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APA

Merk, T. (2024). The unusual DAO: An ethnography of building trust in “trustless” spaces. Internet Policy Review, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.14763/2024.3.1795

American Psychological Association. For more info, see https://www.apastyle.org

Chicago

Merk, Tara. 2024. "The unusual DAO: An ethnography of building trust in “trustless” spaces". Internet Policy Review 13 (3). DOI: 10.14763/2024.3.1795. https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/dao-ethnography-building-trust.

Chicago Referencing Style. For more info, see https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org

Harvard

Merk, Tara (2024). The unusual DAO: An ethnography of building trust in “trustless” spaces. Internet Policy Review,[online] 13(3). Available at: https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/dao-ethnography-building-trust [Accessed: 25 Aug. 2026].

Harvard Referencing Style

MLA

Merk, Tara. "The unusual DAO: An ethnography of building trust in “trustless” spaces". Internet Policy Review 13.3 (2024). Web. 25 Aug. 2026.

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/index.html

Vancouver

Merk T. The unusual DAO: An ethnography of building trust in “trustless” spaces. Internet Policy Review [Internet]. 2024 [25 August 2026];13(3). Available from: https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/dao-ethnography-building-trust

Vancouver Style. For more info, see https://library.vcc.ca/media/vcc-library/content-assets/documents/VancouverStyleGuide.pdf

Volume 15, Issue 1

Science-on-chain: How can we trust science again?

Benjamin Heurich, Institute for Applied Blockchain (IABC)
Bence Lukács, Institute for Applied Blockchain (IABC)
Lukas Weidener, UMIT Tirol - Private University for Health Sciences and Health Technology
PUBLISHED ON: 26 Jan 2026 DOI: 10.14763/2026.1.2070

A sociological analysis of the term ‘trust’ in the context of blockchain technology and science.

KEYWORDS: Trust, Open science, Decentralisation, Systems theory, Blockchain

This op-ed explores how blockchain could catalyse a global, open alternative to the current scientific system.

This paper focuses on the dynamics of accountability in blockchain governance. Drawing on a case study of the Lido protocol on Ethereum, it explores the rule of code, on-chain accountability, accountability trade-offs, and the complexities of determining when accountability can be better instantiated via on-chain or off-chain mechanisms.

KEYWORDS: Blockchain, Accountability, Governance, Rule of code, Design

The idea of decentralising social media is driven by historical concerns over centralised power structures and the more contemporary issue of content moderation policies.

KEYWORDS: Decentralisation, Fediverse, Blockchain, Peer-to-peer (P2P), Social media platforms

The article explores the concept Web of Value from the perspectives of different economic theories, demonstrating the competing imaginaries on the future of the internet.

KEYWORDS: Blockchain, Web3, Decentralised technology, Decentralisation, Finance

Internet Policy Review is an open access and peer-reviewed journal on internet regulation.

Scholars, regulators, journalists, activists, and other stakeholders publish in the journal in a variety of formats

Research articles: In-depth scholarly research papers and essays
Concepts: Critical reflections on emerging core concepts of the digital society
Editorials: Contextual or thematic introductions to special issues
Essays: Free-form yet in-depth contentions with issues of academic or social relevance
News: Journalistic reports on events of interest to the Internet Policy Review community
Opinions: Opinion pieces commenting on developments in the realm of internet policy
Open Abstract: Extended abstracts for works in progress that receive public peer review

Published by

Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society Center for Advanced Internet Studies in cooperation with additional partners

Special issue on the topic of
Inclusive by design? Participatory governance and the future of digital public spaces

Full call here

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