THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE OF BLOCKCHAIN-BASED, CROWDSOURCED ARBITRATION

Online dispute resolution ('ODR') is in a state of rapid change and development. ODR platforms, such as British Columbia's Civil Resolution Tribunal, have been granted expanding mandates and the types of disputes that are being referred to these platforms has been increasing. To date, the existing platforms have been largely centralised; that is, either associated with the court system or organised by a centralised authority or administrator. More recently, however, many platforms have begun to emerge that promise to use blockchain technology to decentralise dispute resolution by crowdsourcing the adjudication of disputes to a worldwide pool of willing juror-arbitrators. This article seeks to survey the current landscape of these blockchain-based, crowdsourced arbitration platforms, in order to explain how each intends to operate, the similarities and differences amongst them and the conception of 'justice' that each one promotes. The goal of this overview is to achieve a better understanding of the promises of dispute resolution that each platform aims to produce. This kind of understanding is necessary to advance further discussion and consideration of the likely realities, including the normative limitations, of using these technologically-based solutions for the resolution of disputes.