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EOS Launches Referendum Tool—Constitutional Changes May Result

Eos launches referendum tool—constitutional changes may result

EOS Launches Referendum Tool—Constitutional Changes May Result

Eos launches referendum tool—constitutional changes may result

EOS went live last June, and since then, has endured several months of controversy. Now, block producers have added a referendum feature that will keep the platform accountable to its base. The new referendum system will allow token holders to have a direct say in many important issues.

According to EOSGO, the referendum feature went live on January 11 after more than 16 block producers voted in favor of a launch. Some important referendums are slated for the near future, and individual EOS holders may have a much greater say in matters than they previously had.

Elections vs. Referendums

Referendums are not the only type of voting that occurs on EOS. Currently, investors who hold EOS tokens can stake their tokens in order to elect a block producer. Block producers are responsible for providing computational resources for EOS, and they are kept accountable by the possibility of being voted out.

However, this system only gives token holders indirect power, and many potential voters are not interested in finding out which values and goals each block producer holds. EOSGO indicates that turnout is currently “below 50 percent” for this type of voting. By contrast, referendums will allow users to vote directly on extremely visible and high-profile issues.

Suggested Reading Learn about the best IOTA wallets in 2019.

How Voting Works

The voting process is simple: voters are able to interact with special voting smart contracts through various web interfaces, such as EOSVotes. The proposals that have been listed so far seem to be “simple” proposals. This means that some questions are merely polls, although the interface does not make this explicit.

The process of introducing a game-changing proposal, however, is quite intense. If a proposal intends to make changes to EOS’s underlying constitution, codebase, or smart contracts, it will be classified as “complex.” Complex proposals must be well-documented, submitted on GitHub, demoed on a testnet, and audited before they are even considered by block producers.

Upcoming Referendums

Now that the referendum system has gone live, the EOS community will begin voting on real changes. One of the first and most important decisions will concern the EOS Constitution. The platform’s constitution has been controversial from the start, and there are many constitutions that could replace it. EOSGO explains the situation:

“As planned, the interim constitution will be up for approval via referendum. There are also planned alternative constitutions to the interim constitution, two popular ones being Dan Larimer’s V2 and EOS New York’s user agreement.”

One sub-issue concerns the role that the EOS Core Arbitration Forum (ECAF) should play. ECAF is currently responsible for resolving disputes and preventing fraud. However, ECAF has been widely criticized due to the sheer amount of power that it wields over accounts and funds. EOSGO notes that many have disavowed the group–meaning that ECAF is ripe for removal (or a reduced role).

Whether an upcoming referendum will succeed in resolving either of these matters is unclear. The threshold for success is incredibly high, and many proposals could revert to default even if there is intermittent support for change. But if all goes well, the voting process could give participants more control over EOS than ever before.

source: https://unhashed.com/cryptocurrency-news/eos-launches-referendum-tool-constitutional-changes-may-result/

Published at Sat, 12 Jan 2019 20:54:47 +0000

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Ethereum Price Tops $900 on CEX, Possible Haven for Investors

Almost every single crypto-currency has seen massive gains in the past few months, Ethereum included. But with the recent news about bitcoin Cash being listed on Coinbase, much uncertainty has been thrown into the market.


The Biggest Smart Contract Platform

Ethereum has more than tripled in the past three months, with the market price at $255 just three months ago to over $800 today. The rally appears to not be stopping, however, as some exchanges are posting numbers well above market price. On one exchange, CEX.io, the price broke through the $900 barrier. While it has dropped since, it’s clear that as people start researching bitcoin and digital currencies in general, altcoins are valid options for those looking to diversify.

Ethereum has been around since 2014 and its native currency is the “Ether.” It touts itself as a “Smart Contract Platform,” as opposed to bitcoin being a payment platform. A smart contract is simply a piece of software that executes an action, and once executed cannot be stopped/altered. Since it is all code, the contract can be audited and verified that it will do exactly what the developer says it will do.

Sample smart contract code

An example smart contract on Ethereum. Source: https://www.ethereum.org/token.

Here is a very simple example of a smart contract. Let’s say I’m a YouTuber, and you’re a company looking to advertise on my videos. I put a short ten-second ad at the beginning of each of my videos, and in return, you’ll pay me $1 for every 1000 views. Now I could trust you so that when I reach a view threshold, you’ll pay me. Or we could get a third party involved to ensure I get paid. But with a smart contract, it could automatically pay me. It could check the YouTube video statistics for views every so often, and pay me accordingly. All in a completely trustless way.

Ethereum and The Coinbase Effect

There is also something to be said about access to different coins for new investors. Ethereum might be experiencing what I’m going to call the “Coinbase Effect,” which is the fact that the currencies that are currently listed on Coinbase are pretty much the only ones the average-Joe investor knows about. Since these are the only ones available on Coinbase, which is a major on-ramp for non-technical users, they’ll tend to invest in these currencies over others.

The Coinbase Effect

With bitcoin and bitcoin Cash going head to head, and accusations of conspiracy flying every which way, many may be looking at ETH as a haven for their newly found gains from bitcoin. Because it’s listed on Coinbase, investors can easily convert their current holdings to Ethereum. Ethereum is not without problems of their own, however.

Earlier this month, CryptoKitties pressed the network against its limits. As a result, Ethereum users saw fees approaching $1 or higher, which is completely unheard of for most cryptos, especially Ethereum. We’ll see in the coming weeks whether this rally has any substance behind it, or if it is just a pump and dump.

Are you invested in Ethereum? How do you think the market will react to the Coinbase announcement long term? Let us know in the comments below!


Images courtesy of AdobeStock, Coinbase, Ethereum

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