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Blockchain makes new forays into the public sector
During the past month, several states, local governments and federal agencies have begun to explore blockchain capabilities through pilot projects, legislation and research.
For example, two Nevada counties use the blockchain to protect public records. Washoe County has issued digital marriage certificates through a contract with Titan Seal, a company that uses the Ethereum platform to certify documents, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. Couples who receive a paper marriage certificate from Washoe County also receive a certified digital copy sent to them, usually within a day. Elko County is testing the use of the blockchain to create certified digital copies of birth certificates.
In Wyoming, Teton County signed a memorandum of understanding with the subsidiary Overstock.com Doctors to develop a land register and a blockchain-based information platform. Doctors and Teton County will work together to develop software to transfer and display information from its current land and property security system to a new blockchain-based platform.
At the municipal level, Cleveland is looking to establish itself as an important blockchain hub with the Blockland Cleveland initiative. The group held a sold-out conference in December that brought together industry executives and state representatives. At the conference, Case Western Reserve University announced the creation of a new think tank to bring together local businesses, academic institutions, government agencies and technology accelerators for blockchain applications and research, according to Cleveland.com.
The New York City economic development company has selected partners to help launch and manage its public-private New York Blockchain center. The Center is designed to be an entry point to the growing New York blockchain ecosystem and will provide entrepreneurs and other innovators with shared spaces, business support and mentoring.
State governments, meanwhile, are facing the political challenges of distributed register technology. Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced the creation of a working group to study blockchain. The AG office will work with three other state agencies to summon stakeholders and industry experts to learn about the opportunities and challenges presented by blockchain technology and whether regulation is needed. The group plans to start meeting this month.
The state also issued an RFI to identify sellers who could work with the state in a pilot program that allows new captive insurance companies to register with the Secretary of State using blockchain. The pilot project will test the functionality of distributed registry technology in state regulatory processes and will include a review and revision of relevant statutes, rules, regulations and bulletins to facilitate the implementation of the blockchain.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law to establish a task force on digital money. According to the new law, the task force will present reports examining the industries of digital currency, cryptocurrency and blockchain in the state and the use of the impact of digital currencies on local and state tax revenues. The report will also include legislative and regulatory requirements to increase transparency and security, improve consumer protection and address long-term impacts on the uses of cryptocurrency.
And at the federal level, a growing number of agencies are following in the footsteps of early adopters such as administration of general services, customs and border protection and the department of human health and services (which now has a blockchain system authorized and in production).
In December, Support to the troops of the Logistics Defense Agency convened a two-day meeting to discuss the response of the agency to Hurricane Mary and its recovery operations. The Office for the continuous improvement of troop support presented a presentation on how the blockchain could improve the logistics of the DLA by providing updates to the tracking information of orders and deliveries.
A NASA researcher has published a document suggesting that the blockchain can be used to ensure the privacy of air traffic related to data transmissions. To improve air traffic management, aircraft must comply with the broadcast-dependent automatic transmission mandate that requires them to publicly transmit identity, position and other information. The Aviation Blockchain Infrastructure would allow control over which data is shared publicly or privately with the authorized entities.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has issued a request for information to improve the understanding of the technology, mechanics and markets for virtual currencies, in particular Ether and its use on the Ethereum network. The CFTC wants to advance its "mission of ensuring the integrity of derivatives markets and monitoring and reducing systemic risk by increasing legal certainty in the markets".
In December, the CFTC published a 23-page primer on smart contracts. The report seeks to educate stakeholders on how smart contracts work through use cases and applications at the CFTC. The manual also includes an overview of the challenges, risks and governance of smart contracts.
About the author
Sara Friedman is a journalist / producer of GCN, covering the cloud, computer security and a wide range of other public sector IT topics.
Prior to joining GCN, Friedman was a reporter for Gambling Compliance, covering state issues related to casinos, lotteries and fantastic sports. He also wrote for Communications Daily and Washington Internet Daily on state telecommunications and cloud computing. Friedman is a graduate of Ithaca College, where he studied journalism, politics and international communications.
Friedman can be contacted at [email protected] or follow it on Twitter @SaraEFriedman.
Click here for Friedman's previous articles.
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