DeepSummary
The episode begins with a conversation between Robert Hackett and Jonathan Dotan, discussing the regulation of cryptography and open-source technology. Dotan expresses concern over the recent erosion of consensus around open-source technology, which had previously established that code is a form of expression and cannot be entirely regulated by the government.
Dotan then provides background on his career, transitioning from working in the tech industry to Hollywood and the United Nations, before founding the Starling Lab for Data Integrity at Stanford. The lab's work focuses on using cryptographic technologies to establish the authenticity of digital evidence, particularly in conflict zones and for human rights cases.
Dotan shares insights from his work, including the importance of ensuring that authentication technologies are opt-in to avoid surveillance issues. He also discusses the challenges of preserving digital evidence for potential use in court decades later, and the need to maintain the integrity of information while avoiding censorship or content moderation.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The regulation of cryptography and open-source technology is an evolving and contentious issue, with recent events challenging the established consensus that code is a form of expression that cannot be entirely regulated by the government.
- The Starling Lab at Stanford is working on using cryptographic technologies to establish the authenticity and integrity of digital evidence, particularly for human rights cases and conflict zones.
- Preserving digital evidence for potential use in court decades later is a significant challenge, requiring careful handling and authentication to maintain its integrity.
- Authentication technologies must be designed as opt-in to avoid becoming tools for surveillance and human rights violations.
- There is a delicate balance between establishing ground truth through digital evidence and avoiding censorship or content moderation.
- Lessons from historical events like the Nuremberg trials underscore the importance of upholding the rule of law and preserving evidence of human rights violations.
- Academic institutions like Stanford must maintain a level of separation from direct involvement in conflict zones while supporting partners working in the field.
- The evolving landscape of open-source regulation and the potential for misuse of authentication technologies require ongoing vigilance and ethical considerations.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “And what he told me, which is what I carry forward into this work, was that the lessons from Nuremberg, and mind you, he was the very first prosecutor to ever use the term genocide in a court of law. He said that the lessons from Nuremberg are that nobody is above the law and the eyes of the world are watching.“ by Jonathan Dotan
- “So again, I want to be careful to not be very specific, because as an academic institution, we have to take even extra measures to work with organizations that do work in the field. We can't be in the field ourselves, but we work with partners that are.“ by Jonathan Dotan
- “And the idea behind this is to be able to establish a form of hygiene around the information and persistence, because you have to understand that none of this, if it is ever brought to a court of law, will be something that's dealt with in the near term. We're looking at something upwards of decades.“ by Jonathan Dotan
- “So it's those types of traditions that we're trying to draw in to ensure that things can become self authenticating. But I want to explain the Highwire act on this, because this is actually really difficult, is that for as much as we are excited about the possibilities of providing attestations of this kind, remember, there's a very thin line in which this form of authentication of information could suddenly become a form of surveillance.“ by Jonathan Dotan
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Episode Information
web3 with a16z crypto
a16z crypto, Sonal Chokshi, Chris Dixon
12/23/23
Welcome back to web3 with a16z -- a show about building the next generation of the internet, from the team at a16z crypto. This show is for anyone -- whether company leader or other entrepreneur, creator or developer, media or policymaker -- seeking to understand, and go deeper on all things blockchains, crypto, and web3. We’re back with all new episodes this season, beginning with some conversations that took place at our recent Founders Summit.
Today's guest is Jonathan Dotan, tech founder, Emmy-nominated producer, and writer who spent six seasons on HBO's show Silicon Valley. He is also the founding director of The Starling Lab for Data Integrity at Stanford & USC -- which prototypes tools and principles to bring historians, legal experts, and journalists into the new era of web3 -- and where he leads applied research on the decentralized web and human rights.
This episode is based on a conversation that took place at our recent second annual Founders Summit -- with a16z crypto's Robert Hackett (also former senior writer at Fortune) -- in which they discuss how cryptographic technologies can help establish "ground truth" in conflict zones; the history of open source regulation; and more.
Dotan is also a fellow at Stanford’s Center for Blockchain Research and a lecturer at Stanford’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Graduate School of Business. This talk was preceded by a short presentation from Dotan on the "enduring promise of web3" delivered at our second annual a16z crypto Founder Summit in November 2023, which you can watch on YouTube.
As a reminder, none of the following should be taken as business, legal, tax, or investment advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information, including a link to a list of our investments.