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Ethical Tech: Blockchain for Social Good

Overview

Where

99 Madison Avenue (ThoughtWorks)
15th Floor
New York, NY 10019
United States

When

Tuesday, February 20, 2018 - 6:30pm

Details

Here in NYC, Bitcoin and blockchain are the new weather. It's not uncommon to hear the latest price of the currency in subway cars and in elevator rides, from Wall St. execs to the crazy, nuclear-bunker-building neighbor. But what's the actual value of this alleged revolutionary technology? Does blockchain have the potential to liberate finances from geopolitics and shift power back to the people, or just to inflate and decimate bank accounts?

In this month's Meetup, we will explore the use of blockchain technology for social good. We'll look at how Web 3.0 will help address the issues that 2.0 introduced and possible socially responsible uses for the new technology. Leading our discussion are experts and evangelists who use this tech to solve real social inequities.

- Ezra Ritchin is the creator of Bail Bloc (https://bailbloc.thenewinquiry.com/)

- Melissa Frost is the founder of Doma (http://doma.city/)

- Ben Siegel is a member of Consensys (https://new.consensys.net/)

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Conversation starts at 7 p.m. Brief talks will be followed an open dialogue with the panellists about the subject. Drinks and light refreshments will be served.

SPEAKER BIOS

Ezra Ritchin is the creator of Bail Bloc (https://bailbloc.thenewinquiry.com/), an application addressing the prison-industrial complex. Posting bail facilitates mass incarceration in New York by coercing low-income, Black and Brown people into pleading guilty in order to be released because they can't afford to make bail. Bail Bloc utilizes the latest blockchain to generate funds to help the financially disenfranchised meet bail.

Melissa Frost is the founder of Doma (http://doma.city), a smart housing platform that's empowering people to be homeowners while still just paying rent. They call it #RentWithBenefits. As a non-profit organization, DOMA uses technology to allow for urban living as dynamic as the city itself.

Ben Siegel is a member of Consensys (https://new.consensys.net/), a consultancy introducing blockchain technology at enterprise companies. In addition to consulting for enterprises, Ben co-founded and leads the Blockchain for Social Impact Coalition which works with organizations to use blockchain to combat social issues.