The state of Illinois has begun work on a new blockchain pilot focused on the digitization of birth certificates. Working with blockchain identity startup Evernym, the tools being designed would, if put into production, allow parents and doctors present at the time of birth to officially log the birth on a permissioned blockchain. But the project, which forms part of the state's broader blockchain efforts, is about more than just birth certificates. According to Jennifer O'Rourke, who serves as Illinois' blockchain business liaison, the platform being designed could ultimately lead to a broader identity tool-set that a person can use over the years.
This is interesting, especially for a state such as Illinois, to be using. I'm not sure how this would provide a lot of value as a piece of software, though, since they are essentially just putting it into a database, which isn't necessarily any different from what we can see now being used by government institutions. The portion where they state that this could lead into more ID-ing tools is also somewhat worrying, to say the least, but it doesn't sound like it is really capitalizing on the blockchain and more using it as a "secure" means of storing information.