This document discusses decentralized software as a service (ÐSaaS) and its implications. ÐSaaS implements rules of interaction between parties for a service through software, without a central operator. As such services cannot be shut down en masse like traditional SaaS. This raises questions around what is considered legal as ÐSaaS cannot police users directly. There will likely be changes to social norms and laws as new technologies allow for greater transparency, individual choice and harder to police deals and information. Lawmakers will need to work with these systems to avoid disruption through education and evidence-based decisions focused on health and well-being.

1. Allegality
SYSTEMS THAT CAN’T CARE
Gavin Wood
ETHEREUM

2. Decentralised SaaS (ÐSaaS)
Software specifies abstract rules of
interaction between parties for a service
Abstract can become Concrete
Value transfer
Actuators
Oracles &c.

3. So what’s new?
eBay, PayPal, Amazon all do this, right?

4. SaaS vs ÐSaaS
SaaS has an operator:
Operator is human or human-owned
Operator exists in “real” legal environment
ÐSaaS has no operator:
Each ÐSaaS is truly a force of nature

5. Decentralised SaaS
Accordingly implemented, service cannot be,
en masse, shut down.
Early examples: Bitcoin, Bittorrent
Forces of nature

6. Decentralised SaaS
Needs not care about the “human context” of
transactions.
Force of nature

7. The State of the Game
CRYPTO-FINANCE
CRYPTO-CURRENCY
APP-COINS
CRYPTO-LAW
Boolean Structured
Language
Rules
Trivial Ammendable General
Numeric Discrete
(Less Relevant) (More Relevant)

8. Real Soon Now
Crypto-law, or platforms for arbitrary ÐSaaS

9. Changes
Can’t police ÐSaaS, must police users
- but -
Limited resources for security
Two options:
Security-by-saturation;
Rethink what is illegal

10. Changes
Risks & Opportunities for Society

11. Changes
Greater transparency, openness, efficiency:
KYC and AML become trivial to implement
Taxes become trivial to pay and audit
Far harder to hide things “under the table”

12. Changes
Liberalism, freedom and individual choice:
Harder to police “trends”
Harder to shut down mutually beneficial deals
Harder to hide uncomfortable truths

13. Ultimately...
(De-facto) Laws will alter according to
reformed social norms
Stage between could be volatile

14. Lawmakers:
Must work with new system to avoid painful
disruption:
education,
evidence-based decisions,
always maximise health & well-being

15. Lawmakers:
Avoid misuse of morality, prejudice,
misunderstandings, myths

16. To all...
Renewed need for responsibility,
tolerance and honesty

17. Allegality
Gavin Wood
Questions?