RE: Soliciting feedback on pre-emptive methods to protect Hive against a malicious court order ...
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... it seems to me that code should provide a mechanism that disables witnesses under court order. Hive cannot abide such external interference.
Yes, but we do need to be careful that we do not create a 'solution' that results in a more dangerous attack vector. Code that responds to a court order would, imho, make it far more easier for a malicious government to wreak havoc, because then all they need to do is identify entities and issue court orders, regardless of their enforceability.
So, automating such a mechanism could be potentially disastrous.
I still default to mechanisms that speed up the actions of the individuals involved rather than those that allows a third party to intervene.
You mean a kill switch?
I note the danger of enabling third parties to trigger impacts on Hive governance, and appreciate your concern. However, I cannot see how to indemnify witnesses from court orders without such a mechanism, because if they themselves act to impede the court's order, at least in US courts I reckon they could be liable for contempt.
Perhaps this is a risk witnesses just have to accept, since enabling external actors to affect Hive governance is indeed unacceptable.
That is my current position.
As @apshamilton stated here, the risk to any witness facing a potential court order seems to be fairly low, because of how slowly the courts operate.