The 8th Free and Safe in Cyberspace and the launch of the Trustless Computing Certification Body
Last June 24-25th, during the 8th edition of the Free and Safe in Cyberspace conference in Geneva and Zoom, the Trustless Computing Certification Body was established in Geneva, with the participation of World-class speakers, including top IT security experts, the former top cyber diplomats, executives of top EU banks, and many of our advisors.
As a global power in the Digital Age concentrates in ever fewer persons and entities, that don’t seem to have a plan or even be “awake at the wheel”, it is increasingly clear that single nations have been unwilling or unable to regulate Cyberspace and enforce IT standards to truly affirm our constitutional rights, defend public security nor promote cyber peace.
Even less so today, as Big Tech firms are further entrenching their oligopolies, while powerful nations and their surrogates engage in a new Cyber Cold War that is heating up out of control.
That is why we are gathering a “coalition of the willing” to build a new international governance and certification body - and initial open interoperable compliant IT systems - to ensure the availability of IT for the most critical functions in society, that ensure the privacy, security, safety and democracy that we need, and a positive future for humanity in the Age of AI.
The event was fully recorded in separate sessions and available on youtube in a playlist of Day 1 and a playlist of Day 2.
TCCB and Seevik Net
As the outcome of years of work by outstanding advisors and R&D partners, and speakers of the previous editions of the conference series, in 3 continents, we held workshops and panels leading to the finalization of the socio-technical principles, governance, and statute of the Trustless Computing Certification Body (TCCB) to radically advance the realm of the possible in levels of IT security, freedoms and democratic accountability.
The TCCB is a new Swiss-based ultra-resilient international democratic governance body that will certify IT systems for digital human communications that will radically exceed state-of-the-art in privacy, security, and democratic control, while concurrently ensuring international legitimate lawful access, through its Trustless Computing Paradigms.
Such Trustless Computing Paradigms include, among others, these unique requirements for a compliant IT service: (a) transparency of the source designs of the critical hardware and software components; (b) extreme level of “ethically-aligned” security review in relation to complexity; (3) wide utilization of citizen-witness and citizen-jury mechanisms within the lifecycle; (4) inclusion of the presumable motives of key staff, executive and shareholders, as a key element of trustworthiness (as we learned from Crypto Ag and Anom affairs).
TCCB will also govern and regulate Seevik Net, the digital computing and social space and platform created by TCCB-compliant systems. It will constitute the first global democratic communication sphere - a global public democratic digital infrastructure and international regulatory framework - on top of which World citizens and businesses can freely associate, create, innovate, compete and thrive in the global public interest.
Highlights of Day 1
Youtube Playlist of sessions of Day 1
During Day 1, after a short introduction of TCCB, IT security and digital rights experts, and TCA advisors, discussed the advantages and challenges of the technical, socio-technical, governance aspects of TCCB. A major highlight was the workshop which introduced and discussed the TCCB paradigms that ensure radically unprecedented privacy and legitimate lawful access (link to panel video) with the contribution of representatives of PwC, InThe Cyber, Huawei, and Trustless Computing Association advisors.
Thanks, Mika Lauhde for bringing a great insight from China's point of view, and former lead IT security lead at Nokia, and contributing since 2016 as an advisor. Thanks, Koen Maris for his perspective on lawful access, and the approach of typical enterprise clients towards the management of keys.
Thanks, Boris Taratine brought great technical and conceptual insights on the challenge of ultra-high assurance IT and certifications. Thanks, Romano Stasi for bringing his great knowledge of how new certifications actually take hold in the financial industry. Thanks to Giorgio Ghezzi for bringing a unique on-the-ground perspective from multi-family offices and how they've seen their ability to buy secure IT that they need decreasing since 2000 (the year after 9/11).
Thanks, Camila Lopez Badra for her intellectual insight on the role of constituent processes and information perception in creating a global governance body. Thanks, Michael O'Sullivan for an insightful framing of the dynamics of creating a global governance body in a complex World dominates by finance, IT giants, and nation-states in complex dynamics.
Watch the Youtube playlist of Day 1 of FSC8.
Funding TCCB and Seevik Net
Also during Day 1, we looked into funding mechanisms and possible amends to our roadmap for TCCB and Seevik Net.
To that end, a revised Spin-Out Agreement (pdf current) between TCA and its 2019 “spin-out” startup TRUSTLESS.AI were revealed, aimed at fostering the creation of the 1st TCCB-compliant open target architecture, computing base, ecosystem, and IT service, including a 2mm-thin personal computer - though the attraction of initial clients and investors.
The Spin-Out Agreement states that all but 10% of the 100% shares of the spin-out startup held by the founder, and 51% of the control of the spin-out startup will be transferred to TCCB, once the company reaches a set revenue target.
Such agreement is carefully conceived as it is key to ensure that, Seevik Net, the digital computing and social space and platform created by TCCB-compliant systems, will not fall under the control of future shareholders of the spin-out - as required by the Trustless Computing Paradigms - and so therefore solidly safeguard democratic control, while fostering short terms private and public investment.
Highlights of Day 2
During Day 2, after a full 40-minute presentation of TCCB and Seevik Net by Rufo Guerreschi (deck pdf), former top cyber diplomats from the US and Netherlands, EU public officials, and former head of security agencies discussed the possibility that the creation of such a body could be decisively in the overall best interest of democratic nations and the World at large.
Thanks, Christian D'Cunha and Paul Nemitz, valuable advisors, who brought great perspectives from the EU and as long-time privacy activists point of view, and Paul for the importance of governance and a clear execution roadmap.
Thanks, Eilieen Donahoe, Timo Koster, and Christopher Painter for a fascinating discussion exposing how better standards need to fit in the wider context of geopolitics, cyber peace, cyber norms and attribution and multilateral alliances - and how the full picture is much wider, and for highlighting the importance of trustlessness in new standards, and to Christopher to the need and possibility of reconciling the need of lawful access in certain domains, albeit the many challenges.
A special thanks to Troels Oerting who, from his experience in World-leading intelligence, law enforcement and public-private initiatives was amazingly direct, unvarnished, and "on the ball", and for his huge statements in regards to the need, potential for our project TCCB project, and for joining our board. Thanks, Mike Nelson, who joined us on the last day as a surprise guest and brought his great experience as a key spokesperson for the Clipper Chip and then on top cyber issues in the US administration.
A major highlight was the insightful discussion in Panel 3 among EU officials and TCA advisers, Christian D’Cunha and Paul Nemitz, and the passionate support for TCCB (from min 40.48) by Troels Oerting, formerly Head of Cybersecurity Center at the World Economic Forum, and Head of the Cybersecurity Center at EUROPOL, who recently joined us as an advisor. The latter is all the more surprising considering that our initiative started in the fields of Porto Alegre in 2001 at the 1st World Social Forum, which became the leading global gathering of young idealists from all over the World looking to build a more democratic and equitable world.
This is further proof win-win solutions like TCCB are possible and needed, bringing together activists for personal privacy and for public safety, and representatives of sectors of society thought to have conflicting goals in digital issues.
Watch here the youtube playlist of Day 2 of FSC8
Consolidating a Community
Last, ìnot least, a huge thanks to Jon Shamah and Nick Kelly, Executive Committee members of TCA and driving force behind our project for years, for having played a key role, out of belief in the mission, as for our R&D partners and advisors, in shaping the vision and strategy of the Trustless Computing Certification Body and Seevik Net.
Our main goal was to build a bond with our advisors and some key speakers building a small active and cohesive community, to drive forward this project. We have a feeling that has moved nicely forward. We had such highly qualified and esteemed persons to devote several hours to engage in a pleasurable discussion and email feedback to help us reach our goals.
Thanks to the many other TCA advisors that could not attend the event but have devoted hours and time pro-bono to our mission, in some case devoting many dozens of hours of their time.
The Road Ahead
Initially aimed at millions of the most targeted law-abiding citizens, to fund its expansion, a small version of Seevik Net, via such 2mm-thin TCCB-compliant personal compute will later be available to all, embedded in the back of smartphones at all price levels - as well as in other form factors and for other domains, produced by other TCCB-compliant providers - to concretely enable anyone to affirm democracy and liberties in cyberspace for their private digital lives.
In our vision, the unique levels of IT trustworthiness and democratic accountability of the Trustless Computing Certification Body will foster, and become an enabler for, the development, deployment, and democratic certification of advanced Article Intelligence with radically higher levels of confidentiality, integrity, trustworthiness, and democratic accountability, on both the client and server-side, that will be key to a positive future of humanity in the Age of AI.
The event was fully recorded in separate sessions and available on youtube in a playlist of Day 1 and a playlist of Day 2.
There are many ways to help realize our Roadmap. Join as a supporter. Apply to become a volunteer or advisor. Help us onboard suitable technical and governance partners. Introduce potential funding sources for the association and for our spin-out startup.
If you share our mission and vision, join our movement!
Salutes from Rome, Milan, London and Geneva!
Rufo, Nick and Jon - TCA Executive Committee