Blockchain-based application at a governmental level: disruption or illusion? The case of Estonia

Abstract

Blockchain technology enables new kinds of decentralized systems. Thus, it has often been advocated as a “disruptive” technology that could have the potentiality of reshaping political, economic, and social relations, “solving” problems like corruption, power centralization, and distrust toward political institutions. Blockchain has been gradually gaining attention beyond finance and is thus applied by a range of different actors. This includes local, regional, and national governments interested in the potentiality of experimenting with blockchain-supported governance. This article contributes to identifying blockchain as a contested socio-political object prone to contradictory political imaginaries regarding its potentialities, particularly when applied to policy. The article explores some of the most praised of blockchain’s affordances (e.g., decentralization and transparency) in the context of Estonia, one of the most cited examples of blockchain governmental applications. Estonia has received international attention as the alleged first national infrastructure integrating blockchain. However, so far, few have asked: what kind of blockchain-based tools have been built by the Estonian government in practice and why? And to what extent do blockchain-based governmental applications reflect the original promises of disruption of the crypto-community? This article draws on a qualitative approach to explore several blockchain-based socio-technical objects to identify the narratives that have emerged in Estonia. The research shows clear contrasting views between stakeholders and technical experts from inside and outside the institutional sphere. The conflict revolves around two different social imaginaries associated with permissioned vs. public blockchains. The paper concludes with an analysis of the profound political implications of each vision.

E-Voting Meets Blockchain: A Survey

“…[66], [130]- [133]. In 2013 Estonia gave the population a choice to use either e-voting or in-person elections that lasted for 7 days, about 21.2% of the population voted using evoting.…”

Crypto-Anarchism: The Ideology of Blockchain Technologies

“…Так, например, последователи криптоанархизма считают, что математика (на которой основаны блокчейн-и цифровые технологии) сильнее человеческих норм и законов, поэтому криптоанархизм бессмертен и будет актуален в любые времена. Для защиты частной жизни людей от государственного надзора и любого другого вмешательства криптоанархисты предлагают развивать криптографию (то есть -средства шифрования данных в сети): такой подход, по их мнению, сможет избавить общество от государственного контроля [Semenzin, Rozas, Hassan 2022]. Полное отсутствие цензуры же, в свою очередь, поможет в борьбе с коррупцией в рядах текущей политической элиты -для достижения этой цели активисты создают различные свободные от цензуры интернет-площадки и сервисы, такие как Tor, I2P или Freenet, переводя свою деятельность в Даркнет (скрытую анонимную сеть).…”

Modernization of the Public Governance System in the Age of Information Platforms

“…This results in decreased importance of the private life of citizens in terms of mass surveillance and commercial use of personal data. As noted in the article [248] regarding the reasons for implementing blockchain in the e-Estonia platform, "…the only reason KSI Blockchain is used today is that after the 2007 cyberattacks, a method of proving non-intrusion had to be found… Often the problem with cyberattacks is that attackers stay in the system too long before they are detected. So with this kind of technology where changes to data are being recorded, with the help of these hashes, you can react much faster and take action".…”