SOUTH CAROLINA CITIZENS’ DIGITAL BILL OF RIGHTS
- printrune
- Jan 18
- 3 min read
Complementing the Declaration of Digital Independence
PREAMBLE
We, the citizens of South Carolina, in pursuit of a transparent, accountable, and opportunity-rich future, affirm the following rights to safeguard liberty, economic freedom, and technological dignity in the age of artificial intelligence, digital capital, and blockchain governance.
Article I – Right to transparency in governance and Public Accountability
Every citizen has the right to real-time transparency in all state and local financial operations.
All expenditures, contracts, and budgetary items shall be published on permissioned digital ledgers accessible to the public.
Citizens shall have the right to participate in blockchain-based public forums and feedback loops on public spending, procurement, and capital projects.
Article II – Right to Digital Privacy and Data Sovereignty
No state entity may collect, share, or monetize personal data without explicit, informed, and revocable consent.
South Carolinians have the right to access, correct, and delete personal data held by government systems.
Citizens shall have the right to opt out of non-essential surveillance, tracking, or biometric profiling, and to use privacy-preserving technologies in public services.
Article III – Right to Economic Freedom and Digital Capital Access
Citizens shall have the right to acquire, use, hold, and exchange digital assets—including Bitcoin, stablecoins, and tokenized property—free from undue interference.
State and local governments may not impose discriminatory regulations on self-custody, digital wallets, or decentralized financial services.
Citizens shall have the right to benefit from tokenized public infrastructure and state-sponsored digital financial instruments such as the PalmettoCoin™.
Article IV – Right to Participate in Digital Governance
Citizens shall have the right to propose, review, and vote on select fiscal matters using governance tokens or other digital platforms authorized by law.
The state shall pilot citizen-governed DAOs to oversee transparency in budgeting and project delivery, with rights to audit smart contracts and vote on key metrics.
Article V – Right to Ethical and Accountable AI
No AI system deployed by the state shall infringe upon civil liberties, engage in discriminatory behavior, or operate without human oversight.
All AI models used in government must be open-source or transparently documented, with auditability and fairness testing conducted by independent review panels.
Citizens have the right to redress decisions made by automated systems that affect employment, credit, benefits, or legal standing.
Article VI – Right to Financial Transparency and Protection from Malfeasance
All state-controlled funds, including digital reserves, must undergo annual independent audits with results published on public ledgers.
Fiscal mismanagement or unauthorized off-ledger accounts shall trigger immediate public notification and review by an independent digital governance body.
Article VII – Right to Universal Digital Infrastructure and Inclusion
Every South Carolinian has the right to access high-speed internet, public compute resources (e.g., Sovereign AI centers), and digital literacy education.
The state shall prioritize innovation hubs and training programs in underserved areas to ensure equal participation in the digital economy.
Public-private partnerships may not exclude citizens based on socioeconomic status or digital access capability.
Article VIII – Right to Secure Digital Identity and Self-Sovereign Authentication
Citizens have the right to own and control their digital identity, including state-issued credentials and biometric markers.
The use of decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and verifiable credentials shall be supported and interoperable across state platforms.
No state agency shall deny services solely on the basis of digital identity refusal or lack of participation in non-essential authentication systems.
Article IX – Right to Consent in Algorithmic Profiling and Automated Decision-Making
All uses of AI for risk scoring, profiling, or behavior prediction must be disclosed, including the source of training data, algorithm logic, and intended outcome.
Citizens may opt out of non-essential algorithmic evaluations and must be notified when AI plays a role in decision-making related to government services or interactions.
CONCLUSION
This Digital Bill of Rights declares that South Carolina’s technological future belongs to its citizens. We commit to digital liberty, economic sovereignty, and technological integrity. No citizen shall be excluded from the digital economy, and no technology shall override the dignity of human agency.
Reference
This Bill of Rights is informed by the policy vision outlined in Senate Resolution 225 (2025), which affirms South Carolina’s commitment to open-source, ethical, and decentralized Artificial Intelligence systems in the public interest.
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