Logical Framework for Decentralized Internet Coordination
Purpose
The objective is to establish a governance model for a centralized message system that utilizes Usenet architecture principles, ensuring resilience against capture and providing mechanisms for community reclamation of control.
Preventing Capture
- Decentralized Control: Implement governance through a system where roles are distributed among community members according to merit or tenure. Utilize cryptographic consensus protocols where changes to system governance require a significant agreement threshold.
- Transparency and Accountability: Policy development should be conducted openly, allowing all community members to participate. Regular audits will be conducted by entities known for impartiality and expertise, ensuring accountability.
- Community Oversight: Governance roles will be filled via community-wide elections, where every participant has equal voting rights. Whistleblower protections will be extended to all members, fostering an environment of vigilance and integrity.
Mechanisms for Recapture
- Fallback Protocols: Define emergency procedures that can be activated by a significant community consensus or through automated detection of anomalous activities.
- Forking: Allow for the creation of system branches (forks) based on community consensus, providing an escape route from compromised governance.
- Legal and Community Safeguards: Establish legal frameworks through community consensus, focusing on enforceable rules. A community veto could be initiated by members with significant participation records.
- Technical Safeguards: Manage critical infrastructure like root keys with multi-signature protocols, where signatories are chosen by community trust metrics. Maintain a distributed infrastructure to prevent single points of failure or control.
- Cultural and Educational Measures: Educate all members on governance risks and responses, using historical precedents as educational tools. Encourage a culture of vigilance and active participation.
Implementation Considerations
- Meritocratic Governance: Base governance roles on merit or community contribution rather than on diverse stakeholder representation.
- Community-Driven: Ensure all governance mechanisms are driven by community consensus, participation, or action, emphasizing engagement over background or position.
- Legal and Ethical Balance: Maintain ethical commitments to fairness and inclusivity through mechanisms like open voting or random selection, without relying on stakeholder diversity.
Conclusion
This framework aims to create a resilient system where the community retains control over the governance process, preventing capture by external or internal forces and providing clear pathways for reclamation of governance should such capture occur. The system's success depends on the active, informed participation of its community members.