Blockchain Thinkers Conference Focuses on Practical Impact

**The verification landscape is shifting.** Traditional KYC systems are struggling to keep pace with the reality of modern business—online, on-chain, and globally distributed from day one. **The core tension:** Communities now move capital before formal structures exist, yet most verification systems remain rigid and data-heavy, designed for an older internet era. **What's changing:** - Privacy regulations are tightening worldwide - Verification methods must adapt to new compliance requirements - The gap between how businesses operate and how they verify users is widening The challenge ahead: building verification infrastructure that matches the speed and borderless nature of digital-native organizations while meeting evolving regulatory standards.

The WhatsApp incident serves as a critical wake-up call for the internet's future direction. **The Shift Away from Centralization** - Current data messaging relies heavily on a handful of giant providers - This creates single points of failure and forces users into consent models - The next generation of internet infrastructure must move beyond this paradigm **Building on Verifiable Trust** The future internet will be built on: - Trustless, decentralized protocols - Verifiable trust mechanisms instead of forced consent - Distributed systems with no single point of failure **Why This Matters Now** The world moves fast, and the time to act is now. Reducing dependence on centralized providers isn't just about privacy—it's about creating a more resilient, trustworthy internet infrastructure that puts control back in users' hands. The transition from forced consent models to verifiable trust represents a fundamental reimagining of how we build and interact with digital services.

**Privacy rights shouldn't depend on location.** A growing debate questions why global platforms like WhatsApp offer stronger privacy protections to EU users while providing weaker safeguards elsewhere. **The core issue:** If platforms can protect users by design in Europe, why should users in India or other regions accept inferior privacy standards? - Privacy protections are currently **tiered by geography** - EU users benefit from robust data protection regulations - Users in other jurisdictions receive **weaker safeguards** **The fundamental question:** Should privacy be a universal right, or should it vary based on passports and jurisdictions? This debate highlights the need for **consistent global privacy standards** rather than geography-dependent protections.

**Different Rules, Different Privacy** WhatsApp operates under vastly different data-sharing standards depending on your location: - **🇪🇺 EU (GDPR)**: Strict limits on how WhatsApp shares user data with Meta for advertising. Users receive genuine choice with legally enforced privacy protections. - **🇺🇸 US (CCPA)**: Far more permissive data sharing. While users can opt out of some uses, default sharing remains active. Privacy protections are significantly weaker. **Same app, completely different privacy standards** based on geography.

**EU privacy law creates meaningful protection for WhatsApp users** Under GDPR regulations, WhatsApp faces strict limitations on sharing user data with Meta for advertising purposes. The key difference from other jurisdictions: - Users receive genuine choice rather than forced consent - Privacy protections are legally enforceable, not optional - Meta cannot implement take-it-or-leave-it data sharing policies This enforcement comes as Meta faces broader EU scrutiny. An ongoing antitrust investigation examines whether Meta's policy allowing AI providers access to WhatsApp data violates competition rules. The GDPR framework demonstrates how regulatory oversight can protect user privacy in messaging platforms, setting a standard that contrasts with less restrictive approaches in other regions.