Cited by 235Blockchain Technology Applications and SecurityDigital Transformation in LawDigitalization, Law, and Regulation

The DOI matches its DataCite record; 20 of the 20 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 1 of the 135 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Trust, but Verify: Why the Blockchain Needs the Law

Open access
Werbach, Kevin·2018·Berkeley Technology Law Journal

Abstract

The blockchain could be the most consequential development in information technology since the Internet. Created to support the Bitcoin digital currency, the blockchain is actually something deeper: a novel solution to the age-old human problem of trust. Its potential is extraordinary. Yet, this approach may not promote trust at all without effective governance. Wholly divorced from legal enforcement, blockchain-based systems may be counterproductive or even dangerous. And they are less insulated from the law’s reach than it seems. The central question is not how to regulate blockchains but how blockchains regulate. They may supplement, complement, or substitute for legal enforcement. Excessive or premature application of rigid legal obligations will stymie innovation and forego opportunities to leverage technology to achieve public policy objectives. Blockchain developers and legal institutions can work together. Each must recognize the unique affordances of the other system.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The article argues that blockchain’s cryptographic verification cannot by itself produce durable trust; it must be integrated with legal institutions and governance. It maps how distributed ledgers can supplement, complement, or substitute for law, and proposes hybrids such as safe harbors, modular contracts, oracles, and on-chain governance.

Key findings

  • Blockchain systems can verify transactions without relying on a central intermediary, but the paper argues this is not the same as trust. The DAO episode—about 11,000 participants committing roughly $150 million in Ether, with a third taken—shows that code alone cannot resolve intent, theft, or governance disputes.
  • The article identifies vulnerabilities beyond consensus: smart contracts, edge services and exchanges, and token issuers. It cites Mt. Gox’s collapse with over $400 million stolen, Bitfinex’s loss of nearly $70 million, a 2018 Japanese exchange theft of half a billion dollars, and 2016 data showing at least fifteen cryptocurrency theft incidents of $1 million or more, totaling over $600 million.
  • It argues token sales create securities-like risks: 2017 ICOs raised over $5 billion, Telegram sought $2 billion, and almost no ICOs registered. The SEC treated The DAO tokens as securities, while Ripple paid a $950,000 FinCEN penalty and agreed to AML/KYC compliance.
  • The paper proposes three relationships between blockchains and law: supplementing existing regimes (e.g., Corda, title records), complementing them (e.g., orphan works registries, artist rights), and substituting where legal enforcement is weak (e.g., a UN food aid trial tracking aid to 10,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan). It also discusses safe harbors and sandboxes, modular legal contracts, Ricardian contracts, oracles and arbitration, and on-chain governance.

Methods

  • Conceptual and doctrinal legal analysis, not an empirical study. It synthesizes blockchain technical architecture—distributed ledgers, consensus, and smart contracts—with cyberlaw theory and regulatory examples.
  • Uses case studies and regulatory episodes: The DAO hack and Ethereum hard fork, Silk Road, Mt. Gox, Bitfinex, Ripple/FinCEN, New York’s BitLicense, the SEC’s DAO report, and the UK FCA sandbox, among others.
  • Main analysis compares legal and code-based trust mechanisms and categorizes interactions as supplement, complement, or substitute, then evaluates governance hybrids.

Limitations

  • The paper states that blockchain is still early-stage and its development remains uncertain; it notes open research questions about consensus security and performance and says its proposals are exploratory rather than guaranteed.
  • Evident from the text: published in 2018, so its regulatory and market examples predate later developments; it is normative and argumentative, relying on illustrative cases rather than systematic data; some cited estimates come from third parties such as Goldman Sachs and are not independently tested.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

DataCite · 10.15779/z38h41jm9n

Cites

0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

206 Own interpretation · 128 Sources not found · 31 No basis given · 1 Couldn’t confirm · 1 No full text of the sources · 1 Not checked yet · accuracy not yet measured

Verify all 1 references — free account
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 74
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 200
237 of 237
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A majority of miners in the Bitcoin network are honest.

    “Even if some of them are untrustworthy, the system holds so long as the majority is honest.67”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Bitcoin is designed to be censorship- and tamper-resistant.

    “Bitcoin is also designed to be censorshipand tamper-resistant.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Once a transaction is recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain, it cannot easily be changed.

    “And once a transaction is recorded, it cannot easily be changed, a property known as immutability.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Proof of work is expensive, requiring specialized computing hardware and large quantities of electricity.

    “Proof of work is expensive, literally.It requires specialized computing hardware and large quantities of electricity.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Miners will not be incentivized sufficiently out of altruism.

    “Miners will not be incentivized sufficiently out of altruism.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Distributed ledgers are active, not passive; they must ensure that recorded transactions are actually completed to match the consensus.

    “Distributed ledgers are active, not passive.In other words, they do not simply record information passed to them.They are part of a consensus system, so they must ensure that recorded transactions are actually completed to match the consensus.83”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    All intermediaries impose costs.

    “Moreover, all intermediaries impose costs.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Intermediaries shape markets to serve their own interests.

    “Intermediaries also shape markets to serve their own interests.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Trust is not transitive.

    “Trust is not transitive.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Bitcoin and other blockchain-based systems face significant scaling challenges.

    “Bitcoin and other blockchain-based systems do face significant scaling challenges.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The Bitcoin consensus ledger has not been successfully hacked since its very early days.

    “The Bitcoin consensus ledger has not been successfully hacked since its very early days.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Sophisticated attackers have tried to hack the Bitcoin consensus ledger.

    “Sophisticated attackers have tried.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There have been significant bugs discovered in the open source Bitcoin code, although they were addressed prior to any lasting damage.

    “There have been significant bugs discovered in the open source Bitcoin code, although they were addressed prior to any lasting damage.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The blockchain world has attracted some of the world's foremost experts in cryptography, who are working actively to prevent such failures.

    “And the blockchain world has attracted some of the world's foremost experts in cryptography, who are working actively to prevent such failures.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Token purchasers today are generally contributing money to blockchain-based projects with virtually no way to guarantee they get anything in return, and very limited information about risks.

    “Token purchasers today are generally contributing money to blockchain-based projects with virtually no way to guarantee they get anything in return, and very limited information about risks.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The Augur developers do not control what questions can be posted on the prediction market.

    “The Augur developers do not control what questions can be posted on the prediction market.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    On a distributed platform such as Augur, administrators cannot delete illegal, offensive, or harassing material that users post, unlike on Facebook or Reddit.

    “On Facebook or Reddit, administrators have the ability to delete illegal, offensive, or harassing material that users post.Not so on a distributed platform such as Augur.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    No major Western government attempted to ban cryptocurrencies on the basis of illegal use, and most of the nations that did have since recognized the basic legitimacy of bitcoin and similar currencies.

    “Contrary to fears, no major Western government attempted to ban cryptocurrencies on this basis, and most of the nations that did have since recognized the basic legitimacy of bitcoin and similar currencies.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Billions of dollars of derivatives trades are executed each day with no human intervention.

    “Billions of dollars of derivatives trades are executed each day with no human intervention.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The only difference between the attacker who tried to steal The DAO funds and the miners who took it back through the hard fork was their motivations.

    “The only difference between the attacker who tried to steal the funds and the miners who took it back through the hard fork was their motivations.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Cross-border contractual disputes are a staple of modern business among multi-national firms.

    “On the latter concern, cross-border contractual disputes are a staple of modern business among multi-national firms.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most people do not buy drugs online and pay to access streaming media services.

    “Most people do not buy drugs online and pay to access streaming media services.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Criminals and terrorists will try to exploit the blockchain, just as they exploit other technologies whenever possible.

    “Criminals and terrorists will try to exploit the blockchain, just as they exploit other technologies whenever possible.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Governments will overreact and propose rules with collateral damage to legitimate operations.

    “Governments will overreact and propose rules with collateral damage to legitimate operations.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The Silk Road takedown showed that the blockchain is not an impermeable shield against legal enforcement.

    “The Silk Road takedown showed that the blockchain is not an impermeable shield against legal enforcement, and the DAO attack showed the governance limitations of purely algorithmic systems.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The DAO attack showed the governance limitations of purely algorithmic systems.

    “The Silk Road takedown showed that the blockchain is not an impermeable shield against legal enforcement, and the DAO attack showed the governance limitations of purely algorithmic systems.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Today, digital rights management systems are controlled by intermediaries and distributors, not the creators themselves.

    “Today, digital rights management systems are controlled by intermediaries and distributors, not the creators themselves.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Many artists have difficulty receiving sufficient compensation.

    “As a result, many artists have difficulty receiving sufficient compensation.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Several billion people in the developing world lack access to bank accounts and the opportunities for easy payments and credit they bring.

    “Several billion people in the developing world, for example, lack access to bank accounts and the opportunities for easy payments and credit they bring.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In many parts of the world, land title records are incomplete and challenging for ordinary citizens to interact with.

    “In many parts of the world, land title records are incomplete and challenging for ordinary citizens to interact with.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Prior to Bitcoin, possessing money meant having the ability to do anything with it.

    “Prior to Bitcoin, possessing money meant having the ability to do anything with it.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    An online service such as PayPal, where a user parks funds, has the power (absent legal or regulatory obligations) to steal it or send it to terrorists.

    “An online service such as PayPal, where a user parks funds, has the power (absent legal or regulatory obligations) to steal it or send it to terrorists.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    On a blockchain, many actors such as miners, DApps, and wallet software providers touch the records of transactions, but without the private keys governing user accounts, they lack any such capabilities.

    “On a blockchain, by contrast, many actors such as miners, DApps, and wallet software providers touch the records of transactions, but without the private keys governing user accounts, they lack any such capabilities.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most business contracts are essentially modules that lawyers string together and customize.

    “Most business contracts are essentially modules that lawyers string together and customize.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Smart contracts are good at setting forth anticipated conditions and consequences ex ante, and then ensuring the consequences occur upon fulfillment of the conditions.

    “Smart contracts are good at setting forth anticipated conditions and consequences ex ante, and then ensuring the consequences occur upon fulfillment of the conditions.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Legal contracts are good at cleaning up the mess when, inevitably, things do not go according to plan.

    “Legal contracts are good at cleaning up the mess when, inevitably, things do not go according to plan.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The blockchain does not know stock prices.

    “The blockchain, however, does not know stock prices.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    One of the biggest problems with blockchain networks as governance institutions is that it is difficult to change their foundational rules.

    “One of the biggest problems with blockchain networks as governance institutions is that it is difficult to change their foundational rules.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    These are still early days for the blockchain.

    “These are still early days for the blockchain.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    One reason real-money prediction markets such as Intrade have been shut down by regulators is that they can be used in illegal or unethical ways.

    “One reason real-money prediction markets such as Intrade have been shut down by regulators is that they can be used in illegal or unethical ways.”
40 of 40

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

The publisher hasn’t deposited this paper’s reference list.

Research works printed but not linked: 6

  1. [9]9. Trevor I. Kiviat, Beyond Bitcoin: Issues in Regulating Blockchain Transactions, 65
  2. [22]22. see generally, Swanson, supra note 85 at 4-5. 121. See Richard Gendal Brown, Towards Deeper Collaboration in Distributed Ledgers: Thoughts on Digital Asset's Global Synchronisation Log, GENDAL.ME (Jan. 24, 2017), https://gendal.me/2017/01/24/towards-deeper-collaboration-in-distributed-ledgers -thoughts-on-digital-assets-global-synchronisation-log/ [https://perma.cc/Q9BP-V8K2]. 122. Vlad Zamfir (@VladZamfir), TWITTER (Mar. 4, 2017, 4:40 AM), https://twitter.com/vladzamfir/status/838006311598030848?lang=en [https://perma.cc/Z94J-VNDB]. Zamfir felt the need to explain himself the next day in a longer post. See Vlad Zamfir, About My Tweet from Yesterday.., MEDIUM (Mar. 5, 2017), https://medium.com/@Vlad_Zamfir/about-my-tweet-from-yesterday-dcc61915b572 [https://perma.cc/P6BL-ECND]. 123. Agreement does not necessarily presume trust. An insight of game theory is that even non-communicating parties may converge on common points by independently choosing the most likely or familiar option. See
  3. [24]24. Vitalik Buterin, SchellingCoin: A Minimal-Trust Universal Data Feed, ETHEREUM BLOG (Mar. 28, 2014), https://blog.ethereum.org/2014/03/28/schellingcoin-a-minimal-trust-universal-data-feed/ [https://perma.cc/ZHA6-WSH9]. 145. See Robin Sidel, Eleanor Warnock & Takashi Mochizuki, Almost Half a Billion Worth of Bitcoins Vanish, WALL ST. J. (Feb. 28, 2014) https://www.wsj.com/articles/mt-gox-to-hold -news-conference-1393579356 [https://perma.cc/C8E5-AG7A];
  4. [29]29. FED. COMM. L.J. 203, 207 (2013). 200. See id. at 231. 201. See Camila Russo, Ethereum Co-Founder Says Crypto Coin Market Is a Time-Bomb, BLOOMBERG (July 18, 2017), https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07 -18/ethereum-co-founder-says-crypto-coin-market-is-ticking-time-bomb [https://perma.cc/H3ZB-6CPC] (quoting Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, stating that, "If it talks like a duck and walks like a duck, the SEC will say it's a duck."). 202. See Sarah Todd, Fincen Fines Ripple Labs Over AML, Says Firm 'Enhancing' Protocol, AM.
  5. [35]35. WAKE FOREST L. REV. 345, 359 (2014). 244. See, e.g., Derek Khanna, The Law that Gave Us the Modern Internet-and the Campaign to
  6. [40]40. LEGALESE, http://legalese.com [https://perma.cc/2TUM-7SXM] (last visited Sept. 2, 2018). 258. See INT'L SWAPS & DERIVATIVES ASS'N., The Future of Derivatives Processing and Market Infrastructure [hereinafter ISDA WHITE PAPER] (Sept. 2016), at 15, https://www2.isda.org/attachment/ODcwMA==/Infrastructure%20white%20paper.pdf [https://perma.cc/KE4P-BZDS]. 259. See Werbach & Cornell, supra note 25, at 318. 260. See generally Ian Grigg, The Ricardian Contract, in PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST IEEE WORKSHOP ON ELECTRONIC CONTRACTING 25 (2004). 261. See id. at 25. 262. The Ricardo platform that Grigg was building never took off. 263. See Clack et al., supra note 251, at 12;

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Metadata

Authors
Werbach, K.
Affiliations
University of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author
Werbach, Kevin
Venue
Berkeley Technology Law Journal
Publisher
Berkeley Technology Law Journal
Published
2018
Volume
33
Issue
2
Pages
487
ISSN
1556-5068 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3125186743
Cited by
235
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 13
Type
posted content
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • SSRN Electronic Journal (acceptedVersion)
  • bepress Legal Repository (submittedVersion, public-domain)
  • Berkeley technology law journal
  • UC Berkeley
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Blockchain Technology Applications and Security
  • Social Sciences › Law › Digital Transformation in Law
  • Social Sciences › Law › Digitalization, Law, and Regulation
Keywords
blockchain, trust, blockchain regulation, blockchain governance, Bitcoin, legal enforcement, innovation and regulation, public policy, law and technology

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