United Kingdom's chief scientific adviser, Sir Mark Walport, has urged the UK government to use digital ledgers for storing data and recording daily transactions in public offices.
According to a report from BBC News, these digital ledgers could be used to help with tax collection, benefits or the issuing of passports. Walport has argued that these ledgers could be used by government departments as a more secure way of managing data.
Walport's recommendation comes in a form of a report which sets out the findings of review exploring how distributed ledger technology can revolutionise services, both in government and the private sector. The report also comes with a short video which explains how blockchain technology works.
In the video, Dr. Catherine Mulligan of Imperial College London described blockchain as a new way to store and record transactions. It is composed of blocks that are linked together photographically to make sure they are tamper-proof.
Blockchain was invented in 2008 to create a digital currency. The perfect example of such technology is Bitcoin digital currency, according to Simon Taylor from Barclays.
According to the report, distributed ledgers offer a range of benefits to government and to other public and private sector organisations. These ledgers are connected to several ones in the blockchain and that any modifications made in one block will be reflected in all blocks. Furthermore, no changes can be made without a digital signature, which makes blockchain more secured compared to traditional database technology.
The government's usage of blockchain technology will make the delivery of government services more personal, immediate and efficient.
In 2015, Texas-based blockchain technology company Factom has provided such to the government of Honduras according to Reuters. Their project was to build a permanent and secure land title record system using the underlying technology behind bitcoin.
There is no confirmation yet from the UK government whether or not blockchain technology will be used in the near future.
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