How will blockchain and crypto improve the lives of LGBTQ + people? Expert response

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Christof is the founder and CEO of Hornet, a queer social network with more than 30 million users worldwide.

“Emerging technologies play a major role for the LGBTQ community, whether we like it or not.

On the negative side, 64% of American LGBTQ adults reported discrimination and harassment online on the “big five” heteronormative social networks [Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok], according to the recently released GLAAD Social Media Safety Index. This is the highest number of positive responses among any minorities in the United States and is up from 40% in a similar study conducted by Hornet and Kantar in 2018. We see day by day how technology is amplifying all of them. aspects of our lives, including all the negatives, from LGBTQ discrimination in the United States to the actions of the 71 countries that still criminalize being LGBTQ today.

On the positive side, we can use the sheer scale of technology to turn it into a powerful force for good. Hornet’s social network provides a safe space for members of the LGBTQ community, allowing authentic social connections to emerge even when people are locked in during COVID-19, live in a location far from queer centers of this world, or are inhibited through other reasons for easily connecting with other queer people to find that inherent love and belonging that is so easy to get through in offline community dating etc.

Hornet already uses AI extensively to detect suspicious patterns to identify catfish, spammers and attackers, and we are continually looking to develop “proof of work” concepts such as the “Hornet Badge” for verify identities. We cannot rely on government-issued identification documents, as they could become dangerous if such information fell into the wrong hands (including through hacking, government court orders, or through negligence or profit from companies that do not. not put the well-being of our community first and foremost in their business.)

In the long run, I think blockchain, a decentralized technology, is a perfect fit for a decentralized community like ours. And just like a nation state has identifiers, currency, and a budget, blockchain gives us the tools to provide identity (pseudonymity), the storage and transfer of value, and some form of funding or taxation for devote resources to projects of common interest. To this end, we have launched the LGBT Foundation and look forward to working with interested members of the crypto and LGBTQ communities to develop the underlying infrastructure.

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