Exiled Russian Opposition Figure Introduces Blockchain-Powered Referendum on Vladimir Putin’s Election Victory
Exiled Russian opposition leader, Mark Feygin, is spearheading an anonymous and blockchain-based referendum to challenge the legitimacy of Vladimir Putin’s recent election win in Russia. The referendum will take place through a mobile application called Russia2024, developed with Rarimo’s Freedom Tool. Despite Putin’s landslide victory, which critics argue was predetermined and orchestrated, Feygin aims to offer Russians a platform to express their dissent anonymously. While the results will hold no legal weight in Russia, they could potentially bolster movements attempting to remove Putin from power and provide individuals with an outlet to voice their concerns in a country where dissent often carries severe consequences. The Russia2024 app will leverage the Arbitrum blockchain and zero-knowledge cryptography to ensure voters’ identities remain untraceable. Only individuals with Russian passports, a total of approximately 34.6 million people, will be eligible to cast their votes. Users must download the app and verify their citizenship by scanning their passports using their smartphones, while the app utilizes the passports’ biometric chips to validate voter identities and enable anonymous voting. The voting period will last around two weeks, and the creators of the tool are confident in its security measures, assuring voters that they need not fear any repercussions. Lasha Antadzem, co-founder of Freedom Tool, emphasized the decentralized nature of the voting system, comparing it to Bitcoin and stating that it cannot be hacked or manipulated. He believes that even after the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, people will continue to voice their opposition through voting as a form of protest. Furthermore, by providing open-source technology, the creators aim to contribute to the democratization of voting processes worldwide, offering a more cost-effective and secure alternative to traditional elections.