Summary
I’ve developed the Polkadot Ambassador Fellowship (PAF) Governance Extension Pallet that implements critical components of the PAF Manifesto, but I will not consider publishing it until foundational governance questions are addressed. Today’s tragic Optus emergency response failure in Australia, which allegedly resulted in 4 deaths, demonstrates why proper governance protocols are not optional, they are proven to save lives.
Background
I recently published the executive summary of my risk assessment identifying significant governance, legal, and privacy concerns with the proposed on-chain implementation of the PAF. While I only shared these concerns on September 18th, 2025, and understand that thoughtful responses take time, the urgency of addressing these foundational governance questions has been highlighted by recent events.
Note: My governance perspective is informed by practical experience as a solo delegate with delegated voting power from Web3 Foundation in Decentralized Voices (DV) Cohort II (2024) and as a participating member of JAM Implementers DAO in DV Cohort IV (2025).
The Optus Tragedy: Why Governance Matters
This governance risk assessment becomes even more critical when we consider real-world consequences of inadequate emergency response protocols.
In the news today there was a stark example in Australia where a planned Optus network outage reportedly killed 4 people (including an 8-week-old baby), demonstrating exactly why proper emergency response governance matters, especially in organizations with distributed governance like the PAF: Optus confirms fourth death after CEO reveals warnings of failed triple zero calls not escalated
Disclaimer: The Optus situation is still under investigation, and my deepest condolences go to those affected by this tragedy. I reference these events solely to illustrate the real-world importance of proper governance protocols.
Key reported failures in the Optus incident that mirror governance risks I’ve identified for the PAF:
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No escalation protocols: Two customers allegedly warned Optus about failed emergency calls, but “this information was not surfaced with the relevant escalation”
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No notification standards: Authorities allegedly weren’t informed until after the press conference approximately 13+ hours later
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No accountability framework: No formal process allegedly existed between telco and emergency services
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Coordination breakdown: Emergency call diversions to other carriers also allegedly failed
The parallel to potential risks in PAF governance that could be prevented:
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Emergency committee formation could prevent coordination breakdowns during crises
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Professional services verification ensures qualified responders are pre-registered
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Cross-program integration prevents the kind of system-wide failures we saw with Optus
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Evidence handling patterns create tamper-proof records of warnings and responses
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Appeals processes provide recourse when standard protocols fail
These reported coordination failures at Optus are alleged to have actually killed people. The PAF needs robust emergency response protocols before we face our own crisis. The PAF Governance Extension Pallet I’ve developed aims to provide tools that could help address similar coordination challenges, but as noted in the governance risk assessment, it requires proper foundational safeguards to prevent misuse and would need thorough auditing and testing before any critical implementation.
In light of the concerning admission from an Advisory Board member about the rank assignment process, implementing temporary linear voting power would serve as a critical precautionary measure. This would ensure that no single group has disproportionate control while we verify that ranks were established competently and with full understanding by those involved in the process.
Given the urgency highlighted by today’s tragedy, I am posting here in the Polkadot Forum to seek collaboration from the entire ecosystem to establish these foundational safeguards as soon as possible. The real-world stakes demonstrated by the Optus tragedy underscore why we cannot delay addressing these critical governance questions.
Evidence Handling: A Critical Governance Pattern
One key feature of the PAF Governance Extension Pallet is its evidence handling pattern, which stores only evidence hashes on-chain, maintains actual evidence off-chain in external storage systems, includes references to off-chain evidence locations in human-readable parameters, and creates verifiable links between on-chain actions and their supporting evidence.
This pattern is crucial for governance decisions as it balances transparency with storage efficiency while ensuring all actions have proper documentation and auditability.
Required Governance Foundations
I’m requesting a clear commitment from the PAF to:
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Address the critical governance questions outlined in this post before going on-chain
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Implement proper foundational safeguards that protect members and the ecosystem
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Establish transparent processes for all governance actions
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Create accountability mechanisms for emergency response scenarios
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Develop a balanced governance structure that prevents power concentration
These requests are not just about principles, they are practical necessities for a functioning governance system that can withstand real-world challenges.
Conditions for PAF Governance Extension Pallet Publication
Given the urgency of these governance questions and the real-world consequences of allegedly inadequate governance protocols demonstrated by today’s events, I am establishing the following conditions:
- I will not consider publishing the PAF Governance Extension Pallet until the following prerequisites are met:
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Comprehensive Privacy Policy for the PAF is established
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Robust Terms of Use for the PAF is established with clear limitations on emergency powers
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Commitment to align the PAF’s legal structure with the broader Polkadot DAO framework, with a concrete plan and timeline
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More balanced PAF power distribution that addresses the centralization risks of the current geometric voting distribution (0-21 votes)
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Transparent rank transition with objective criteria
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Reevaluation of previously assigned PAF ranks through a transparent process, given that an Advisory Board member admitted: “I had no real idea to what I agreed upfront and found it confusing all the time… At some point there was also the discussion about which members should be which rank and whatever. Way too much what I could handle, especially for people I did not knew.” They even suggested a different approach where “5-6 head ambassadors are being elected and they will then do the initial seeding with other members.”
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I will withdraw from the PAF if these foundational governance questions are not adequately addressed before the on-chain implementation or if I don’t see meaningful commitments to address these critical questions.
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I will oppose any OpenGov referendum to implement the current PAF design without meaningful efforts to establish these foundational governance safeguards.
Critical Governance Questions For Consideration
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Privacy Policy: Does the PAF have a comprehensive Privacy Policy that addresses the full lifecycle of data handling for both members and non-members?
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Terms of Use: Has the PAF established detailed Terms of Use that define acceptable behaviors, liability limitations, and dispute resolution?
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Treasury Governance: What legal and financial controls will govern the PAF treasury to ensure proper management and regulatory compliance?
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Legal Structure Alignment: How will the PAF’s approach to legal liability align with the broader Polkadot DAO framework, while addressing the unique risks associated with PAF activities like in-person events and public representation?
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Centralization Mitigation: How will the implementation prevent power concentration in the PAF through the geometric voting distribution (0-21 votes) and unilateral powers granted to higher ranks?
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Rank Transition Safeguards: What objective criteria and transparent processes will govern rank transitions for the PAF to prevent abuse or manipulation?
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Emergency Response Protocols: What governance mechanisms will be established for handling PAF-specific emergencies such as governance attacks, reputation threats, or coordination with the Polkadot Technical Fellowship (PTF) on technical issues that affect the PAF operations?
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Professional Services Framework: What standards and oversight will govern the registration and referral of professional service providers with the PAF to ensure transparency and prevent conflicts of interest?
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Cross-Program Integration and Physical Safety: How will the PAF manage interactions with ecosystem programs that operate with different governance standards, particularly for in-person events? For example, how will liability and member safety be managed when collaborating with the Polkadot Meetups Bounty program, which lacks a code of conduct despite funding in-person events across multiple jurisdictions? This is particularly concerning given that previous audits of bounty programs failed to identify this critical gap or express any concern about its absence.
Path Forward
I remain committed to the success of the PAF and believe that addressing these governance questions would contribute to a more robust, balanced, and sustainable governance system.
It’s important to note that considering these governance questions now is not just about principles, it’s also a practical technical consideration. With on-chain implementation forecasted for this month, introducing the PAF Governance Extension Pallet after deployment could be substantially more difficult for reasons detailed in the risk assessment’s executive summary.
Based on my governance experience and concerns about proper safeguards, I feel I cannot in good conscience contribute to the PAF’s on-chain governance implementation without adequate governance protocols, especially when real-world examples like today’s Optus tragedy highlight the potential consequences of governance shortcomings.
I will pause my participation and withhold publishing the PAF Governance Extension Pallet until such time as adequate governance safeguards are implemented. I sincerely hope these issues can be addressed proactively rather than reactively.
Next Steps
The following are potential steps that could help address the identified governance risks, though the PAF community may identify other or better approaches:
Immediate Priorities (Highest Risk)
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Formation of a PAF Governance Working Group with balanced representation (at least two members from each rank 1-4) to address the critical questions, since governance is everyone’s responsibility, not just higher ranks
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Establishment of a transparent process for PAF rank reevaluation, especially given the Advisory Board member’s admission
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Implementation of a more balanced power distribution that addresses the centralization risks of the current geometric voting distribution (0-21 votes) for the PAF
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Development of a basic Privacy Policy for the PAF addressing the most urgent data handling concerns
Short-Term Priorities
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Development of comprehensive Terms of Use for the PAF with clear limitations on emergency powers
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Consultation with the Polkadot Legal Bounty that was executed in Polkadot Referendum #1359 for guidance on legal structure alignment for the PAF
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Creation of detailed accountability mechanisms for the PAF for emergency response scenarios
I recognize that fully implementing all governance foundations may require time, but I need to see meaningful commitments to address these critical questions before the on-chain implementation. My continued participation depends on seeing these governance issues taken seriously.
I now invite the PAF community and the broader Polkadot ecosystem to consider these governance concerns and provide both responses to the critical questions and commitments to address the identified governance issues as replies to this forum thread.
Note: This post is not intended as legal or financial advice. Professional counsel should be sought for definitive guidance on these matters.