Abstract

Abstract. This paper explores the potential of decentralised consensus mechanisms as foundational technologies for constructing robust, scalable, and secure knowledge bases. By leveraging the inherent strengths of decentralised architectures, we propose a framework for developing knowledge bases that do not rely on centralised control yet maintain a coherent, consistent and dynamic set of data through consensus-based validation. The paper outlines the technological framework of the Pensieve design, which is private, permission-less, and readily available. This framework supports the decentralised governance model, which is instrumental in managing social consensus and resolving conflicts in a decentralised manner. A practical application of these concepts is demonstrated through the ECF.network, a case study within the Ethereum Community Fund. This platform serves as a discovery tool for projects and communities, facilitating efficient coordination and fact discovery, essential for supporting various initiatives in the Web3 space. The ECF.network exemplifies how decentralised databases can be constructed and managed, further illustrating the potential of the Pensieve design in real-world applications.

Keywords. Collective Intelligence, Decentralised Editing, Collaborative Governance, Dispute Resolution, Distributed Technology Infrastructure, Web3, Blockchain, Collectively Owned Databases, Autonomous Knowledge Bases