Blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

Summary The blockchain: a revolution equivalent to the invention of the Internet? At least that's what people sometimes say. But what exactly is this new technology and what are its real repercussions? Popularized by the explosion of the Bitcoin price, a cryptocurrency allowing to exchange value in a decentralized and secured way, the blockchain extends to much wider fields, such as the certification and authentication of documents, or the automation of transactions. The promise is to disintermediate by moving from a trust-based system to a proof-based system. Giving an overview of the applications still in development, Primavera De Filippi examines nothing less than the political and social implications of this new technology that has not finished making news.