Bitcoin Forum

Austin city in Texas wants to use blockchain in protecting the identity of the homelessness in case their identification documents are lost or destroyed.

Check out here: https://coinpedia.org/news/austin-city-blockchain-helps-homelessness/

This is a usual news, the technology of the bitcoin has many useful uses besides cryptocurrencies:

• Digital identity: Blockchain is digital cryptographic keys that are not based on an accounting system, leading to little sharing of personal information
• Authentication: Each person has a distinctive element associated with a system that is available to all to access the information which leads to transparency and detection of fraud
• data management: Accurate data management while providing assurance  of information without third party

If you read this information you will find why Austin City decided to use Blockchain.

This is a good news as Austin City decided to use blockchain to protect the identity of the homeless in case their identification documents are lost or destroyed in a safe and confidential way. It will empower individuals to own and control their records securely.

Such is the benefit of blockchain. Some thought blockchain ends with bitcoin but we are beginning to see that there are many side to it. Thanks Austin but you can do more with blockchain.

Blockchain can indeed save the identity of homeless people and it is an interesting use case, but there are some things I don't understand about it. First of all, if a homeless person is included into the blockchain as such, then what happens if this person finds a place to live? The element which represents him/her should be changed, but the tech makes it impossible. Secondly, isn't this kind of identification violating the privacy of the person and using the tech which is supposed to bring anonymity for the opposite things?

This sounds very interesting, i wonder how they will do it for people to recover their account?

Your thread title claims that blockchain helps to end homelessness, but in reality it only helps to protect the identity of homeless people? Please explain how blockchain helps to end homelessness? How will the blockchain technology bring homes for people who have none? Soon people will claim that blockchain technology makes it possible for humans to fly.

To be fair with the OP, the writer of the article posted the same question at the end. But I agree that its quite misleading as we all know that Blockchain will not aid in any form to end homelessness or even poverty. Every organizations can share their data quickly and every one is accounted for. The projects seeks to used Blockchain to store the pertinent information of homeless people in Austin so its easy to track everything including their medical records so that proper care can be given to them.

that is a great news. Protecting the identity of the homeless is absolutely necessary. I wonder what more can be done than securing the data. But still huge applause to Austin city. 

I agree with this proposed project.
Yes it doesn't literally ends  homelesness but this could help them (poor people) by securing and protecting them from identity theft.
I heard and seen some instances that their supposed benefits are being stolen. It is their only aid and it must properly be claimed by the real benefitor.

Excuse me but anyone who lost his identification documents just needs to go to the town hall or something to request a new one. What is the use of the blockchain technology here? If it's really to help to protect the identity of the homelessness why not using for the non-homeless people as well? Is it impossible to lose your ID paper when you have a house?

Don't you think this city is just interested to keep track of the homeless for records and to follow their activity/itinerancy? It was the first thing coming to my mind while reading the topic title.

How about tackling the problem from the root? What is the Texan government doing to reduce homelessness in its various cities? What is stopping people, homeless and non-homeless, from procuring new identity documents if they lose the old ones?

I have to agree with this one. Why? Interestingly every time a government agency author a policy for the poor or homeless there is always an underlying motives or catch.

I’m a little bit sceptical when it comes to public officials “good faith” image, I have big doubts on that.

Even blockchain can help such in our society, the one doing it and it’s purpose is highly suspicious.

There are recent movements proposing to utilize biometrics: finger print / retina scanners to catalogue those homeless or living in poverty that receive welfare or assistance from the state in developing nations like africa which could parallel this proposal in austin. What the implications of this are I'm not certain. It is possible that there isn't much information on those who lack bank accounts or full time jobs in terms of what their spending, financial or credit history looks like in terms of consumer demographics. And so this attempt may be made to collect data on them.

There could be a market for this type of data as far as personal information sharing goes. This could represent a grey area where information is unavailable where there isn't yet a developed market.

I agree this likely won't do much to improve or end homelessness.