MOTION: Non-Fungible Tokens - Official Stance PASSED 6-0-0

[Jubal]

Preliminary discussion here. Vote will last a week, simple majority to pass, text of the motion as follows.


The plaza moves:

1.
a) That Exilian recognises the increasing use of Non-Fungible Token (NFT) blockchain technologies in the creative sector, and their use as systems to authenticate ownership of products or artworks via unique encrypted tokens existing across a distributed server infrastructure.
b) That Exilian believes that there are a number of severe problems with the expansion of NFT usage, and that these combined with the rapidity of increases in usage make it necessary to adopt a formal statement of policy regarding NFT use.
c) That we recognise that Non-Fungible Token technologies have a serious environmental impact: a single minting or transaction process can produce over thirty of kilos of CO2 emissions, equivalent to driving over 150 miles in a car or powering a household for two days.
d) That we believe the aims of non-fungible token technologies to decentralise authentication have not been effectively realised, leading to a high risk of complex legal cases over ownership that are difficult to prove.
e) That we recognise that the minting of NFTs often leads people to erroneously believe they are being granted particular rights that they do not have regarding the intellectual property, leading to a high risk of scams and mis-sold tokens.

2.
a) That, as a result of the points in section one, we resolve not to actively provide support for Non-Fungible Token technologies.
b) That this shall include not including projects using these technologies in newsletters, promoting these projects via social media, or publishing official pieces supporting or advertising NFT usage.
c) That Exilian shall, where possible, avoid the use of paid services from companies that make heavy use of NFT technologies, and that this shall be taken into consideration when reviewing and selecting services used on behalf of Exilian.
d) That the above shall not in any way preclude open discussion of these topics or projects using them via Exilian.
e) That the above restrictions shall not apply to any non-fungible token technology that can clearly show its negative environmental impact is lower than using conventional authentication methods.

3.
a) That staff members should, when acting in that staff capacity and on behalf of the site, verbally support the above guidelines given by the Plaza.
b) That this must particularly be the case when using official Exilian mouthpieces such as social media accounts.

[Jubal]

PASSED 6-0-0

[Tusky]

yay!