rude awakening

= =rude awake 11/13/20  Howard Buffet report on agric; Task force on the Am; Failed Revo ; corps cda, ortega fam; John Perry fake name promote coerced quote student on uprising 2018?==Instead of protecting land rights for communities, blockchain titling programs are actually geared towards promoting private investment. While the process of transitioning land registries onto blockchain ignores customary tenure systems, it opens the door to corruption, and can lead to dispossession, it simplifies the process of acquiring land for companies and therefore “unlocks the economic potential of land” for the private sector.This motivation was made explicitly clear in Zambia. In 2018, the Zambian government signed a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/07/31/1544696/0/en/Overstock-com-Subsidiary-Medici-Land-Governance-Signs-MOU-with-Zambian-Ministry-of-Land-and-Natural-Resources-to-Build-Blockchain-Land-Titling-Program.html" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">memorandum of understanding (MOU)<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a> with Medici Land Governance (MLG), a blockchain company and subsidiary of the US-based online retailer Overstock.com, to “develop a program for systematic land governance within the country.” MLG’s initial <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://investors.overstock.com/news-releases/news-release-details/medici-land-governance-signs-mou-lusaka-city-zambia-develop-and" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">project<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a> used blockchain to create and digitize land titles and issued 50,000 titles“to serve as proof of concept for a systematic, streamlined process to scale up the country’s land titling program.”<blockquote class="row" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto 1rem; padding: 0.5625rem 1.25rem 0px 1.1875rem; border: 0px; line-height: 1.6; max-width: 75rem;">
<div class="small-12 medium-7 large-9 column" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0.9375rem; width: 623.25px; float: right;">“There are also trillions of dollars in value in global mineral reserves that cannot be accessed by the mining firms…where land governance is not clearly established.”<cite style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block;">Patrick Byrne, Former CEO, Overstock.com, July 15, 2019</cite></div></blockquote>Less than a year later, the company <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://investors.overstock.com/news-releases/news-release-details/medici-land-governance-signs-mou-lusaka-city-zambia-develop-and" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">signed a second MOU<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a>, this time with the Lusaka City Council, to issue “no fewer than 250,000 certificates of title” to people living in Zambia’s capital.As expressed by its former CEO Patrick Byrne, Overstock.com’s interest in land titling is closely tied to the World Bank’s motto that private property rights can help unlock the economic potential of land. In communications with investors, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/07/15/1882578/0/en/Overstock-com-Releases-Letter-to-Shareholders-from-CEO-Patrick-M-Byrne.html" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">Byrne cited<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a> “trillions of dollars in value in global mineral reserves that cannot be accessed by mining firms” due to unclear land governance systems. The explicit goal is that private titles will allow mining companies to enter into agreements with landowners to exploit vast natural resources, and ensure that the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/07/15/1882578/0/en/Overstock-com-Releases-Letter-to-Shareholders-from-CEO-Patrick-M-Byrne.html" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">wealth extracted through mining<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a> is enjoyed by land rights holders and corporations. Under this scenario, Overstock.com would also benefit financially from unlocking this “dead capital,” though exactly how this will be negotiated remains unknown.What is known in terms of revenue models is that in Zambia, the company expects to receive a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/07/15/1882578/0/en/Overstock-com-Releases-Letter-to-Shareholders-from-CEO-Patrick-M-Byrne.html" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">cut of the tax revenues generated<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a> through government land titling and the resulting increase in taxes. In addition, Byrne has <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://investors.overstock.com/static-files/d0b6975d-88be-4fa6-8f9a-4d6056686454#page=8" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">commented<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a> that donor countries pay healthy sums for land titling projects,suggesting that international development aid dollars could potentially support MLG’s efforts globally.This motivation to benefit the private sector is shared by many of the blockchain startups that have been engaged in land titling projects. Seso Global <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.pulse.ng/bi/tech/how-seso-global-plans-to-unlock-dollar100-billion-trapped-in-nigerias-real-estate/0z2epv5" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">plans to<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a> “unlock US$100 billion trapped in Nigeria’s real estate market using blockchain technology”while in the United Arab Emirates, Tech Mahindra’s project to shift the land registry onto blockchain <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.techmahindra.com/en-in/dpm-abu-dhabi-and-techmahindra-launch-blockchain-solution-for-land-registry/" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">promises to<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a> “create value which can bring benefits to citizens and multiple entities associated with municipalities (like property developers, banks).”The day after MLG signed its first MOU in Zambia, it also <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/08/01/1545744/0/en/Overstock-com-Blockchain-Subsidiary-Medici-Land-Governance-Signs-Agreement-with-World-Bank-to-Enhance-Access-to-Secure-Land-Rights-in-Developing-Countries.html" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">penned an agreement with the World Bank<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a> to collaborate in other countries to “support the design, implementation, and evaluation of pilot programs that will create systems to ensure secure land tenure.” The Bank’s lead economist on land issues, Klaus Deininger, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/08/01/1545744/0/en/Overstock-com-Blockchain-Subsidiary-Medici-Land-Governance-Signs-Agreement-with-World-Bank-to-Enhance-Access-to-Secure-Land-Rights-in-Developing-Countries.html" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">commented<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a>: “Joining forces with MLG allows the Bank to provide client countries access to cutting edge technology, work with the countries on adapting the technology to their context, and then document the impact of the updated process. We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration offers us to generate transformative innovations and make the case for greater public and private investment in an area that is key for development.” <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://investors.overstock.com/static-files/d0b6975d-88be-4fa6-8f9a-4d6056686454#page=8" data-extlink="" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">According to Byrne<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a>, the Bank is now helping open doors for blockchain-based land titling “all over the world.” However, details of the partnership with Overstock.com remain confidential and have not been made public by the World Bank. The World Bank’s Access to Information Department was “unable to fulfill” the Oakland Institute’s request for information regarding the partnership and other ongoing blockchain land titling projects.<h2 style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0.5rem 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: 400; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; line-height: 1.25;">Exploiting More Natural Resources or Preserving the Commons</h2>The Bank’s involvement in facilitating blockchain titling contradicts its commitment to safeguarding customary tenure systems that have <a rel="noreferrer" href="https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/sites/oaklandinstitute.org/files/driving-dispossession.pdf#page=31" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">been shown in many cases</a> to provide tenure security and safeguard natural resources. In a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/652011571234169196/EBA-2019-About-the-Data-on-Safeguards-for-Land-Rights.pdf" data-extlink="" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; box-shadow: rgb(215, 190, 142) 0px -2px 0px inset;">2019 paper<span class="ext" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-image: url(" sites="sites" all="all" modules="modules" extlink="extlink" images="images" extlink_s.png="extlink_s.png" background-position="background-position" px="px" center="center" background-size="background-size" initial="initial" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" width="width" height="height" padding-right="padding-right">(link is external)</a>, the World Bank itself acknowledged that “customary land has proven to be highly resilient, continuous and flexible” and that safeguarding [customary land] rights should be a “development priority.” Despite this statement, the Bank’s programs facilitating blockchain titling continue to directly undermine customary and collective forms of land governance, putting millions at risk of losing their land and livelihoods.As demonstrated by the Zambia case, shifting land registries onto blockchain is a part of the broader move to “unlock the economic potential of land” in order to put more land and natural resources into exploitation by private interests. While implementing the technology can be attractive to corporate interests eager to access land, it can be a tool of dispossession for those whose livelihoods depend on land governed under customary tenure systems. As a number of governments consider applying blockchain to land titling, they must understand and pay heed to the true motivations and implications of this technology. <a href="https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/about/people/andy-currier" style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer;">Andy Currier</a>