Failure Privacy and Safe Collective Expression with Social Assurance Contracts

Matthew Cashman

Papers from arXiv.org

Abstract: Controversial views sometimes remain unspoken because they invite retaliation. However, a sufficiently large group could speak safely if only they spoke together. Speaking one-by-one may encourage others, but retaliation against early participants can stop the cascade before a protective group forms. A social assurance contract privately collects signed commitments and publishes them only when all signers will be safe. I show that such contracts can tunnel beneath this exposure barrier to safe coalitions the public speaking cascade cannot reach. Doing so requires private commitments and joint publication.

Date: 2026-07, Revised 2026-07
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