---
author: Zainan Victor Zhou
version: v0.3
status: Draft
created: 2023-08-31
updated: 2023-09-04
---

# The Manifesto of Digital Trust, a vision statement of D3Serve

At **D3Serve**, we are dedicated to building *digital trust* by leveraging blockchain and other advanced technologies.

We are convinced that the future holds vast improvements in productivity and a superior version of the world, made possible by the digitization of trust.

To illustrate the benefits of digitizing trust, consider the paradigm of *digital information*. Before the advent of digital formats, we relied on handwritten or printed words and analog photography. This non-digital format was challenging to replicate, transmit, distribute, and scale, both in terms of time and monetary cost. Today, with the majority of information digitized, the replication and transmission of this data, combined with increasing bandwidth, have led to an explosion in productivity, economic growth, and societal benefits.

However, the concept of "trust" remains largely undigitized. Trust encompasses the confidence we have when someone claims "who they are", "what they're authorized to do", and "what they commit to do". Currently, validating someone's identity often implicitly depends on circumstantial evidence: where they appear, who accompanies them, their attire, and so on. These indicators are subtle, inconsistent, and analog in nature. They are prone to errors when replicated, sluggish in transmission, and can be inefficient and costly to propagate.

But with advancements in cryptography, consensus mechanisms, and smart contracts, we now see the potential to digitize trust in ways that were previously unimaginable.

As trust becomes digitized, the software built upon this foundation can automate vast segments of its functionality. The resulting surge in productivity will likely rival, if not surpass, the gains we experienced from the digitization of information.

## Digital vs Analog kinds of "Information"

| Aspect | Digital Information | Analog Information |
|------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| **Transmission** | Efficient and rapid through digital channels | Slower, often requiring physical transportation |
| **Replication** | Lossless and precise, allowing exact copies | Prone to degradation with each copy |
| **Storage** | Compact and economical with modern storage solutions| Requires physical space, prone to wear and tear |
| **Accessibility**| Easily searchable and accessible from various devices | Not easily searchable, limited accessibility |
| **Integration** | Can be integrated into various digital platforms and tools | Limited integration capabilities |
| **Automation** | Facilitates automation through software applications | Manual processes dominate, less conducive to automation |
| **Cost** | Generally lower due to digital technologies | Higher due to physical materials and storage needs |
| **Security** | Enhanced security through encryption and other digital technologies | Vulnerable to physical damages and theft |

## Loss-less-ness

One of the most transformative aspects of digitizing trust is its ability to propagate and execute with loss-less precision.

Just as digitized information can be transmitted without degradation, ensuring accuracy and consistency regardless of the number of times it's replicated or shared, digital trust operates with a similar meticulousness. Every instance, every transaction, every validation retains its original integrity. This mirrors the exactness we've come to expect from our digital information systems.

In essence, the digitization of trust eliminates the ambiguity and variability that can plague analog systems, paving the way for a future where trust is as reliable and consistent as any piece of digital data.

## Cost Reduction

Furthermore, the economic implications of digitizing trust cannot be understated.

Just as digital information reduced the costs associated with printing, storage, and distribution, digital trust promises significant savings in its replication and dissemination. Traditional trust systems often involve layers of intermediaries, each adding their own costs and potential points of failure. In contrast, a digitized trust system minimizes these layers, streamlining the chain of propagation. By reducing the friction and overheads in trust verification and validation processes, businesses and individuals can expect not just faster, but also far more cost-effective trust-related transactions.

This could lead to substantial economic benefits, as funds previously allocated to these processes can be redirected to more productive ventures.

## Automatability

Another monumental advantage of digital trust is its inherent automatability.

In a world where trust is digitized, processes that once required manual verification, nuanced judgment, or human intervention can be streamlined and automated with software. This doesn't just lead to faster operations; it ensures a level of consistency and accuracy unattainable by human standards. Just as digitized information paved the way for algorithms to sift through vast amounts of data, analyze patterns, and make decisions in split seconds, digital trust will empower systems to autonomously establish, verify, and act upon trust-related parameters. This automation can reduce errors, increase efficiency, and unlock potentials in sectors where the speed and precision of trust decisions are paramount.

## New use-case enabled by Digital Trust

The real-world applications unlocked by digitized trust offer a glimpse into a transformative future. Take, for instance, the concept of "group trust."

Traditional systems struggle with efficiently establishing trust for groups due to the complexities and nuances of interpersonal relationships and hierarchies. With digital trust, innovative applications such as distributing assets to a designated group based on collective criteria or implementing access controls predicated on group dynamics become not only feasible but efficient. Imagine a scenario where an inheritance is seamlessly and transparently divided among a family group based on predefined trust metrics, or a secure facility that grants access based on the collective trustworthiness of a team rather than individual credentials.

These are just a couple of examples, but they underline the vast potential of applications that were previously inconceivable or highly impractical before the advent of digitized trust.