When a baby boy was born on August 4, 1961, the local newspaper announced his birth, as it did many others. More than a declaration of happy news by his parents, those few lines of information were part of a long-lasting tradition -- using the local daily to register, at a set point in time, the addition of a new person to society. Seemingly inconsequential timestamps like these occur every day and, as it turns out, play a key role in ensuring more fair and just societies.
It's not just limited to births. Kidnappers take photos of hostages holding the front page of a recent newspaper to act as proof that they are still alive. Governments often require entrepreneurs to publish the establishment of their new company in a local newspaper. Beyond newspapers, a postmark confirms to a government that taxpayers filed their taxes on time. A patent helps inventors to prove that they developed an invention first.
"By putting business licences, property titles or birth certificates on the blockchain, governments will enable citizens to digitally conduct transactions without lawyers, notaries or queuing at government offices"
Brian Forde and Michael Casey
read the full article:
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-01/05/blockchain-is-the-new-signature
