[2016-09-04] The Blockchain is Perfect for Government Services

[foserfox]

William Mougayar is the author of "The Business Blockchain" and a board advisor to the Ethereum Foundation, the non-profit that oversees the development of one of two blockchains seeking to popularize the distributed computing platform.

In this opinion piece, Mougayar offers his thoughts on why global governments should be – and increasingly are – embracing blockchain.

As government services are one of the most obvious and immediate application areas for the blockchain, it's no surprise progressive governments are already working on initiatives.

In the first half of 2016, cities, municipalities and governments have been vocal in their plans for the technology.

Indeed, a quick overview of the projects in development shows how far the idea that blockchain could change government services has spread around the globe

http://www.coindesk.com/blockchain-perfect-government-services-heres-blueprint/

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[Carlton Banks]

LOL

It's only perfect for government services if you assume that government agencies are always actually interested in recording real documentary evidence and producing real statistics from that evidence. Oftentimes they are. Sometimes they aren't. Removing the ability to falsify public records isn't going to go down well in the corridors of power, as it removes many opportunities for manipulating public information altogether. Cryptographers tried to sell the idea of hash-chained record keeping to governments in the 1970's and '80s, and, hey, whaddya know, they were not interested back then, hence the present state of affairs.

[panju1]

LOL

It's only perfect for government services if you assume that government agencies are always actually interested in recording real documentary evidence and producing real statistics from that evidence. Oftentimes they are. Sometimes they aren't. Removing the ability to falsify public records isn't going to go down well in the corridors of power, as it removes many opportunities for manipulating public information altogether. Cryptographers tried to sell the idea of hash-chained record keeping to governments in the 1970's and '80s, and, hey, whaddya know, they were not interested back then, hence the present state of affairs.

The article gives examples of Sweden and UK, countries where corruption is not a problem.
You will not have developing countries where corruption is endemic, adopting such solutions. 

[Carlton Banks]

The article gives examples of Sweden and UK, countries where corruption is not a problem.

Who told you that?

[aigeezer]

The article gives examples of Sweden and UK, countries where corruption is not a problem.
You will not have developing countries where corruption is endemic, adopting such solutions. 

Here's a source that says otherwise (about the UK):

"Roberto Saviano, who has been under police protection since exposing the activities of Naples crime syndicate the Camorra, told an audience at the Hay Festival: “If I asked you what is the most corrupt place on Earth you might tell me it’s Afghanistan, maybe Greece, Nigeria, the South of Italy, and I will tell you it’s the UK.

“It’s not the bureaucracy, it’s not the police, it’s not the politics but what is corrupt is the financial capital.” "

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/the-uk-is-a-global-corruption-centre-campaigners-claim-a7058126.html

I imagine the (real) blockchain is an idea whose time has come. Time will tell. As for "government services", the phrase strikes me as an oxymoron - power really does corrupt imho - but I understand the intent of the message.