We’ve been so busy lately building the ClearPoll platform that sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of our original vision — the whole point of ClearPoll. So I thought it would be beneficial to try and “zoom out” for a while and remind you all why we ClearPoll needs to exist.
I have read some comments recently suggesting that some people don’t yet understand the whole purpose or benefit of ClearPoll. Someone said today that it doesn’t need a blockchain. Someone else questioned how it’s better than other social media polls. So let me remind you all of what our vision actually is.
ClearPoll will give everyone an equal voice. It is a space where all are welcome. No favouritism, no censorship, no moderation. A truly fair, transparent and widely accessible way to vote on any topic, at any time, and have that vote secured with blockchain technology where it cannot be manipulated.
As you know we are in the process of approaching stars and influencers to use our platform. We should make it very clear, we do not endorse any particular personalities on our platform. ClearPoll is for everyone. Some polls may even be offensive or confronting to some people. ClearPoll only works if everyone is equally represented. We will not pick and choose our users or stars . We have an “all welcome” policy. If we were selective, we would be no better than other platforms who heavily moderate “free speech”.
https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*-rN7ZdMibrUuFxUzrdhOcw.jpegOur long term vision for ClearPoll is to be the go-to place to share public opinion. After launch we will continue to develop the platform and create a place to not only vote, but to discuss topics and polls and really try and tap into what people want, and why they want it. Some people think that if the option they voted for was not in the majority, that other voters are “wrong”. Nobody is wrong, they are all entitled to their opinion and there are always reasons why they voted the way they did. This is why we do not hide any historical polls. An unexpected or unfavourable result for one person, may not be for another. If we give full access to all polls ever completed, it is fair for all users.
Now a little about our blockchain. There seems to be some confusion about ClearPoll tokens, as they are an ERC20 token. The tokens are separate to our blockchain. They are integrated into the platform in the form of rewards and also purchasing corporate services, but they are not used in the blockchain itself. Our blockchain is a fully custom built solution specifically designed for our needs. We don’t often speak about our blockchain on a technical level because we aren’t here to compete with other chains — it was designed specifically to power ClearPoll and it works perfectly.
Lead blockchain developer Adrian Daluz says:
It’s an Ethereum-like blockchain using a trust based proof of stake model for consensus without using POLL tokens for staking. It’s highly scalable, asynchronous and has an open ledger with full access nodes.
Another question we’ve had recently is in regards to privacy and data handling (specifically the new GDPR requirements). ClearPoll includes an option to “be forgotten” by allowing a user to delete their profile permanently. How is this possible? Profiles (usernames, age, gender etc) are not stored on the blockchain. Votes are stored on the chain, not profiles. When a user deletes their profile, their votes remain as a +1 on that particular poll, with no profile attached. On top of that, we never ask for identifiable data such as name, date of birth, address or email address and we will never make any personal data available to anyone, at any time. Our ClearPoll Plus advanced poll results are statistical, cumulative data. Nobody can see specifically which profile voted and nobody can access a user’s profile to view their voting history. The only time your vote will ever be visible, is if you choose to share your vote with your friends. Entirely optional. In summary, your profile data is not accessible to anyone unless you choose to share your activity, and you can delete your profile entirely at any time.
Anyone can vote on anything, any time.
Nobody can tamper with the votes or results.
All historical polls are viewable.
No profiles are stored on the blockchain, only votes.
All are welcome.
I hope this clears up some recent questions and concerns. We are always available in Telegram should you have any more questions.
Thanks again for the support. Very exciting times ahead!
Daniel Abela
CoFounder
ClearPoll