s a very informative and interesting conversation. As Delphine says: this video Without the whistleblowers we have no idea what's happening inside the tech companies who know so many things about us. Basically the whistleblowers are the emergency brakes. An example of Human Rights that are at risk relates to outer space. All nations need to participate in creating space policies and space laws. Currently, however, there are only a few big players with resources for space exploration, which means there’s a danger of colonial ideologies taking over. Why is this a problem? What are the challenges smaller countries have? Why is space exploration relevant if we have so many other problems on our planet? Watch the RightsCon between Lama Aloraiman (Ignition Kuwait, Space Generation Advisory Council) and facilitator Victoria Heath (Space Generation Advisory Council) for an introduction to this fascinating topic. Here’s a quote from Lama: conversation about the participation of emerging spacefaring nations in the "New Space Race" (Decolonization in space is) all about deconstructing colonial ideologies that we carried from our past and could possibly make their way into our future in space - specifically the Moon, which is the destination to build settlements for most space-faring nations. We simply cannot have a moon with posts that declare that country x or company y owns this region. A glimpse of seeing Human Rights supported by technology is given by a session about between Nick Allardice ( ’s CEO) and Melissa Chan (RightsCon studio host and journalist) called “ ”. change.org change.org technology as a tool for unlocking people-power for the future of organizing They discuss the value of online petitions and what happens after we sign, data protection in countries that aren't fully democratic, how activism campaigning demands a lot of time and commitment, how sometimes campaigns make huge leaps when the context shifts and more. As the CEO at says: change.org Most people may not realize but signing petitions is the most popular civic action second only to voting. Another good way human rights are supported by technology is through apps and podcasts that share information. Many of us might take them for granted, but these tools can be a powerful way of getting information to people that do not have a support system or experts around them when they are vulnerable. I have added links to the sessions above that were recorded. For other videos that were made available, look at . It also includes some cultural events that were streamed. Be aware that this is a really small sample when you consider the number of sessions that took place. RightCon’s YouTube playlist Check out this from Human Rights Connected for an overview of organizations that participated and their focus. resource roundup Being Aware of Risks and Solutions Over the course of a year, we get in touch with some of the topics discussed. Maybe a whistleblower made the front page for a while. We hear about cybercrime affecting companies and hospitals. The evening news report on how disinformation is spread - or we get a taste of it when a friend shares suspicious articles with us. These are all important ways of keeping up-to-date. In addition to that, participating in this one-week conference brings to our attention how far we are from an ideal digital status. Here’s a (by no means exhaustive) list of digital privileges some might take for granted: being able to use the internet (good connectivity and prices). understanding the language available in the apps and websites we want to use being able to consume the content with our senses feeling addressed by the content encountered online (which includes images, pronouns, …) enjoying freedom of speech and of the press where we live being (reasonably) sure our private messages aren’t being read by others This should be true for everyone. In addition to these, there are issues that affect all of us, like the way our personal data can be used by and through social media. Or how activists and journalists can be targeted when they investigate certain topics/people. Being aware of both risks and solutions to human rights infringements allows us to have a better understanding of the world, as events that take place in real life and online are often tightly coupled. It also helps us advance the solution by - at least - behaving responsibly and supporting causes we find worthwhile any way we can. Save the Date The conference will take place next year in person and online on June 5-9, 2023.

RightsCon: Visibility for Human Rights in the Digital Age

RightsCon: visibilidad de los derechos humanos en la era digital

RightsCon : Visibilité des droits de l'homme à l'ère numérique

राइट्सकॉन: डिजिटल युग में मानव अधिकारों के लिए दृश्यता

RightsCon: デジタル時代の人権の可視化

RightsCon: visibilidade dos direitos humanos na era digital

RightsCon: Tầm nhìn về Quyền con người trong Kỷ nguyên Kỹ thuật số

RightsCon：数字时代人权的可见性

The a rticle has been written by Xenofon Kontouris, on behalf of Athens Labs. Contact Athens Labs about ChelseaDAO here . The future of football is wildly different from what you imagine. Software eats the world, and Football is no different. Get ready for the DAO-fication of the Beautiful Game. Football DAOs are inevitable. This article will explore how a Football DAO could operate today, and what benefits and risks it may hide for both the fans and the future of Football. The article also introduces the "ChelseaDAO" initiative which suggests a realistic implementation of the technology on under-fire Chelsea FC. Chelsea FC has been a repeated media point over the past two weeks. It's not good news. Over the past 20 years, Chelsea FC has become one of . Under the tutelage of Roman Abramovich, Chelsea FC won every major competition that they’ve been part of at least once. the world’s most dominant and popular football clubs However, due to the unwarranted and unexpected invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the series of sanctions facing Russia-tied individuals, including those on Mr. Abramovich, have unearthed previously unimaginable changes. Chelsea FC, current World and European Champions, is one such opportunity. Where rapid changes exist, so do unprecedented opportunities. Over the past weeks, Chelsea FC was seized by the British Government indefinitely, leaving one of the crown jewels of world football unable to sign new contracts, sell match day tickets and merchandise. Chelsea’s bank accounts have been frozen, leaving the Club unable to even afford the gas needed to power their Bus trips to and from competing stadiums. UPDATE: More leniency was offered to Chelsea FC in Mar. 13th, but the situation remains financially dire. This is an ongoing situation, so facts might change. On March 11th, the UK government stated that they will allow the sale of the club to interested buyers. Valuation is roughly at 2,5bn GBP, and interested buyers are due to submit a bid by the end of March. All proceeds of the sale should be funneled to the people of Ukraine. Now, the list of suitors has ballooned. Numerous billionaires are one-upping themselves in order to take control of one of the Footballing world's biggest brands. At this exact time, the information on who will own Chelsea FC is still cloudy. A number of prominent figures have emerged with competitive bids, yet the fans are nowhere to be found… This must change. A great first step is the demand made by Chelsea Supporters’ Trust that they should be consulted in the sale of the seized club. ChelseaDAO builds on top of these demands and offers fans a trustless method to do a lot more than just be consulted on who owns their club. Chelsea FC, as a football club, enjoys a myriad of riches that it developed over the past 20 years. World-class locations, a stadium in the center of London, arguably the best academy in the world and a squad that is ideally positioned to challenge all competitions for years to come. What is a DAO? Decentralized Autonomous Organizations - or simply DAOs - are coded, trustless organizations that operate under a certain set of predetermined rules. DAOs have been a recurring topic for automation experts since the 70's, yet they have gradually moved closer to reality through the invention and expansion of Blockchain and Smart Contract technologies. DAOs can help a group of people deliver a number of operations - from automated financial services, to community-generated media and plenty of other applications that have not yet been realized. However, the most prominent use-case of DAOs is the community ownership of an asset or a series of assets. When a group of crypto-native people wants to share resources and expertise to co-own something, building a DAO is their go-to solution. As such, whenever there is a large community with shared goals and interests, DAOs emerge as a ready-made solutions that all parties can trust. Football is no different. In short, there is no industry better suited to be disrupted by DAOs than sport franchise ownership. A bit about ChelseaDAO ChelseaDAO, as an initiative, aims to allow football fans to, wholly or partially, own Chelsea Football Club. Through the DAO, fans can participate in key decisions, stake their ownership to trusted delegated parties within club leadership, support their club with transfer fees, and receiving unique and exclusive rewards for their continued participation in Chelsea FC’s governance. ChelseaDAO will bring Football back to the hands of fans in a way we’ve never seen before, and it will reward them for actively supporting the club in the process. But how will this work? What needs to be done first? Well, through a Token, of course! A bit about the $BLUES Token. ChelseaDAO could produce a governance token, titled $BLUES, that all fans can buy into and trade in the open market. The token will represent a share of ownership. This will work whether the Club is owned in full or partially by the DAO. The $BLUES tokens holders will be able to vote on decisions for the club, but these will often be non-binding votes that the management will review carefully. These decisions can be the selection of the shirt sponsorship, the final design of their jersey, the creation of NFT collectibles, and more. A top priority for ChelseaDAO is making sure that the continued and constant management of the club remains fully focused. As such, binding votes will take place only during a general assembly which happens once every 3 years. These binding votes will act as proof of confidence for the key people managing the Club. Emergency votes can be called by the Board or Managing Director of Chelsea FC, and by emergency DAO proposals that receive substantial support by $BLUES holders. A bit about Staking and Fan Rewards (NFT Collectables) To avoid governance apathy by token holders, $BLUES tokens can be staked and delegated to key community members. Long-term holders will be allowed to choose a member of the community that can represent them during non-binding votes. The more $BLUES tokens you stake, and the longer you stake them for, the higher the value of the rewards that you gain. These rewards can be NFT tickets and collectibles. These collectibles will be managed and produced by the community members who have received the most amount of delegated votes. The value of the NFTs will be determined by their rarity. The top stakers will only receive exceptionally rare NFT collectibles which will be officially recognized by Chelsea FC. The NFTs will be connected and relevant to the Chelsea universe, for example, NFTs that represent the statistics of players from the academy or the team itself, or NFTs that represent particular actions or moments in time, for example, a critical goal in a competition. But this is not the only way the fans can benefit from ChelseaDAO. A bit about on-chain Transfer Funds (Real Life Football Manager) Transfer Pools democratize Football transfers and contracts in ways we’ve not seen before. These pools allow funds to be pooled to achieve a specific target. In ChelseaDAO’s case, these could be transfers of players and contracts. Here is an example: "Chelsea FC has a budget of 70m GBP and seeks to acquire a key Striker for their upcoming three seasons. The top target is valued at 100m GBP, and Chelsea FC is unwilling to fork out additional cash. However, Chelsea FC fans are extremely excited by this proposed transfer, and are thus willing to pool their funds together through a smart contract treasury mechanism. These funds can complement the initial budget of Chelsea FC. If fans raise 30m GBP, then the two sums combine to a total of 100m GBP, allowing for the transfer fee to be paid and the transfer of the Striker to go through. Since 30% of the fee was paid by fans, 30% of the contract should be owned by these fans. If the Striker excels during his time at Chelsea, his transfer fee when sold can exceed the initial 100m GBP fee. For our example, let’s assume that the Striker gets sold for 200m after three years’ time.  All fans who participated in the initial pool will have a claim over 30% of the sale, i.e. 60m GPD for our above example. These funds will then be given back to all fans who participated in the sale in fiat or crypto currency." This function can be used for multiple pools, from player contracts, to transfers and even stadium upgrades. The possibilities for enhancing funding are immense, and $BLUES owners can bring forth their own proposals for additional applications of these Fund Pools. Additional schemes can provide a return on these funds until they are used by the club in their designated operation or returned back to fans fully. A bit about the Tech For ChelseaDAO to work, we envision that the structure of the DAO can run on an EVM compatible chain, either Ethereum 1.0 (or 2.0, when it becomes available) and on a suitable layer 2 solution to expedite certain transactions. You can read more about Layer 2s . here The key governance token $BLUES is an ERC-20 token with governance mechanisms attached, that affects the governance of certain decisions in the DAO. These are: The creation and allocation of Fund Pools, The delegation and staking of $BLUES to another member to increase voting weight (similar to the Ethereum name Service system), Decisions on issuance of NFTs (for example should we create an NFT on a particular goal, or on a particular player). …and more. $BLUES tokens should also allow for participation in strategic decision making every three years. A master smart contract can regulate voting, pools, and the DAO ownership rights, while separate contracts can handle the $BLUES functionality along with the staking and issuance of NFTs in both ERC721 and ERC115 types. Further functionality could be developed by requesting this through the pool mechanisms. We expect that ChelseaDAO would create both a web and mobile interface for the DAO. In particular, ERC1155 type NFTs would allow the creation of alternative/parallel virtual football games with the participation of fans and supporters of the club. A bit about Legal and Compliance The DAO should have legal entities behind it in order to legally own shares of Chelsea FC. The DAO should aim to own these legal entities as soon as there is regulatory clarity. ChelseaDAO could be a member of FCA’s Sandbox on CryptoAssets and should welcome all cooperation with policy makers when it comes to consumer protections and financial regulatory compliance. It is imperative that ChelseaDAO, as well as any FootballDAO, does not fall victim to individuals who are seeking to escape sanctions and regulatory requirements. A serious note on Ukraine All Chelsea fans involved in this article are vehemently opposed to the unjustifiable and retrogressive invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. Humanity is better than this. We would never issue this article and initiative if we didn’t know that all proceeds of the Chelsea sale will be given to the people of Ukraine. Now that this has become clear, that will allow football fans and interested parties to experiment with cryptoeconomics and incentive structures in Football, while simultaneously providing for Ukrainians in need. ChelseaDAO offers a unique win-win opportunity Conclusions The existing bidding system sets interested parties against each other, excluding the possibility for collaboration or the involvement of fans. The highest bidder wins, yet organizations that had prepared multi-billion GBP bids are shunned to the side, and Football remains in the hands of the ultra-rich. It is obvious that this will change as the use of DAOs become more and more mainstrea. For Chelsea FC, a tokenized ChelseaDAO can allow for the fluid ownership of the club in the hands of all interested and involved parties. ChelseaDAO can and will help align all interested parties. Under a tokenized umbrella, instead of one sole owner of Chelsea FC with a 2bn GBP budget, you can have 5 multi-billion investors of $BLUES tokens, plus the millions of fans whose voice shall be heard on each and every transfer, decision and Football pitch. Aligning these incentives for all interested parties can create a new and dynamic economy behind Chelsea FC that will outperform any and all centralized ownership from one hyper-wealthy individual. It will also limit the risk of owning our club. T he international uncertainty of the times does not guarantee that future owners of Chelsea FC won’t face similar sanction and downturns to those faced by Roman Abramovich. A free flowing, token based system can create an anti-fragile, robust organization that will grow for decades. The combination of on and off-field assets, the dissemination of funds to the People of Ukraine, and the urgency of the sale create a unique opportunity that can change Football forever.  Football DAOs are inevitable, and this article expands on how such a DAO can work for Chelsea FC. Hate this idea? Send us hate-mail! Do you love what you read? Share with your friends and let us know on out Telegram group ! Hate it? Feel like you want to contribute or change the above initiative? Feel free to contact the authors at info@athenslabs.io. here The End

Could a DAO Save Chelsea FC? How DAOs Can Help Decentralize Ownership

¿Podría un DAO salvar al Chelsea FC? Cómo las DAO pueden ayudar a descentralizar la propiedad

I’m starting #100DaysOfCode today, but this ain’t my first rodeo. In 2017, I attended a free coding bootcamp through , and was lucky to be hired as a software engineer within a few weeks of graduation. But I quit the job in less than a year. As the only woman on the engineering team, and a bootcamp grad without a four-year computer science degree, I was overwhelmed by imposter syndrome and having daily panic attacks on the job. Since the company was mostly remote, I spent most of the week feeling isolated in the dark as a junior developer, struggling to figure out what I was doing wrong, but not getting enough contact with a senior developer to ask the questions I needed to move forward. Per Scholas I regret leaving that job without fighting harder to keep it. I wonder how I could have asked for more help, or found a way to keep going. I went back to the nonprofit sector work I had been doing before the coding bootcamp, but never stopped wishing to be a software engineer. This year, I’m starting over on Feb. 22, 2022, to document my second try. Table of contents A Bootcamp Won’t Make You an Engineer Troughs of Sorrow...Forever? Coding As Character-Building Happiness is in the Chase Coding As Healing Practice Thou Shalt Debug Thyself A Bootcamp Won’t Make You an Engineer This should be obvious, but I’ll spell it out anyway: completing a coding bootcamp does not mean you will have a successful career as a software engineer. It provides a foundation, but in order to succeed, there’s much more work to do on your own. Many of my classmates at General Assembly struggled to find a job after graduating from our 12-week intensive course, and a few never did find a tech job. The top students became Instructional Associates at the program and continued honing their skills for a few months while teaching newer students. A few attended a second coding bootcamp, to continue deepening their skills, and got a job after their second 12-week intensive bootcamp. Among the graduates who found a job, many were not able to keep their first job for a full six months or year. Some persevered and applied to a second and a third job, until they found one that would be patient enough to nurture their growth. Others gave up or found a different role, in product management or teaching. Only a fraction of people who graduated my cohort are still working as software developers today. A few are extremely successful now at top companies. A longitudinal study of these numbers beyond the first job would show continued drop-offs over the course of the first two years, with a series hurdles after bootcamp, which are not necessarily reflected in elevator pitches for admissions. Why were some my classmates successful in becoming software engineers after completing the bootcamp, and why did others struggle? How do I truly cultivate the craft of software engineering, with the degree of rigor and depth that I need to succeed in this field? Over the next few weeks, I plan on having “coffee chats” with some of my old classmates to find out about their journeys since Bootcamp. Stay tuned. Troughs of Sorrow...Forever? At a free online bootcamp over Discord and Twitch called , the brilliantly inspirational instructor, , promises hundreds of participants in each cohort of his program that they can become software engineers within a year if they faithfully follow each step in the program, and overcome what he calls the “troughs of sorrow.” #100Devs Leon Noel The “troughs of sorrow” are those spiraling feelings of frustration you get when you’re stuck on a problem you can’t solve, which makes you feel hopelessly incompetent, doomed in your career choice, and possibly not cut out for this world. What few students know at the beginning of their journey is that those troughs of sorrow don’t stop after bootcamp, or after you acquire some mystical level of knowledge. In fact, it never stops. It only intensifies on the job. The job is quintessentially the hourly joyride of banging your head against the wall, backing up, and banging it again; the weekly cup of programmer tears, mellow wine in which to dip your hard-earned daily bread. They don’t tell you that to make it as a coder, you have to get intimately acquainted with frustration, humbly let it ravage you, and learn to enjoy the process. You have to find genuine joy in difficult problems, and create equanimity for yourself as a reward for resolving each incremental issue, hour by hour, day by day. Or you just won’t make it. Learning to code is the California gold rush of the 2010s and 2020s. The world is changing fast, and there are so few reliable options. (Who cares about your Passion is so Millenial; Gen Z is getting paid.) Outside of tech, all jobs are getting more precarious. Gig economy means contract labor without benefits. Creator economy means 1% of influencers get 90% of the wealth; there’s . Algorithmic trading has even automated finance bros, who form the at coding bootcamps. The more of us rush out to pan gold, the more we find blue. In our lifetimes, coding may become a Instead of working together to fix our crumbling safety net, let’s play cowboys instead, and hope we strike it rich! Let’s be pioneers in the Wild West of internet-native commerce; and bank on the triumph of our personal genius over societal decay. passion? no middle class biggest demographic blue-collar job. If that bargain doesn’t sound good to you, ? should you even learn to code Coding As Character-Building Personally, I'm re-committing to coding because I realize the journey is important for my personal, emotional, and character development. It’s possible to cultivate the mindset of a persistent coder even if you don’t naturally have it. (I don't!) I believe that developing the kind of patient problem-solving mentality necessary for software development is a character-building exercise that is valuable as an end in itself. Here are ten virtues that you can cultivate in the journey to becoming a software engineer: Discipline Goal-setting & Reflection Dealing with failure & frustration Resilience Overcoming fear and anxiety. . Cultivating Stoicism Humility. Ego is the enemy. Organization skills. Cultivating clarity of thought & action. Toil — work ethic! Systematic self-improvement ( — what this blog will focus on.) Kaizen Helping others in the dev community, and realizing that this mutual gift passed down through the community is what makes it all work... In the process of making a career transition to coding, you take accountability and responsibility for your own life, to make yourself better for the people you love. You take a big risk, and you work hard to be able to meet the demands of that risk. You give yourself the opportunity to earn trust in yourself. The trust that you earn through hard work — that real self-confidence and self-respect — is worth more than any salary. Happiness is in the Chase According to psychological conducted at the University of Missouri by Marsha Richins, . Happiness is in the chase. research wanting things makes us happier than having them I felt happier during my time in coding bootcamp than almost at any other point in my life because I had concrete dreams that I was working hard towards every day. Striving within a defined structure that promised big, meritocratic rewards, I was excited to make tangible progress every day. The good pain of shared late nights of hard work with classmates during our short, intense sprints was so much more tolerable, even enjoyable, when compared to the bad pain of imposter syndrome at my first job. I realized that I was happier during bootcamp, chasing after the dream of becoming a software engineer, than I was at my first job as a software engineer. In fact, once I attained my job, all I could feel is existential angst, and loneliness, and dread. There was no structure and little comraderie during my first year as a junior developer to help me understand where to go from there: how to improve at my job, what to do when I’m stuck for many days in a row, what kinds of questions are in fact to ask your boss, who to turn to for the dumbest of dumb questions, and where to find creativity, joy and hope. too dumb Growing up with immigrant parents who demanded perfection of me, any small mistake or less than perfect grade would be punished with a physical beating. I carry their voice within me, and it becomes the voice of the Terminal and the Console. At my first job, I had mini emotional breakdowns every time I ran into an error I could not solve. Banging my head against the wall, I would murmur to myself that I must be the stupidest person in the world if I can’t solve an issue. When I do solve the issue, instead of celebrating, I would berate myself for having made a stupid, careless error. I could barely focus on the problems at hand because my mind would become an echo chamber of accusations, fears and premonitions, warnings of a terrible life of destitution ahead. Every error message in the console would be a crystal ball to my inevitable failures as a human being. Needless to say, all of this mental chatter slowed down my coding. What could I have done differently? How can I train myself to deal better with frustration and anxiety? I’m willing to try again, and do it smarter, with more emotional equanimity. I don’t think that every work environment will be the same as the startup I had joined as a junior developer. How can I also make sure to find a workplace with more mentorship and support from senior engineers, especially for women and people of color? Coding As Healing Practice Writing clean, DRY code requires maintaining clear mental models. As a survivor of violent assault and complex trauma, there are particular challenges that PTSD and anxiety attacks play in being able to hold the concentration and emotional calm necessary to be successful in software engineering. These emotional patterns are part of a disability that I have to learn to live with. However, I know the severity of these patterns can be reduced and even overcome. In fact, I believe that the practice of coding, and cultivating my mind with the mental habits of a computer programmer, can actually be healing for the parts of me that overreact to frustration and anxiety. I spent the last few years cultivating a meditation and yoga practice, and I believe there are lessons in . meditation that can make you a better programmer Thou Shalt Debug Thyself Most of one’s time as a programmer is spent in debugging code that won’t run as expected. Coding is a systematic process of: Gracefully dealing with error messages Persistently chasing down deviations between output value and expected values, and isolating the source of the error Resourcefully searching the internet for helpful remedy Optimistically testing out various possible solutions Pragmatically patching up the problem with duct tape copied from the internet Conscientiously ripping out the duct tape and refactoring the sticky part so it works invisibly without the ugly parts showing. (And writing helpful comments next to the all stickiness for others on the team.) Taking a similar approach to my own personal journey and self-development as I would take to finding a bug in a piece of code, I will isolate where the problem might be coming from. I will experiment on different strategies that might make it better. I will write tests that I can apply to my daily life to keep checks on whether I am doing the things that I need to be doing to stay on track. I will keep trying and trying until I can get to where I want to be. In this new “coding journey” blog, I am committed to documenting my second try at becoming a software engineer, by writing about #100DaysOfCode as a journey of character-building, towards nurturing emotional resilience and mental health. Because chasing the dream makes me happy. The date is . Here’s to my second try at coding! February 2, 2022 Also published here.

A Bootcamp Won’t Make You an Engineer

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