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In 1965, Bob Dylan released one of the most influential songs in history. The Times They are A-Changin’ was a comment on the war in Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement in the US, and a call for people to embrace the change necessary for society to survive the upheavals it was facing. 

The Vietnam War ended in 1975 as much due to the civil unrest in America as the unflagging resistance of the Vietnamese people. Flash forward fifty years and we have wars in Ukraine, Syria, and Yemen with over 100 million refugees and displaced people fleeing conflict.

Why do we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again? 

Change, Revert, Repeat

Winston Churchill exposed the truth when he said “Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it.” He was trying to awaken people regarding the real threat of another war, but his warnings ultimately fell on deaf ears when just five years after World War II, conflict erupted on the Korean peninsula.

Is war inevitable? Are we doomed to persecute each other just because of skin colour or choice of religion? Societies must progress to become just and equitable, yet here we are forgetting the past while Winston rolls in his grave.

What Happened?

What does it take to effect real change in society? Bob Dylan tried to rouse the population through song and he was remarkably successful in many ways, but ultimately fell short of his goals of peace and equality. The war in Ukraine has shown that we’re far from our goal of harmony, but that doesn’t mean we stop trying to change things for the better.

As a person of Ukrainian heritage, this war is personal to me. Rather than sit on the side-lines and watch it unfold on TV, the team and I have decided to get involved and try to make a difference. For that reason, we’ve put Manyone aside for a while to focus on helping the people of Ukraine through our non-profit initiative, the Peer Social Foundation.

For years we’ve focused on delivering technology to enable people to self-attest their own digital identity and share it with others in a totally private, safe and secure manner. As it turns out, this same technology can be re-purposed to help the Ukrainian people document their lives and the destruction of their homes, land and property. This will help them rebuild as quickly as possible once the war ends and the reconstruction of Ukraine begins.

Unfortunately, Bob Dylan’s legendary anthem is more relevant today than ever. So we all need to apply the lessons learned from the past to ensure that this unjustified war in Ukraine is the last. Because the battle that’s ragin’ could soon shake your windows and rattle your walls, for the times they are a-changin’.

Ukraine has been under attack since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. Indiscriminate bombing and murderous destruction have been the day-to-day reality for the Ukrainian people ever since. At least a trillion dollars will be needed to re-build Ukraine. Where will this money come from? Can Russia be forced to pay?

It ain’t gonna be easy

Before you can re-build homes you must re-build public infrastructure. It’s hard to deliver a load of cement or lumber if there are no passable roads or bridges. For now, let’s set aside the fact there are precious few intact trucks, cement plants or lumber yards.

Both sides have been planting land mines to restrict each other’s avenues of attack and retreat. Obviously, all these will need to be found and removed before one can safely start rebuilding roads, bridges and power lines. The same applies to the Russian rockets and illegal cluster munitions that are lying all over the place, un-exploded.

Amid all the rubble, key engines of economic activity, bakeries, shopping malls, and steel mills must be re-built before Ukraine can reach its pre-war economic output. In an Op-ed piece published in The Economist in April 2022, Ukrainian Prime Minister Deny Shmyhal has estimated the cost of re-building Ukraine at between $600 billion and $1 trillion.  Unfortunately, four months later this figure can only be much larger.

War has a cost

President Zelensky has proven to be an astute and fearless wartime leader surely to be featured in future textbooks alongside the likes of Winston Churchill and FDR. His impassioned beseeching for Western wartime funding has alerted the entire world to the horrendous reality of war in Europe. Focusing on the economic impacts of the Russian invasion is another brilliant move by the Ukrainian government because it’s easier to understand the cost of war when it’s expressed in dollars and cents. 

The most devastating effects of war: death, war crimes and human rights abuses are harder to quantify because they cannot be calculated. A human life is priceless. The crime leading to that loss of life must be investigated and punished, however, the judicial process can take years or even decades. The fact that so few of those responsible actually get sentenced for the death and destruction they wrought, causes many to become numb to the outrage that is war unless we are directly affected.

While it might seem callous to focus on the economic cost of war when people are dying every day, it’s a hard reality that more people will understand that war is unacceptable in the 21st century if they feel it in their wallets. Governments are also more motivated to help Ukraine achieve victory when their voters feel the pinch of inflation and their economies are at risk due to their addiction to Russian natural gas.

The West has already injected over 30 billion dollars to defend Ukraine from Putin’s illegal war. The 21^st century world has a better understanding of the human and physical cost of war than previous eras. I believe that Vladimir Putin and his successors will be forced to pay for the resurrection of Ukraine.

In today’s digitally connected world, the cost of war can be calculated in near real-time. Perhaps if a ruthless dictator knew in advance how much starting a war might ultimately cost him, this unjustified ‘special operation’ might never have happened.

The largest data breach in history just occurred in China. According to Reuters the “Databases contain information on one billion Chinese national residents and several billion case records, including: name, address, birthplace, national ID number, mobile number, all crime/case details.”

Apparently, the hacker “China Dan” is willing to sell the database for the relatively low sum of $200,000. At that price, many people and numerous governments could very soon own information on nearly every person in China.

State censorship is working overtime to remove all mentions of the hack from the Chinese Internet, and the government is warning people and business to pay more attention to security. 

Is this hack legitimate? What happens next? What will China do? There’s lots to discuss on this week’s episode of The Decentralists!

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is furious with Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has exempted six Siemens Energy turbines, which were serviced in Montreal and help deliver gas to parts of Germany, from sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Germany needs to fill its storage tanks before winter, and these turbines are crucial to receive Russian natural gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. 

Under pressure

The pressure from Germany and many European countries on Canada must have been intense. If Germany can’t get enough natural gas, industry would be severely curtailed, the economy would stall, and in the worst-case scenario, people could ‘freeze in the dark’. At least that’s what the Canadian and German governments are claiming.

Düm and Glüm

It’s all doom and gloom from European politicians and business leaders. Gas prices are sky high, inflation is rising rapidly, and grain shortages caused by the war in Ukraine threaten millions of people with starvation. Feeding the flames by increasing the ability of Vladimir Putin to blackmail Europe with natural gas makes absolutely no sense. Don’t forget that gas revenue finances Putin’s illegal and unjustified war.

It’s an insult to the Ukrainian people who have died and are dying for the freedom of Europe. Are Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, SAP and Bayer more important than the lives of human beings? As a Canadian or German citizen are you okay with this? Perhaps there’s a better way to approach this difficult decision, and just two months ago I did exactly that.

die Menschen

In May I was in the middle of a five-week European trip and the war was still very fresh in people’s minds and hearts. There was enormous support for Ukraine absolutely everywhere. Regular citizens with Ukrainian flags in their windows, rooms available for refugees, volunteers operating blue and yellow support centres in all airports and train stations. 

Ask the question

Being curious, I asked everyone I met what they thought about the war in Ukraine and how they think their governments should respond. Every single person, and I spoke with hundreds of people, said – without a moment’s hesitation – that the EU should stop the importation of Russian oil & gas completely and immediately. This was in May 2022.

I then asked, “Would you be willing to pay 30 or even 50% more for gas and utilities if that’s the result of cutting Russia off?” The answer was always, “Of course, I must pay more because I can. The Ukrainian people are fighting for my freedom, so it’s the least I can do.” I was astonished. My faith in humanity was renewed. 

I know that the geo-political ramifications of Putin’s terrible war are likely beyond my comprehension. I also know that my informal poll is far too small & simple.

Instead of foreign policy decisions made by the few, based on the health of national economies, perhaps politicians should consider asking their people a simple question: Would you turn down your heat a few degrees to save your neighbors’ life?

On May 25, 2020 George Floyd died while being arrested by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The arresting officers were eventually prosecuted and found guilty based on photo and video evidence shot by witnesses with smartphones.

Despite direct video evidence clearly showing the use of unreasonable force, including pleas for mercy by Mr. Floyd and bystanders, lack of accountability by police ignited riots in Minneapolis and sparked the worldwide #BlackLivesMatter movement. George Floyd’s murder and subsequent guilty verdicts for the officers, plus the awakening of society to the burden of being black in America are the only good things to emerge from this senseless tragedy.

Thank God for some quick-thinking citizens with smartphones and social media.

You would think…

George Floyd and #BLM focused attention on the many systemic problems facing police forces across the US causing some to even call for the de-funding of local departments. You’d think that government and police would have a vested interest in exposing problems like racism within their ranks so they could do something to fix it.

I believe they should be encouraging citizen smartphone journaling of crimes committed by both criminals and police. Whether you’re a corporate whistleblower or witness to a crime, you should be free to collect evidence and expose any wrongdoing without facing legal or physical consequences.  

This is how wrongs are righted and how progress is made.

You take 2 steps forward, then 3 steps back

Unless of course you’re in Arizona. As reported on NPR recently, A new Arizona law makes it illegal to film within 8 feet of police. Yup, you read that right, it’s now illegal to film cops beating the crap out of someone in Arizona. Is it just me or is this completely crazy? I had to read the headline twice just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

How does a future George Floyd incident in Arizona ever have a chance of being investigated, let alone a police officer being convicted if witnesses are not allowed to film? It was expressly the citizen videos taken of the death of George Floyd that led to officer convictions. Arizona’s answer is to take the pressure off police to reform by trampling on the rights and freedoms of its citizens.

For years I’ve said the Internet and social media are broken. But I’ll admit they’re wonderful venues for exposing injustice and corruption. Sadly, Arizona wants to make the wrongs right by ensuring no one witnesses them in the first place. 

As we mused back in April in The Musk Stops Here, Elon Musk has not followed through on his promise to buy Twitter. Three months later, Musk has rescinded his purchase offer for the agreed upon $44 billion. Musk and Twitter are gearing up for a colossal legal battle in the Chancery Court of Delaware.

What happened? Can Elon just change his mind like a pair of socks? What about the fallout for shareholders of Twitter and Tesla? 

We have lots to unpack regarding the latest Musk drama on this week’s episode of The Decentralists.

As reported in The Guardian recently, Mastercard is rolling out a controversial programme that will allow shoppers to pay at the till with a mere smile or wave of the hand, as it tries to secure a slice of the $18bn (£14.4bn) biometrics market.

“No more fumbling for your phone or hunting for your wallet when you have your hands full – the next generation of in-person payments will only need a quick smile or wave of your hand. The trusted technology that uses your face or fingerprint to unlock your phone can now be used to help consumers speed through the checkout. With Mastercard’s new Biometric Checkout Program, all you will need is yourself. 

Smile for the cash register 

Once enrolled, there is no need to slow down the checkout queue searching through their pockets or bag. Consumers can simply check the bill and smile into a camera or wave their hand over a reader to pay. The new technology ensures a fast and secure checkout experience, whilst also empowering consumers to choose how they want to pay.”

Ok – that’s enough from the MasterCard press release. However, after reading I immediately realized there’s actually no need for MasterCard’s ‘smile to pay’ system.

Think back to the last time you were at the convenience or grocery store or fashion retailer checkout. How long did it take the associate to scan your items? Thirty seconds? One minute? Perhaps even five minutes? I’m sure that during any of those durations you had the time to reach into your pocket, purse, or wallet to retrieve your MasterCard and tap the reader. The transaction was simple, reliable, and fast. 

What’s the catch?

So why indeed does MasterCard want to enrol you into their “new Biometric Checkout Program”? Because both MasterCard and VISA have realized they missed the boat. Yes, they control the tracking of global credit card transactions, however, the most valuable companies on earth today: Apple, Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft control us. They own all our personal data that we gave them in exchange for the use of free online services. 

MasterCard wants in. In fact, they want our most personal information – Biometrics.

Biometrics are Humanmetrics

From Wikipedia: Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify individuals in groups that are under surveillance. Biometric identifiers are the distinctive, measurable characteristics used to label and describe individuals. Biometric identifiers are often categorized as physiological characteristics, which are related to the shape of the body. 

Think about how rich and powerful Big Tech has become by simply tracking our online lives. Imagine what MasterCard could do with a video camera at every POS checkout terminal. 

Consider the damage done by the numerous customer and government data breaches every month. Then try to imagine the potential impact of hackers stealing our biometric data and selling it to the highest bidder. The havoc that could ensue boggles the mind. 

New America is a new kind of think and action tank: a civic platform that connects a research institute, technology lab, solutions network, media hub and public forum. Our special guest is Yuliya Panfil, a senior fellow and director of New America’s Future of Land and Housing program.

Two billion people—over a quarter of the world’s population—lack a fundamental human right: the right to property. This isn’t solely a problem in the developing world; nearly five million Americans lose their homes through eviction and mortgage foreclosure every year.

How can decentralized technology help document HLP claims, and could this reduce future conflicts? Join the Decentralists with special guest Yuliya Panfil to find out.

Why does Elon Musk have such a problem with his employees working remotely? As reported by Gizmodo, Elon Musk recently emailed all Tesla executives and announced that since the COVID pandemic has subsided, they are expected to work in the office at least 40 hours a week. In very exceptional circumstances from ‘critical contributors’, Elon will personally vet every individual request to continue remotely.

When asked on social media what he thought about those who objected to an enforced office work policy, Musk replied “They should pretend to work somewhere else.”

Tact is not his strong suit

I’m not sure what drives Musk, but the least he can do is respect the people that his social media rants harm. As a Tesla executive I wouldn’t appreciate the lack of flexibility on the issue of remote work, but the implied threat is rather alarming when the consequences are aired in such a public forum. 

When did Elon Musk become to godfather of confrontation? I am profoundly confused as to why Musk so often needs to comment on every issue, even the most mundane like remote work policies? Why must he share every opinion so publicly? Is it because he’s the richest man in the world and feels he can say whatever he wants? Or is it that absolute power corrupts absolutely?

The times they are a changing

Perhaps when you’re obsessed with private rockets and living on Mars, you don’t notice what’s really going on in the world. We’re all enduring the effects of two plus years of pandemic lockdown. Many had their lives upended and many families moved to more affordable locations to raise their children.

The ‘cheeks in seats’ management style was never particularly popular with workers pre-pandemic. Today however, there are millions who will not wish to, or be able to, return to the office. Human Resource experts agree that flexibility is the future, but a public pronouncement via social media makes that impossible at Tesla. Maybe that’s exactly what Musk intended.  

Your flexibility is much appreciated

I wonder if Elon will realize his mistake and walk this one back just like he appears to be walking back from buying Twitter. Tesla is the most valuable car company in the world by a long shot, and it employs some of the best and brightest minds in electric vehicle design and manufacturing. Every other car company is struggling to match Tesla and they would kill for the opportunity to poach some top talent. Perhaps all they need to do is offer a flexible remote work policy.

I wonder how many of the Tesla executives who received the Musk email have also received job offers from Ford, GM, Nissan and Toyota. Musk may believe he is untouchable, but his employees aren’t. If Tesla wants to stay on top of the EV mountain, the CEO better be nicer to the brilliant minds that parked him there.

As reported by the BBC, The American Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently fined Twitter $150 million for selling user data. So what. Big Tech gets fined every week for selling personal information, right? Even I was a bit numb to the news when I read the notice. However, it turns out this was not your garden variety user data breach. 

The worst of the worst

Back in 2013, Twitter began asking users for a secondary means of identification – a telephone number or an email address to better secure their accounts. Twitter was evolving from single factor authentication (username & password), to two factor authentication (username & password & telephone number or email address). If something suspicious occurred within your account, Twitter could send a text or email to you requesting additional approval for login.  

Most users were pleased that Twitter heightened security and shared their additional information without a second thought. Turns out they should have been suspicious because Twitter used the new data to increase the targeting accuracy of their algorithms. Even worse, they often sold the additional personal information to advertisers!

Pay the fine or do the time

Twitter’s main crime, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, was that they intentionally mislead users into thinking the additional data was for security purposes only, not the typical, data-based, ad-cash land grab. Misleading users and selling data to advertisers is just one of the cat and mouse games social media companies play with the DoJ, but this time Twitter got caught.

Twitter has been in the spotlight recently due to the never ending Elon Musk purchase saga. Part of the reason Musk is mulling a takeover is because he thinks Twitter has not fully realized its potential as an ad-based social network, a la Facebook. 

Increasing revenue by selling more user data seems to be the primary way social media companies make more money, and that should scare all of us. Despite what they proclaim, these platforms are not about free speech. They care only about an ever-greater ROI for investors by selling – you! Social Media companies are constantly walking the tightrope between what’s ethically and morally right, and what they can get away with. Twitter’s fine is well-deserved.

For years Twitter has managed to evade most of the fines and fury directed at social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok. However, now that Musk might add his star power to the mix, Twitter can count on more publicity, more revenue, more scrutiny which hopefully leads to more fines.