15-3-2025 – Polygon Labs’ Chief Executive Marc Boiron has unveiled a radical vision for blockchain technology that extends far beyond its conventional association with digital currencies.
During his appearance on TheStreet Roundtable, Boiron articulated how this transformative technology could fundamentally alter our digital interactions, introducing the concept of a ‘trustless internet’ – a system where users need not rely on corporate entities for data management.
The current digital paradigm, according to Boiron, requires implicit trust in social media corporations and platform providers who maintain control over users’ personal information. However, blockchain technology promises to upend this arrangement by enabling individuals to become custodians of their own data, stored immutably on decentralised networks rather than corporate servers.
This shift towards user sovereignty presents intriguing possibilities for data monetisation. Whilst today’s tech giants profit from user-generated content, blockchain infrastructure could enable individuals to commercialise their own data, should they choose to do so.
The technology’s applications stretch into unexpected territories, including agriculture, where blockchain-based systems could potentially outperform traditional GPS technology. Boiron suggests these systems could achieve remarkable precision, reducing positioning errors from two metres to approximately 30 centimetres through incentivised network participation.
Perhaps most notably, blockchain could serve as a powerful tool in the fight against artificial intelligence-generated misinformation. By creating verifiable records of authentic content, the technology could help distinguish genuine material from synthetic alternatives.
Drawing parallels with the internet’s original purpose as an information-sharing platform, Boiron positions blockchain as its natural evolution – one that introduces inherent value to digital interactions. Unlike Bitcoin, which he characterises as somewhat limited in its transfer capabilities, newer blockchain applications enable complex interactions such as peer-to-peer lending and token exchanges without intermediaries.
This reimagining of blockchain technology as a foundational element of digital infrastructure, rather than merely a financial tool, suggests a future where users enjoy unprecedented control over their digital footprint whilst maintaining seamless access to their information across platforms.
