CES 2019: How does Blockchain reinvent the media?

CES 2019: How does Blockchain reinvent the media?

Whether it's making sure that the creators get paid, that the contents remain blocked or that the personal data are treated as intellectual property, the blockchain offers solutions to some of the biggest challenges of digital media, according to a CES panel.

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Blockchain's promise to media companies is that it will look like some of the worst behaviors in the digital world: piracy, data mining and undue payments. The 2019 CES panel "Come Blockchain is remaking the media / entertainment sector" was a forward-looking discussion of the use of blockchain to verify information, verify content and reward both creators and consumers. The speakers have faced several fundamental problems that must be considered by any communication company that wants to use blockchain.

Blockchain's distributed ledger promises to provide an environment in which the ownership and transaction of digital media can be verified. The memorization of this digital document "act" on the blockchain provides irrefutable proof of who owns what.

This electronic registration can provide an irrefutable legal history on which rights are available and who has worked on a specific project or content. This can also store rights and permissions from all contributors, including video producer, camera operator, composer, editor, etc. This act facilitates the possibility of eradicating illegal copies; knowing who can guarantee digital rights is one of the ways in which blockchain technology will protect against piracy.

Hacking the Media

"Media companies are less equipped to cope with the fact that they also have our digital identities," says Ann Greenberg, founder and CEO of Entertainment AI ™ and co-founder of Gracenote. "They are not prepared to deal with the hacking that is happening." He referred to the recent Tribune Publishing violation as one of the ongoing data loss experienced by large and small media companies. If we reveal ourselves to any system, we should worry about that system and take possession of our data, he said.

Personal Data = Free Content

To view online content for free, customers pay with their personal data. It is considered standard practice for companies to provide free content if you provide personalized information. "Our data is not a traditional currency, but it is indeed this valuable tool that you are giving up [Facebook, Google, etc.] they are collecting our data, packaging and reselling them, "said Michael Casey, senior advisor to the Digital Currency Initiative, MIT Media Lab, founder of Network Effects Media, and former Wall Street newspaper reporter.

We are providing our attention, said Casey, and that attention is worth something. Furthermore, he said, we are the content provider, in the form of a proliferation of UGC and social posting in which each person is akin to his own small, medium-sized company.

Obtaining payment for blog posts, video content, music or any other type of content generated by the user must associate a real person and an act to the creator of the content. "Solving the identity issue is crucial if we want to distribute the prizes," said Casey, meaning knowing who owns and is able to license content would do much to make sure the content owner can be paid. for their work.

Date = money?

"We live in an attentive economy and the currency we are exchanging is that of data," said Casey. "We are those who are contributing to our attention, this resource limited 24 hours a day, 7 days a week". This payment does not necessarily have to be money; it could be in the form of an exchange of goods or services. Blockchain will carry a tamper-resistant ledger where this payment can be made and recorded.

"I think we are all aware of the fact that wherever we go, there are data that is created," said Alex McDougall, Chief Investment Officer, Bicameral Ventures. "It is very important to repatriate all these data." McDougall is investing in a company that offers a solution to reinsert the genie of data into the bottle.

"One of the projects we've invested in is called Metalyfe, a browser in which, instead of using Chrome to capture data on Google, this is a way to accumulate data for yourself," said McDougall. "Apart from your Chrome profile, your Google profile, you do not really know what it looks like. There are a lot of links that you can access and show your history and your preferences.

"Metalyfe essentially creates a dashboard for you that shows a 360-degree view of everything you've done, your habits and shows your digital character," he said. "And then down the line you're able to market it and sell it if you want, so under your control you can release some parts to advertisers, or you can release certain data to people who will incentivize you. [to opt in for advertising] a certain type of car rather than another.

"[The] The first step is to control the flow of data, and the second step is to go back in time and be able to analyze what Google already has and add it to the flow of personal data, "said McDougall.

Futureproofing

Fundamental in this discussion is the idea that personal data should be treated as the intellectual property it is, and blockchain can help in this way in three ways: validate data, take micropayments and ensure the possibility of trusting someone who you do not know. Validating the data means knowing with certainty who it belongs to. The micro-payment transaction can convert cents into real payments for a content owner. Having the ability to trust someone you do not know means that you can willingly sell content to a stranger and make sure you get paid. The panel has raised more questions than answers, but at least some very intelligent and creative minds are beginning to have conversations.

From left to right: David Bailey, CEO, BTC Inc .; Michael Casey, senior consultant, Digital Currency Initiative,
MIT Media Lab; Colin Cantrell, founder and chief architect, Nexus Blockchain; Alex McDougall, CIO,
Bicameral companies; Ann Greenberg, founder and CEO of Entertainment AI^TM

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