Decentralised digital security offers a compelling exploration of how digital security is practiced, organised and contested within blockchain communities. Drawing on immersive digital ethnography, the book examines how decentralised technologies - rooted in cryptography and designed to operate without central control - depend on not just technical systems but social infrastructures for incentive alignment and coordination. Through first-hand case studies, it reveals the white hat hackers, social infrastructures and ecosystem-wide efforts that make blockchain security possible. At a time of growing concern over digital security, the book provides a timely investigation into how security is enacted across decentralised networks, and what these practices reveal about digital security more broadly.

About the Author
Kelsie Nabben is a Research Fellow at the RMIT University Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society

Reviews

'Nabben reveals the secrets of keeping decentralised technologies like cryptocurrencies secure against widespread and fast-changing threats - and what all of us can learn from their victories and failures. Smart, clear and rich in detail and insider knowledge, this is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand digital security now.'
- Professor Finn Brunton, author of Digital Cash

'It has been a privilege to welcome Dr Kelsie Nabben as a member of the BlockchainGov research team during her Max Weber Fellowship at the European University Institute. Kelsie's book is a timely and important contribution to the study of blockchain governance. Drawing from conversations on the legitimacy, polycentricity, and resilience of blockchain networks, she employs ethnographic methods to investigate how security is actually produced in these networks. Her book illustrates how blockchain governance is a product of informal norms, structured coalitions, and negotiated interventions that sit at the intersection of technical architecture and social organisation. This book is an essential read for scholars, practitioners, and regulators seeking to understand the evolving architecture of digital trust.'
- Dr Primavera De Filippi, author of Blockchain & The Law

'The security of the Ethereum ecosystem does not rely on a single authority, but rather vast distributed expertise. This book provides an account of how decentralized communities in the Ethereum ecosystem coordinate, respond to crises, and improve security practices. I am proud to have been part of supporting its publication which helps broaden understanding of these efforts and shape the next generation of security experts.'
- Fredrik Svantes, Protocol Security Lead, Ethereum Foundation

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Book Information
ISBN 9781526187093
Author Kelsie Nabben
Format Hardback
Page Count 200
Imprint Manchester University Press
Publisher Manchester University Press