1.Introduction

The 21st century is turning out to be the most creative, innovative, uncertain and promising time in the history of humanity. Massive historical trends, developments and contradictions are interacting to create whirlwinds of change that carry a panoply of opportunities and challenges and, ultimately, the potential for a fulfilling world for all. Three major intertwined global processes are at the core of what we can briefly address as the century of complexity. First, the exponential development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and all other technological domains penetrated by this exponential development; (2) the global societal challenges facing humanity in their various forms: environment, inequality, gender disparities, poverty, migrations, greying of the population, fragmentation and lack of control over virtual personalities and so on. The 17 UN sustainable development goals are an expression of these global challenges with focus on 2030; and (3) the individual and social behavior currently predominating in communities, societies, nations, regions and, eventually, the planet as a whole. Such behavior finds part of its roots in human evolution as exemplified by the influence of many biases in our understanding and decision-making procedures. Simultaneously, it is also influenced by the diverse governances and cultures characterizing the development of different societies. The latter means that much of the future development of societies and humanity is in our own hands and, particularly, in the hands of those who have or occupy positions of power with direct impact on the common good. This invests political representatives at all levels with key roles in the realization of a fulfilling world for all.

2. The Manifesto

This manifesto aims at providing a basic framework for a broad alliance of policymakers of all colors, tendencies, parties or movements from local to international levels, who are genuinely interested in collaborating with others in the understanding, generation and application of ideas, proposals and actions that take advantage of the benefits of technology to improve humanity.

The manifesto starts by acknowledging that:

(i)  humanity faces the most extraordinary period of complexity in history;

(ii)  technology is creating unique challenges and opportunities for all;

(iii)  multiple global societal challenges require urgent local and international responses;

(iv)  people and societies have the capacity to generate and implement effective long-term responses to the challenges and opportunities abovementioned;

(v)  political representatives at all levels have a crucial role to play in influencing and leading the processes of long-term responses;

(vi)  the generation of alliances to act together is crucial to enhance the effectiveness of any long-term initiative, including alliances between cities of different countries.

2.1 Critical Challenge to Face – Virtual Personality

Among the range of global challenges, the Manifesto identifies as critical the loss of fundamental rights online, including the current fragmentation and lack of people’s control over what has become their Virtual Personality, the online essence of their personal identities and personal existence in today’s complex world. The unprecedented growth of the Internet economy and social media has brought many benefits but has also damaged the attention and led to an extensive appropriation and atomization of the presence of people in the virtual world, with consequent impact on their lives in the physical world. Such a phenomenon has profound implications for people’s freedom, privacy, potential economic benefits, empowerment and, ultimately, self-realization in the course of their lives. It could be briefly said that the right to virtual personality concerns the online expression of all other rights.

2.2 Fundamental Right to Virtual Personality

It is the right to have or not an immaterial personality composed entirely of attention and information in the virtual world. There four key elements of the fundamental right to virtual personality as follows:

1. Existence
   Existence is first of all the right to exist. One of its key manifestations is a unique user ID, exclusively owned by the individual. This is a user’s self-sovereign identity, not owned, controlled or dependent on a government, NGO, third party or corporation to exist. This unique user ID enables its owner to integrate with government services (local or national) but also to login to all other virtual-based services, including email, social media, e-commerce, etc.
   B. Content
   Today the most regulated aspects of life are each individual’s content and data. This includes habeas data (access to information) and data protection regulations. Self-sovereign Identity software must have the capacity to store the user data and release it only when requested and authorized by the user.
   C. Attention, the act of using all senses.
   D. Intentions

Individuals must be able to manage and profit from their intentions. Software must allow each person to safeguard its intentions, thereby preventing, among other crimes, identity theft, title fraud, and credit fraud, and profiting from the sale of their intentions.

Truly, for people to maintain their fundamental rights online, and to have a virtual personality with legal value, they must have the right to control completely all four key elements: existence, content, attention, and intention, with the State as a guarantor of the digital and legal security of the attention and information that make up the space of virtual personality.

2.3 Realizing the Right to Virtual personality and the opportunity of Crypto

The Manifesto identifies in the convergent and rapid development of blockchain, crypto and other technologies such as artificial intelligence, the potential for extraordinary improvements in society in terms of inclusion, reduction of inequalities, socio-economic progress, freedom, and peaceful solutions to the global challenges facing humanity. This potential includes and requires the definition and implementation of the new fundamental right to have or not to have Virtual Personality and its extension into the right of every citizen to have money for a dignified life. Today, the realization of this potential is possible but requires collective vision, intelligence, boldness and action. Among others, two fundamental actions are the development and simultaneous formation of the Global Network of Policy Makers for Freedom (GNPF) and the Virtual Personality Institute (VPI).

The GNPF is conceived as an open and plural platform for reflecting, sharing ideas, learning, debating, and influencing the development of Crypto for social wellbeing. As said earlier, it is uniquely open to policymakers of all colors, tendencies, parties or movements from local to international levels, who are genuinely interested in collaborating with others in the understanding, generation and application of ideas, proposals and actions related to Crypto for human empowerment. The GNPF is a service network seeking to promote alliances of cities, regions, and countries promoting crypto, eventually reaching international and global levels. It will operate through an agile consultation mechanism to generate joint proposals, initiatives and governance that reflect the contribution of all its participants.

The Virtual Personality Institute (VPI) reflects the acknowledgement that the theme of Virtual Personality and its realization as a Fundamental Right in society are novel and complex matters. For this reason, The VPI is a dedicated organization entrusted with addressing all juridical and other relevant aspects of the critical issue of Virtual Personality. In this capacity the VPI will also provide advice and support to all policymakers interested in the matter.

In brief, the manifesto provides a basic framework for all policymakers engaged and/or interested in joining the Global Network of Policy Makers for Freedom, understood as an instrument to take advantage of the exponential development of technology to face the challenges of humanity. Why policymakers? Because in their capacity as political representatives, policymakers are in a key position to help realize the enormous potential of Crypto and new technologies for virtual personality, human empowerment and better work and living conditions for all.

3. The Manifesto Commitments

The signatories of the Manifesto commit to:

1. Accepting the basic concepts and vision proposed in the document;
2. Learning, reflecting, sharing ideas, and influencing the development of the human right to have, or not to have, a virtual personality;
3. Learning, reflecting, sharing ideas, and influencing the development of the financial freedom right of every citizen;
4. Joining and actively participating in the development of the Global Network of Policy Makers for Freedom (GNPF), inviting other policymakers to join it;
5. Working at all times to improve society in the face of the challenges of the 21s

18th December 2021