Collaborative project: Potentials of Blockchain Technology for Digital Consumer Participation. Ethical, Legal and Technical Implications for a Consumer-Friendly Design of Blockchain Applications (BlockTechDiVer) - subproject B

Basic data for this project

Description

Digital consumer participation currently takes the centre stage of scientific, political and societal initiatives. Consumer empowerment and build-up of competences are being called for especially in innovative digital areas of practice such as blockchain technology. The Blockchain Strategy of the German Federal Government provides for development and funding of blockchain applications contributing to consumer protection. This project aims at a substantial contribution to this goal. The interdisciplinary project with the Verbraucherzentrale NRW as its practice partner has the objective to examine the potential of blockchain technology as an instrument of consumer participation and to design adequate infrastructures and blockchain applications for consumer participation. In particular the fields of used car purchases by private persons, real estate market transactions, energy certificate trading, and consumer activism and political participation will be investigated as use cases. A requirements analysis will be undertaken to assess the suitability for use of blockchain technology applications. A possible framework of legal and technical parameters will be worked out. A prototype implementation of selected applications in the form of a decentralized application (DApp) based on Ethereum is an integral part of the project. Risks and barriers to consumers will likewise be analysed and evaluated from an implementation perspective. A monography on digital consumer participation and further academic publications are planned in joint interdisciplinary authorship (philosophy, law, computer sciences). In cooperation with the Consumer Association NRW (Verbraucherzentrale NRW) implications for consumer policy will be explored and the results disseminated. This project provides the foundations for future development of practical options for an active participation of consumers in infrastructures and applications based on blockchain technology.