TL;DR Breakdown
- ItsBlockchain receives a lot of backclash after Cipher Punk NFT release.
- Twitter Backlash makes group shutdown NFT sales.
The backlash on Twitter that followed the release of Cipher Punk NFT collection by ItsBlockchain has led the group completely shut down the collection and refund funds invested in the collection.
ItsBlockchain on Christmas Day released Cipher Punk NFT collection which included portraits of 46 distinct figures, all of which worth roughly $4,000. However, the infosec community began to raise objections — including some from the portrait subjects themselves after the NFT release.
Why Cipher Punk NFT launch flopped
Per the group, they highlighted that many Cypher Punks didn’t like the idea of their images being used as NFTs and digital drawings. It was the beginning of their doom.
Their portrait images also misspelled several names — including EFF speech activist Jillian York and OpenPGP creator Jon Callas — and based at least one drawing on a copyright-protected photograph.
Also, the list included some figures who have been ostracized for harmful personal behavior, including Jacob Appelbaum and Richard Stallman making it totally condemnable.
Jillian York in her reaction to her digital portrait, she tweeted “I don’t approve of this whatsoever and would like it removed.” She joked she never expected to be made an NFT so soon.
The heavy criticism led the group to abruptly end the auction.
ItsBlockchain apologizes
The group eventually apologized to every concerned party noting that they could have done better.
“Once again, we want to apologize to everyone involved. We could have done better. And we will from next time. That’s a promise.
The mess is a reminder of the potentially thorny legal issues around NFTs, were permissionless innovation often clash with likeness rights and intellectual property law.
The US laws around publicity rights hold that a person’s name and identity can’t be used for promotion without their consent — although it’s unclear how such a lawsuit would work in practice when applied to NFTs.
