Information wants to be free

This ethos dates back decades, to the Hacker Ethic and is a key foundation of Blockchain Culture and technology.

Blockchains build on this, not only requiring information to be free, but for the first time, allowing anyone to register and verify it without third-party dependencies.

A Polkadot slogan actually represents the north start of blockchain technology in society: “Less Trust with More Truth” The means that as society can rely more on blockchains as source of truth, the less we have to trust parties whose interests conflict with our own.

From this perspective, the promise of blockchain has 2 prerequisites: 1. Information being open, accessible and auditable 2. Information we rely on being registered on a blockchain

For DAOs to operate in this wey, we have to work in the open by default, organising around publicly accessible and verifieable data. If we don’t, we break the prerequisites needed to be a blockchain-based organisation.

Use ledgers when possible

In DAOs, it’s only true if it’s on chain, so strongly favour on-chain communication and resource-sharing.

Communicate in open channels.

In-writing communication hosted on a public forum is open; anyone can see it.

Synchronous communication (like voice calling) is not open, since it excludes anyone who isn’t there. (Notes are not the same, and are usually meaningless to people not involved in those calls.)

Store resources in the open

We have to make sure what we say is accessible to strangers, and store our data in resources in places where people can access them without permission.

Any information store that requires asking for access is not open.