by Dr John Henry Clippinger,
It takes a blunt existential crisis to redress systemic societal and economic failings. We are at such a moment with the epic storm of global health and economic crisis compounded by inept and regressive leadership. These failures will not be redressed by traditional means.
These challenges also present a singular opportunity to catalyze a new ecological, social and economic contract for the 21st century. As data are the new currency of the digital realm, there is the real prospect of resetting foundational rights and institutions through an empowering and secure data infrastructure that protects privacy, ensures verifiability and enables authentic, resilient and equitable interactions. Through such an infrastructure the fusion of the physical and the virtual can provide rapid and robust responses to the health, ecological and economic threats before us. And it does not require either a pubic or private Surveillance State!
