Meet BTC2019 Teacher Janine Römer
C4 is proud to host Blockchain Training Conference 2019 in Denver this August 28–30. BTC is different than your average crypto conference because instead of speakers, we have teachers. This is not a conference where you’ll hear pitches on ICOs from questionable companies. Sponsors don’t get stage time simply because they’re helping pay for the event. Every course session is designed with two or more learning objectives, and every teacher cares that you learn something useful from their session. With almost 16 hours of educational content, it’s like you’re getting an entire college course, condensed into just three days. On top of all of this, you also have the chance to earn your Certified Bitcoin Professional designation onsite or online as part of your ticket purchase to BTC.
We’re excited to spotlight some of our BTC2019 teachers this year, and today, we’d like to introduce you to Janine Römer. Janine will be teaching “Bitcoin Privacy: On- and Off- Chain” Check out our chat with Janine to learn more:
How did you get involved in your subject area & why are you passionate about teaching it?
I cared about privacy before I became interested in Bitcoin. My concerns about the state of privacy, security, and data protection in banking are what kept me away from most of those systems, for as long as I can remember, even before I came to know most of what I know. Living in developed and relatively peaceful countries as I have, the fact that I must choose between having the ability to buy property versus worrying about identity fraud because some incompetent credit reporting agency “lost” all of my most sensitive personal information, or threats of stalking because some malicious branch manager knows my name and can watch my spending patterns, is insane. In most other countries, the consequences can far outweigh the benefits of participating, and that is for the minority who have that choice at all. Unfortunately, because there are various entities intent on removing the option to opt out, financial vulnerability and debt slavery have become the default.
Cash was, and is, reliable for consumer protection in ways that no bank account will ever be. Now that we have digital cash for the internet, we need to find a balance between keeping the system transparently verifiable no matter where you are, while also not creating an environment where warrantless surveillance is a breeze.
Why do you think certifications and standards are important in the blockchain industry today?
I think the most important common standards needing development and refinement at this stage are for key management practices. There is so much misinformation and speculation about what schemes are safe and effective. If users don’t understand how to handle their keys, it will be difficult for them to meaningfully and confidently participate in the economy without sacrificing monetary sovereignty and privacy.
This industry is so new and multi-disciplinary that it will take longer for professional certifications to have weight, especially outside of our niche.
Why have you decided to teach a session at #BTC2019?
I was encouraged to teach a session when there didn’t appear to be any other sessions which would be focusing on the topic of privacy. Hopefully, through various innovative wallet designs and protocol upgrades, it will become easier to protect your financial privacy around Bitcoin without needing to spend hours and hours learning about a long list of tools and techniques. Until then, that is why I’m here.
I tend to only attend conferences that are educational, so I appreciate how this event will be aiming for that explicitly.
We’re looking forward to attending Janine’s master class at BTC2019! Make sure to join us by getting your tickets here.
