Mark Feygin, a prominent opposition activist and former lawyer for the activist group Pussy Riot, has launched a groundbreaking referendum on the blockchain-based voting app Russia2024.

This innovative platform enables citizens to challenge Vladimir Putin's inauguration as president, which took place on Tuesday. Pussy Riot, a Russian feminist protest and performance art group, has long been a vocal critic of Putin's regime.

The referendum, built using Rarimo's open-source "Freedom Tool," leverages blockchain and zero-knowledge cryptography to ensure secure and surveillance-free voting. This technology allows citizens to cast votes without fear of tracking or retribution. Feygin emphasized the importance of providing reliable and surveillance-proof avenues for protest and polling, especially as dissent in Russia grows increasingly risky.

The Russia2024 app utilizes biometric passport scanning to verify citizenship and voting eligibility. Once verified, an anonymous voting pass is issued, and votes are published directly onto the Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain Arbitrum, ensuring tamper-proof results.

Rarilabs, the developer of the "Freedom Tool," aims to provide a voice for people living in regimes where free speech is restricted. This pioneering implementation of blockchain and zero-knowledge cryptography in Russia sets a powerful example for the global need for privacy technology.