Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin called on Wednesday for open and easy-to-check systems in healthcare, finance, and government. He said as digital tools become part of daily life, it is important that they are open and fair.
“The civilizations that gained the most from new waves of technology are not the ones who consumed the technology, but the ones who produced it.” Buterin wrote in his blog post.
Buterin explained that open systems can help prevent countries and companies from becoming too powerful or divided. He imagines a world where computers, devices, and programs can be checked by anyone, not just by big companies. “By default, we will likely get digital computer things that are built and run by centralized corporations, but we can try to steer toward a better alternative.” he added
In healthcare, Buterin said closed systems can make it hard for people to get care. They can also create big companies that control important information and watch users too closely. He used the COVID-19 vaccine rollout as an example, saying that closed systems made it harder for people to trust the process. He praised open projects like PopVax, which used clear and open methods to save money and help people trust the vaccine process more.
In finance, open systems can make money transfers faster and easier. Buterin compared sending money using crypto to sending paper forms overseas. Crypto takes five seconds, but sending paper forms can take half an hour and cost over $100. He said open systems like blockchain can make life simpler and save money.
Voting systems also need to be open and secure. Buterin warned that secret or closed software cannot gain public trust. Open software for voting can help people feel confident that their votes are counted fairly.
Additionally, the founder talked about “Privacy”. He recently shared a roadmap for Ethereum that included short-term improvements to the protocol to better protect users. He said privacy should be part of how systems are built, and people cannot just rely on transparency or good leaders.
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