Ethereum is a world-changing technology that represents nothing less than the second generation of the Internet. It holds the potential to transform law, governance, finance, trade and social organization by removing the middlemen for global transactions and putting people back in control of their own data.

The open software platform enables developers and designers to build and run almost any decentralised application. Applications like new  electronic  payment systems,  social networks, online voting platforms – almost anything. These apps function securely on their own without any chance of fraud, censorship or third-party interference and, most importantly, they aren't controlled by any central entity. The heart of these  apps  are called smart contracts - a computer code that can facilitate the exchange of money, content, property or anything of value.

Many of the centralized systems we use today could be built in the same decentralised applications run on Ethereum. For trade, transactions could be made directly between parties. If you were to buy a home, you could purchase it directly from the seller without the need for agents or banks – and of course, without the large fees. For identity and privacy, Ethereum allows you to be in full control of your own online data. With all of your personal information hosted on the decentralised network, there is no chance it can be hacked, lost, or used without your permission.

The Ethereum platform is developed by an international team of passionate developers for the Ethereum Foundation, a Swiss nonprofit organisation. The Ethereum Foundation’s mission is to promote and support research, development, and education to bring decentralised protocols and tools to the world. These will empower developers to produce next generation decentralised applications (dapps) and together build a more globally accessible, freer and more trustworthy Internet.

Ethereum uses a systemic design approach to empower the global community to play a role in creating an unstoppable, censorship-resistant, self-sustaining, decentralised network.

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