Whitepaper
Omxus: A Sovereign Infrastructure for Direct Democracy and Universal Justice
Abstract
A sovereign digital infrastructure is proposed that eliminates intermediary governance through direct democratic participation, prevents crime through universal voluntary response networks, and ensures justice through structural accountability rather than punitive enforcement. The system employs a non-transferable identity token anchored to physical NFC hardware, with sybil resistance achieved through in-person vouching by existing participants. Network resilience is provided through mesh topology operating independently of centralised internet service providers, with cryptographic anchoring to the Bitcoin network via RGB protocol. The architecture embodies four principles derived from medical ethics: autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice defined as prevention only.
1. Introduction
Contemporary governance systems operate through representative intermediaries who concentrate decision-making power in institutions vulnerable to capture, corruption, and unilateral action against the interests of constituents. The dismissal of the Whitlam government in Australia (1975) demonstrates the structural fragility of representative democracy: a single unelected actor terminated an elected government without consultation, communication, or recourse. The population had no mechanism to respond.
Modern digital infrastructure compounds these vulnerabilities. Internet access depends on corporate intermediaries (ISPs) operating under state jurisdiction. Identity verification requires centralised authorities. Communication channels can be severed. The technical architecture of contemporary society enables the same pattern: isolate, then act.
Meanwhile, commercial platforms demonstrate that frequent, large-scale coordination is technically feasible. Social networks coordinate billions of daily interactions. Yet governmental democratic participation remains constrained to infrequent elections, with policy decisions delegated to representatives whose expertise rarely matches the domains they govern.
This paper proposes Omxus: infrastructure for direct democratic governance, crime prevention through universal voluntary response, and dispute resolution through mandatory perspective exchange. The system requires no trusted intermediaries, operates on mesh networks independent of ISP infrastructure, and anchors identity and decisions to the Bitcoin blockchain via RGB protocol.
2. Foundational Principles
The system architecture derives from four principles established in medical ethics, adapted for governance infrastructure:
Autonomy. Self-sovereign identity. Individuals control their own cryptographic keys, data, and participation. No entity can revoke identity or access without consensus of the vouching network.
Non-maleficence. The system cannot be weaponised against its participants by design. No surveillance apparatus. No punishment infrastructure. No mechanism exists within the protocol to harm users.
Beneficence. Access to information, communication, and democratic participation as baseline rights. The network exists to serve human flourishing.
Justice (prevention only). No punitive architecture. The system prevents harm through structural design and universal witness, not through punishment after the fact. Justice is redefined as the prevention of injustice, not retribution for it.
3. Identity Layer
3.1 The Omxus Token
Each participant holds exactly one non-transferable token representing verified human identity. The token is not currency; it is proof of personhood and membership in the network. One human, one token. The token cannot be bought, sold, or delegated.
The token is anchored to a physical NFC ring worn by the participant. The ring stores the private key for the participant's decentralised identifier (DID). All actions requiring identity verification—voting, emergency response activation, dispute registration—require physical presence of the ring.
3.2 Sybil Resistance Through In-Person Vouching
The central problem of decentralised identity is sybil resistance: preventing one human from creating multiple identities. Existing solutions rely on biometrics (centralised storage vulnerabilities), proof-of-work (plutocratic), or trusted authorities (single points of failure).
Omxus employs a web-of-trust model with physical verification. To receive a token, a prospective participant must be vouched for by three existing token holders. Vouching must occur in person, with physical co-presence verified through device proximity (NFC handshake, QR code exchange, or equivalent).
The vouching event is recorded as a signed attestation from each voucher, timestamped and eventually anchored to Bitcoin. Vouchers accept ongoing responsibility: if a vouched participant is demonstrated to be a sybil (same human holding multiple tokens), the vouchers' reputation is affected proportionally.
3.3 Proximity Weighting
Tokens are not equally weighted in all contexts. Influence on decisions is proportionally linked to proximity—geographic, social, and domain-specific. A participant's vote on local infrastructure carries more weight if they live in the affected area. Technical decisions weight toward those with demonstrated expertise in the relevant domain.
The weighting function is quadratic: influence decreases with the square of distance, ensuring that those most affected by decisions have the strongest voice while preserving universal participation rights.
3.4 Ring Hardware Specifications
The Omxus ring is a wearable NFC device containing a secure element for cryptographic key storage. Core specifications:
- ISO 14443-A/B NFC interface operating at 13.56 MHz
- Secure element meeting Common Criteria EAL5+ certification
- Storage for primary DID key pair and backup recovery shards
- Water resistance to IPX8
- Medical-grade hypoallergenic materials (titanium or ceramic)
- Size range covering 95th percentile of adult finger dimensions
- No battery; powered inductively during NFC communication
4. Direct Democracy
4.1 Elimination of Representative Intermediaries
Representative democracy emerged from communication constraints: citizens could not practically participate in every decision, so they delegated authority to representatives. These constraints no longer exist. Digital infrastructure enables real-time, large-scale coordination.
Omxus eliminates the politician as a role. Policy decisions are made directly by affected participants. Technical implementation is delegated to domain experts who are accountable to direct democratic oversight, not electoral cycles.
4.2 Voting Mechanics
Proposals enter the system through participant submission. Any token holder may submit a proposal. Proposals require a minimum endorsement threshold to proceed to voting.
Voting windows are defined per proposal, with duration proportional to scope. Quorum requirements scale with affected population: a neighbourhood decision requires neighbourhood-level participation; network-wide changes require network-wide quorum.
Votes support multiple expression types: binary (yes/no), ranked choice, quadratic, and approval.
5. ViewSwap: Dispute Resolution
5.1 Mechanism
When disputes cannot be resolved through deliberation, participants engage in ViewSwap: a mandatory exchange of circumstances for a defined period (typically one week). Each party lives the other's life—their home, their routine, their constraints.
The mechanism creates embodied understanding that argument cannot achieve. Most disputes arise from failures of empathy. ViewSwap makes comprehension unavoidable.
5.2 Worked Example
Consider a dispute between a factory operator and nearby residents over noise pollution. ViewSwap proceeds as follows:
The factory operator lives in the resident's home for one week, experiencing the noise at all hours. The resident shadows the factory operator, understanding the production constraints, employee livelihoods, and economic pressures involved.
Following the exchange, both parties reconvene with mediators. Resolution emerges from shared understanding: perhaps operational hours shift, sound barriers are installed, or compensation structures are established.
6. Crime Prevention
6.1 The Prevention Principle
Contemporary justice systems are primarily punitive: harm occurs, then the system responds with punishment. This approach fails empirically (recidivism rates demonstrate limited deterrent effect) and ethically (punishment does not undo harm to victims).
Omxus inverts this model. Justice is prevention only. The system is designed such that harmful actions cannot occur, or are interrupted before completion.
6.2 Universal Voluntary Response Network
All token holders agree to respond to emergency activations within their proximity. When a participant activates an emergency through their ring, all nearby token holders are notified. The density of the network ensures rapid response.
This creates structural prevention: the commission of harm requires isolation of the victim from witnesses and responders. Universal network participation eliminates this isolation.
7. Technical Architecture
7.1 Network Layer
The network operates on Yggdrasil, an encrypted IPv6 mesh network. Each device receives a cryptographic address and routes traffic through available paths—internet where available, direct device-to-device connections where not. The network self-heals around failures and cannot be disabled through any single point of control.
7.2 Physical Fallbacks
When digital communication fails entirely:
- LoRa (Long Range) radio: Low-bandwidth, long-range communication (kilometers). Sufficient for text messages, emergency alerts, and vote transmission.
- HF Radio: High-frequency radio enables global communication without any infrastructure.
- Sneakernet: Physical transport of data on devices.
7.3 Bitcoin Anchoring
Critical records (votes, identity attestations, dispute records) are periodically anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain via RGB protocol. RGB enables smart contract functionality on Bitcoin's UTXO model without requiring a separate blockchain or token.
8. Funding Model
8.1 The Value of Verified Humanity
Contemporary identity infrastructure verifies accounts, not humans. Google, Facebook, and other identity providers can confirm that a login corresponds to a registered account. They cannot confirm that the account represents a unique human being.
Omxus provides what no existing system can: cryptographic proof of unique humanity. Organizations may access verified-human attestation through API calls during the transition phase.
Use cases: advertising verification, platform integrity, employment verification, financial services (KYC), market research, content authenticity, access control.
Revenue from attestation services flows to network-governed resource pools, funding ring production, infrastructure development, and accessibility features.
9. Transition Path
Phase 1 (Genesis)
Initial community of early adopters establishes network, proves technical viability. Scale: thousands to tens of thousands.
Phase 2 (Parallel)
Omxus operates alongside existing governance. Governance decisions are advisory, building legitimacy. Scale: millions.
Phase 3 (Transition)
As participation reaches critical mass, existing governance structures begin recognising Omxus decisions. Scale: hundreds of millions.
Phase 4 (Supersession)
Omxus becomes the primary governance mechanism. Scale: billions.
10. Conclusion
Omxus proposes infrastructure for a fundamentally different social organisation: one where governance is direct, justice is preventive, and access is universal.
The goal is not utopia but robustness: a social infrastructure that cannot be Whitlam'd. Where no one can be isolated, silenced, or overruled by unilateral action.
Autonomy. Non-maleficence. Beneficence. Justice.
Prevention only.
See Also
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2020). Government Finance Statistics, Australia, 2018-19.
- Nakamoto, S. (2008). Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.
- Reed, D., et al. (2022). Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0. W3C Recommendation.
- Whitlam, G. (1979). The Truth of the Matter. Penguin Books.
- Yggdrasil Network. (2023). Yggdrasil Network Documentation.