Kim Dotcom Launches Political Party, Proposes National Cryptocurrency

Tech entrepreneur and web bad boy Kim Dotcom is back in the news, having announced the launch of the Internet Party.

This is not a joke: Dotcom wants to launch a legitimate political party in New Zealand and one of his stated goals involves the creation of a new cryptocurrency in the island nation.

Kim Dotcom does have rather a chequered past that could get in the way of his political leanings, however.

Dotcom appears to be quite serious about the Internet Party.

The party does not have a manifest just yet, but Dotcom says it is on the way.

The Internet Party is proposing sensible policies aimed at creating more high-tech jobs in New Zealand, boosting R&D investment and start-ups, eliminating monopolies held by Internet service providers, and strengthening New Zealand's independence from foreign political and corporate interest.

The Internet Party says it will fight against mass surveillance, work to modernise schools with more technology, reform copyright laws to promote fair use and reward content creators, thus attracting new businesses to New Zealand.

Lastly, Dotcom's party would like to introduce a government-sponsored digital currency in New Zealand.

"The Internet Party will support the introduction of a New Zealand-sponsored digital currency that is safe, secure and encrypted, providing for instant international transactions at minimal cost. By becoming a digital currency leader, New Zealand can become a key hub for a growing financial sector."

What's more, New Zealand already has a number of small political parties - quite a bit more than you would expect to find in a nation of 4.5 million inhabitants.