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Christopher Allen

Blockchain & Decentralized Identity Architect — Internet Cryptography Pioneer — Co-author TLS Security Standard — Collaborative Tools & Patterns

Alacrity, noun. From the Latin alacritas meaning promptitude. Similar in meaning to its synonyms Velocity and Celerity, all three mean quickness in action or movement. Alacrity stresses promptness in response to a suggestion or command, cheerful and eager willingness, appropriate quickness, and in general the beginning of fast movement.

Life with Alacrity is the personal blog of Christopher Allen, covering topics of community, decentralized identity, collective choice, online privacy, and more. Popular articles include “The Path to Self-Sovereign Identity”, “The Dunbar Number as a Limit to Group Size”, “Dunbar & World of Warcraft”, and the Community by the Numbers series.

Christopher is available for personal consulting engagements on decentralized digital trust, online collaboration, identity management, digital assets, smart contracts, and human-rights privacy. Please email if you are interested.

Most Recent Post

2025-01-29: Musings of a Trust Architect: The Case for an International Right to Freedom to Transact

I recently wrote about “How My Values Inform Design”. There I discussed the issue of autonomy and how it can be supported by progressive trust, proof against coercion, and other rights. One of the technical elements that I mentioned as a requirement was “[Tools that] enable meaningful participation in the digital economy.”

This is the freedom to transact. It’s a right that remains conspicuously absent from the foundational rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which stands as a pillar of human dignity and freedom. But without it, the other rights articulated in the UDHR risk being rendered ineffective or hollow.

It’s so crucial because economic agency forms the bedrock upon which many fundamental freedoms rest. For instance, Freedom of Movement and Residence, core to personal autonomy, become less meaningful when an individual cannot engage in transactions necessary to secure housing or travel. Similarly, the right to property—the ability to own, buy, and sell—is directly dependent on the freedom to transact. Without access to economic exchange, these rights are significantly curtailed, reducing individuals to passive observers rather than active participants in their own lives.

Consider constitutional liberties like Freedom of Expression and Peaceful Association. These rights presuppose economic participation: the ability to rent venues, purchase communication tools, and access the materials necessary for organizing and disseminating ideas. Without the economic means to support these activities, these freedoms are stripped of their practical utility.

The introduction of an international right to Freedom to Transact would bolster the entire framework of human rights by guaranteeing that individuals can exercise their freedoms without undue restrictions on their economic autonomy. It would ensure that human dignity, as envisioned in the UDHR, is not constrained by arbitrary barriers to economic agency. By codifying this right, we would affirm that economic freedom is as essential to the human condition as freedom of thought, religion, or expression.

This proposed right would also address systemic inequalities and empower marginalized communities by ensuring that all individuals, regardless of nationality, socioeconomic status, or geographic location, can engage fully in the global economy. In doing so, we cement the idea that economic agency is not a privilege but a fundamental human right.

As the world grapples with digital transformation, financial innovation, and increasing geopolitical complexities, the necessity of a Freedom to Transact has never been clearer. It is time to elevate this principle to its rightful place alongside the other freedoms in the UDHR, securing a more equitable and dignified future for all.




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