Disintermediation - Revision history

Tom: /* Example */

2025-08-06T21:49:18Z

‎Example

Tom: /* Telephone Operators */

2025-08-06T21:29:41Z

‎Telephone Operators

Tom: Created page with "==Definition== ==Example== ===Telephone Operators=== Commissioner Hester Peirce’s 2025 speech at the Science of Blockchain Conference offers a vivid metaphor for disinterm..."

2025-08-06T21:28:51Z

Created page with "==Definition== ==Example== ===Telephone Operators=== Commissioner Hester Peirce’s 2025 speech at the Science of Blockchain Conference offers a vivid metaphor for disinterm..."

New page

==Definition==

==Example==
===Telephone Operators===

Commissioner Hester Peirce’s 2025 speech at the Science of Blockchain Conference offers a vivid metaphor for disintermediation, using the decline of telephone operators as a historical parallel to today’s cryptographic revolution.

# The Telephone Operator Analogy**
## **Human intermediaries** once connected calls manually, often knowing the caller personally.
## This introduced **privacy friction**—especially for sensitive conversations.
## **Automated switching systems** replaced operators, offering:
### Greater confidentiality
### User autonomy
### Scalable infrastructure
# Modern Disintermediation via Cryptography**
Peirce draws a direct line from that shift to today’s digital transformation:
# **Zero-Knowledge Proofs**: Verify facts without revealing underlying data.
# **Smart Contracts**: Automate agreements without centralized enforcement.
# **Public Blockchains**: Enable transparent, tamper-resistant coordination.

These technologies allow for **disintermediated transmission of value and information**, echoing the benefits of automated dialing but applied to finance, identity, and governance.
===Identifier Management===
* Just as operators were replaced by **automated systems**, centralized identity brokers can be replaced by **verifiable credentials**, **decentralized identifiers**, and **context-aware access protocols**.
* The goal: **minimize unnecessary intermediaries** while preserving **accountability**, **privacy**, and **ethical agency**.

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 ==Definition==
 ==Example==
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 * Just as operators were replaced by **automated systems**, centralized identity brokers can be replaced by **verifiable credentials**, **decentralized identifiers**, and **context-aware access protocols**.
 * The goal: **minimize unnecessary intermediaries** while preserving **accountability**, **privacy**, and **ethical agency**.

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 ===Telephone Operators===
-Commissioner Hester Peirce’s 2025 speech at the Science of Blockchain Conference offers a vivid metaphor for disintermediation, using the decline of telephone operators as a historical parallel to today’s cryptographic revolution.
+[https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/peirce-remarks-blockchain-conference-080425 Commissioner Hester Peirce’s 2025 speech at the Science of Blockchain Conference] offers a vivid metaphor for disintermediation, using the decline of telephone operators as a historical parallel to today’s cryptographic revolution.
 # The Telephone Operator Analogy**
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 These technologies allow for **disintermediated transmission of value and information**, echoing the benefits of automated dialing but applied to finance, identity, and governance.
 ===Identifier Management===
 * Just as operators were replaced by **automated systems**, centralized identity brokers can be replaced by **verifiable credentials**, **decentralized identifiers**, and **context-aware access protocols**.
 * The goal: **minimize unnecessary intermediaries** while preserving **accountability**, **privacy**, and **ethical agency**.