Politics, economics, bureaucracy... many people have their own ideas about the most serious problems affecting the world, but some groups question the very concept of nation, going so far as to call it "geographic apartheid". That is where Bitnation comes in: a virtual, voluntary, borderless and fully decentralized nation. Bitnation is built on blockchain technology, which has allowed it to offer a range of services, from emergency identification for refugees to debit cards, and even marriage certificates.
Borders are closing, and those in power want to build new walls, or raise the height of existing ones. The second decade of the 21st century is about to end, but the main conflicts that affect us all remain the same. A question that is often repeated is "who is to blame?" Are they the men and women who govern? Is it political ideology in general? Or perhaps it is necessary to explore other concepts? Some are putting the very definition of nation under the microscope. Being born on the wrong side of a border and without proper papers can turn any human being's life into a nightmare, so there are initiatives out there that seek to put an end to that in their own way, providing a superior solution. One of them is Bitnation.
Bitnation is a nation "decentralized, voluntary and borderless" founded by Susanne Tarkowski Tempelhof in July 2014. In addition to competing with "traditional" nations, so to speak, one of the most striking aspects of Bitnation is that it is based on blockchain technology. Originally, Bitnation began its adventure using Bitcoin's blockchain, but in February 2016 it moved to Ethereum, since its blockchain's smart contract capabilities better adapt to the goals of the voluntary nation. In fact, Bitnation's "digital jurisdiction" known as Pangea (and home to PAT tokens) was co-written by one of Ethereum's developers, Alex Van de Sande.
Bitnation has already given rise to the first birth certificate and the first blockchain-backed marriage, but it also created an emergency digital identity program for refugees (BRER, or Bitnation Refugee Emergency Response), which included the delivery of Bitcoin debit cards. BRER was recognized by UNESCO with the 2017 Grand Prix of the Netexplo Forum in April 2017, and its future looks very interesting, not only because of this idea of a "nation in the cloud" with embassies, services and programs around the world, but also because of its particular use of blockchain technology.
