Sunday, January 7, 2024

MOSS - Mneme Open Source CC-BY-SA scifi-setting - Interstellar Economies - Blockchain and Money Laundering

Wikipedia of Blockchain for basics

In the Mneme Open Source CC-BY-SA Sci-Fi setting (MOSS), takes inspiration from Daniel Suarez’s “Critical Mass,” blockchains play a crucial role in interstellar travel. In this universe, where Faster Than Light (FTL) travel exists, blockchain technology is adapted to the vast distances and decentralized nature of space travel. Computers on spacecraft, equipped with blockchain nodes, update the blockchain only when they are close enough to securely connect with another node.

You can say MOSS is a open distributed scifi setting. 

This blockchain system relies on various standards for validating transactions, incorporating sensor data that verifies the time and place of each transaction. This data includes stellar constellation positions, gravitational fingerprints, and records of transactions from systems tracking time and pace, and activities of the main star in a system. The ledger can validate blocks only if they meet these stringent criteria.

Other ways to track time for sensor validity is Solar Activity which can be viewed historically from another Star System. 

In MOSS, interstellar distances necessitate that ships’ transponders be securely connected to sensor systems. These transponders, or Black Boxes, are equipped with multiple redundancies in their blockchain processing, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the data. If a transaction lacks sufficient clarity or data, creating uncertainty, it is not executed, maintaining a status quo.

Over light-year distances, ships connecting with each other can verify transactions based on their previous locations. Transactions involving multiple parties are validated by the sensor data of all involved parties.

In cases where ships are cut off from the main blockchain, they start their own branch blockchain. Once reconnected with the larger network, multiple parties can add validation data to these isolated activities, integrating them back into the main blockchain.

Moreover, the Black Boxes don’t maintain just one blockchain. They handle multiple blockchains, analogous to different currencies. As long as a blockchain represents something of value (materials, services, etc.), it can be traded with other blockchains, similar to a currency exchange. This flexibility allows for a diverse and dynamic interstellar economy in the MOSS setting.

Criminals and Pirates dont necessary have a “Pirate” or “Underground” blockchain - the blockchain doesnt make those distinctions. Blockchains, while may have a name or a identifying code for who possesses what, this can easily be shuffled. 

Tampering with a Transponder to produce erroneous or false blockchain information affects all parties - you can say even criminals dont want the currency their are stealing to be worthless. Also that counterfiters try to accumlate legitmate transactions - will have a difficult time because all parties - even underground economies cannot have uncertainty and bad transactions. Even transactions are bad, as soon as they are discovered and detected the ability to have redundancies in place not just retroactively corrects wrong transactions but makes the entire economy of that block chain aware who did it. 

Because of the sensor data aspects, using the block chain in “Safe spaces” is key. Underground blockchains will transact in underground covert locations and may even not function once it leaves these locations, preventing any transaction. A pirate ship will transact with its prey ship, robbing it of its value for the entire economy to see as people release funds at gun-point. It will then trade commodities with other blockchains - to liquidate its prizes. Anyone who will try to trace where the pirates have gone will have to deal with variables of probability as “laundering” who has what happens a lot in Convert economies as blockchains only track ships and many proxy can be used to launder where these values go. 

Because blockchain computers are design to track dizzying amount of transactions, how values are transfered from one party to another can be analgoue (a phsyical transfer). the records can be made to look like typical resource extraction transaction - when miners introduce capital in the form of raw materials in the economies.  

With all this complexity, you can just have this all happen behind the scenes. The Referee can just focus on the Assets, Expenses, Recieveables and Liabilities of the crew. 




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