Charles Hoskinson on data ownership
From Charles Hoskinson On The Future of Blockchain & Crypto · · Blockchain Won't Save The World
“Ultimately gives the power back to the people because you own your data you own your identity you own you uh and when you do business with people you're able to prove things about you but you don't have to share you and you don't have to make them the custodian of you and you don't give them the power to tell other people who you are. Uh and that's uh that's turning this whole data economy on its head and I and I think it's the only way to preserve human rights moving into the 21st century.”
On , Charles Hoskinson, CEO at IOHK, spoke about data ownership during Charles Hoskinson On The Future of Blockchain & Crypto on Blockchain Won't Save The World.
About Charles Hoskinson
Charles Hoskinson, the CEO of Input Output Global and founder of Cardano and Midnight, has been active in multiple public appearances discussing blockchain governance, privacy, and the integration of cryptocurrency with artificial intelligence. In a January 2024 LinkedIn Live interview, he described blockchain technology as a "management layer" for business and a means to "preserve human rights moving into the 21st century," and argued that the ESG movement would be a key driver of blockchain adoption. In subsequent interviews throughout 2025 and 2026, Hoskinson has focused on promoting Midnight, a privacy-focused blockchain he describes as a "fourth-generation cryptocurrency." He has stated that Midnight's design includes a dual-tokenomics model and aims to provide "rational privacy" through selective disclosure, allowing users to prove properties about themselves without revealing all their data. Hoskinson has also been vocal about regulatory and governance issues. In multiple appearances, he criticized the U.S. Clarity Act, arguing that its language could be used by regulators to classify most cryptocurrencies as securities. He has expressed disappointment with Ethereum's current trajectory and contrasted Cardano's on-chain governance system, where ADA holders have a vote, with Bitcoin and Ethereum, where he says holders have "no say." He has also warned about the potential for quantum computers to break Bitcoin's encryption, stating that the threat is "coming much faster than everybody is anticipating." Additionally, Hoskinson discussed his involvement in a healthcare venture in Wyoming, Hoskinson Health, which he said he co-founded with his father and brother, and which he described as a 70,000-square-foot facility that served 22,000 patients before being shut down due to financial losses and lack of government support.