• The technology underlying the system is called the blockchain, and is enthusiastically advocated by libertarians.
• I’m always sceptical of claims that technology alone can transform society.
• In the programme Timandra and Leo investigate whether its ramifications could go much further than currency and reach into disrupting the roles of government, from providing identity documents to tax collection.
• Like all challenging ideas, the Blockchain brings contradictions.
• A system that’s secure without a higher authority, that’s distributed across many strangers’ computers, and tamper-proof, promises a mechanism for trust mediated directly between individuals.

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