Beyond Decentralization: Designing for Equity, Democracy, and Human Rights in Web3

Wednesday, March 9th 2022. Betaworks Studios, NYC.

Amidst the massive hype and investment, Web3 has faced considerable pushback.  Much of the criticism has been dismissive of the technology and community outright.  On the other hand, many of Web3's most ardent supporters seem to believe that decentralization is necessarily a path towards a better world, echoing some of the same idealism that has arguably resulted in many of the shortcomings of web2.

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This panel will explore the middle ground — does the technology underpinning web3 present real opportunities for building a better world?   What are some of the inherent drawbacks and opportunities and how can we design and plan for them?  How can we truly be more intentional about building an internet that advances equity, democracy, and human rights?  How can we address issues like accountability, consent, and access?  Our panelists will speak to these questions from a range of capacities — from investing, building new technologies, and creating new organizations in web3.

Panelists:

Jomayra Herrera — Partner, Reach Capital.

Anjana Rajan — CTO, Polaris.

Austin Robey — FWB, Metalabel, New School.