[EVENT] Cybersecurity breakfast on blockchains & cryptocurrencies

Programme :

1. Blockchains: organised anarchy on any scale, by Fréderic HAYEK, PhD student, LIMOS Laboratory

"Cryptographers have long tried to create a decentralised digital currency, without success. In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin based on a concept that did not yet exist: the blockchain. The building blocks of the blockchain had existed for decades, but the blockchain finally allowed a network of unknown entities that did not trust each other to reach a consensus on a common history without a trusted third party. In Bitcoin, this is a transaction history. Bitcoin paved the way, but thousands of blockchains have followed, each with its own objective: increasing the speed of transaction confirmation; executing smart contracts; facilitating international transactions... And we could even imagine a local, universal cryptocurrency."

Watch his entire speech on our Youtube channel (in french)
 

2. Cryptocurrencies and digital currencies: between Mad Max and Big Brother, by Jean-François PONSOT, university professors, PACTE Laboratory

"The crash of "crypto-currencies" in 2022 and the rise of crypto-crime have revealed the extent of the new cybersecurity risks associated with the recent proliferation of digital monetary and financial innovations.

To better assess these risks, we need to identify the players and systems in the crypto ecosystem. Cryptoassets encompass a wide variety of devices that meet multiple needs and motivations. Some, following in the footsteps of the pioneering bitcoin, focus on payment and claim the status of private, decentralised currencies as an alternative to sovereign currencies. Others are focusing on exchanges and financial transactions using private contracts backed by blockchains (tokens, non-fungible tokens or smart contracts).

The GAFAMs' offensive in the crypto world is another source of concern for the regulatory authorities. The failure of the stablecoin project initiated by Facebook (Libra/Diem) shows their ability to react quickly and contain the most ambitious crypto initiatives. On the other hand, surveillance and regulation are still largely insufficient to combat crypto-crime.

How can we respond appropriately and effectively, striking a balance between cybersecurity requirements and respect for fundamental rights? Doesn't the introduction of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) to bypass private instruments carry a potential risk of societal control? Paradoxically, isn't there a risk that the rise of "crypto-currencies", driven by principles of emancipation, will lead to a world subject to chaos and the arbitrariness of private or public players if stability, liquidity and respect for individual freedoms in private protocols are not guaranteed?"

Watch his entire speech on our Youtube channel (in french)